Stalbridge Town Council Chairman Katie Garland gives us an update on what is happening at Stalbridge Town Council.
Covid-19: What’s happening at Stalbridge Town Council In accordance with government guidance of the 25th March 2020 all scheduled full Town Council & Planning meetings have been cancelled until further notice. This includes the Annual Town Meeting which would normally take place in May. At an extraordinary meeting of the Town Council on the 18th March 2020 an internal continuity plan and scheme of delegation were adopted which will enable The Council to continue to carry out its core statutory functions. The Clerk will continue to provide office services and manage the core services, she can be contacted by phone, e-mail or on the web site contact page. The Council will continue to be in contact with the Dorset Council Ward member. Covid-19: What’s happening about Town Council planning application consultation Following a statement from The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government concerning the importance of Local Authorities ensuring that the planning system continues to function, Stalbridge Town Council have resolved to delegate consideration and response to Dorset Council on planning applications upon which they are consulted to the newly appointed Interim Planning Committee for the duration of the period that meetings are not possible. This committee consists of six members who will communicate and reach a majority view on applications in a similar process as at a meeting using remote communication. A list of the applications to be dealt with by the Interim Planning Committee and comment submission deadline dates will be posted in the front window of The Hub and on the Town Council web site. Neighbouring residents as consultees and other interested members of the public are encouraged to make direct response on applications to Dorset Council via ‘Dorset For You’. Should you wish to contact the Town Council with your comments please do so via the Town Council Web site contact page or e-mail, and if doing so please be concise and bullet point your comments rather than using letter form. Any comments received will be circulated to members of the Interim Planning Committee prior to their consideration. All Town Council comments made as a consultee can be viewed on the application file on ‘Dorset For You’ and will be reported when normal business resumes. With regret we have today closed all Stalbridge Play areas for the immediate future. That includes Jarvis Field, The Pump Track, The Tennis Courts and The Stalbridge Playing Fields Jubilee Play area. Please also help us to limit the spread of the virus by; · Taking your litter and dog waste home · Respecting the closure of playgrounds, pump tracks & sports courts · Following government guidelines We encourage everyone to be responsible and stay well apart whilst they are enjoying the fresh air and exercise. Tending allotments is still permitted but please observe strict social distancing. Thank you for all your support and assistance in keeping our wonderful community safe in these exceptional times. "We are sure you are looking out for your neighbours and friends who are social distancing and may not be able go shopping or pick up regular medication. To further support the local community we are setting up the Stalbridge Helpers Scheme. If you would like to volunteer to help we would be glad to hear from you. Please fill in the form on our website by clicking on the button below and we will get back to you as soon as possible, Thank you for your support". Tracey Watson (Stalbridge Town Council) Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading
This is no longer 'Advice'- The government is insisting now that you must follow these rules: Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus. This includes people of all ages – even if you do not have any symptoms or other health conditions. You can only leave your home:
FULL GUIDANCE FROM THE GOVERNMENT The single most important action we can all take, in fighting coronavirus, is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives. When we reduce our day-to-day contact with other people, we will reduce the spread of the infection. That is why the government is now (23 March 2020) introducing three new measures.
These measures are effective immediately. The Government will look again at these measures in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows this is possible. 1. Staying at home You should only leave the house for one of four reasons:
These measures must be followed by everyone. Separate advice is available for individuals or households who are isolating, and for the most vulnerable who need to be shielded. If you work in a critical sector outlined in this guidance, or your child has been identified as vulnerable, you can continue to take your children to school. Where parents do not live in the same household, children under 18 can be moved between their parents’ homes 2. Closing non-essential shops and public spaces Last week, the Government ordered certain businesses - including pubs, cinemas and theatres - to close. The Government is now extending this requirement to a further set of businesses and other venues, including: all non-essential retail stores - this will include clothing and electronics stores; hair, beauty and nail salons; and outdoor and indoor markets, excluding food markets. libraries, community centres, and youth centres. indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, arcades and soft play facilities. communal places within parks, such as playgrounds, sports courts and outdoor gyms. places of worship, except for funerals attended by immediate families. hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, campsites, caravan parks, and boarding houses for commercial/leisure use (excluding permanent residents and key workers). More detailed information can be found here, including a full list of those businesses and other venues that must close. Businesses and other venues not on this list may remain open. 3. Stopping public gatherings To make sure people are staying at home and apart from each other, the Government is also stopping all public gatherings of more than two people. There are only two exceptions to this rule: where the gathering is of a group of people who live together - this means that a parent can, for example, take their children to the shops if there is no option to leave them at home. where the gathering is essential for work purposes - but workers should be trying to minimise all meetings and other gatherings in the workplace. In addition, the Government is stopping social events, including weddings, baptisms and other religious ceremonies. This will exclude funerals, which can be attended by immediate family. 4. Delivering these new measures These measures will reduce our day to day contact with other people. They are a vital part of our efforts to reduce the rate of transmission of coronavirus. Every citizen is instructed to comply with these new measures. The Government will therefore be ensuring the police and other relevant authorities have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings where people do not comply. They will initially last for the three weeks from 23 March, at which point the Government will look at them again and relax them if the evidence shows this is possible. 25th March Update - Dorset Council has closed all its household recycling centres (HRCs, or ‘the tip’) until further notice in order to comply with the latest central government guidance on staying at home and away from others.
However, your normal kerbside bin collections will continue to take place for the time being. We have already issued information on how we’re planning to ensure this essential service remains in place. With people staying at home all day during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, household waste levels are expected to increase. We are reminding people that we have limited capacity in our collection vehicles and at our waste transfer stations, and so we need Dorset residents to help. Right now, there are certain measures everyone can take to reduce pressure on the kerbside collection service and keep people safe: - If you have symptoms of coronavirus, make sure you double-bag your waste (especially tissues and cleaning cloths) and store it safely for 72 hours before placing it in your usual black wheelie bin or authorised blue sack Do not place tissues in your recycling bin. These go in your black rubbish bin Do not create excess waste you’d usually need to take to an HRC. This includes gardening (unless you home-compost), large DIY jobs or house clearances. If you do have excess waste, keep it stored safely until the HRCs reopen. Do not hand your rubbish to an unlicensed waste carrier for disposal Continue to keep rubbish and recycling separated. Check out our Right Stuff Right Bin webpage Try to minimise the amount of waste your household produces. We have advice on our Slim Your Bins webpage Create more space in your recycling bin by squashing/flattening plastic, aluminium and cardboard items. You should not however compress rubbish in black bags, your black wheelie bin or authorised blue sack. Please do not squash waste down into your bin after you’ve put it in there as this can prevent it falling out during the emptying process Do not put your glass box out for collection until it is full Park responsibly. More people staying at home has obviously led to more cars parked on residential streets, creating problems for our drivers who cannot access some roads. Make sure you leave enough room for our larger vehicles to pass and turn safely If your collection has been missed, please check our service disruption page on the coronavirus section of the Dorset Council website before reporting. You will find service updates and instructions on what to do with your bins there. We would like to thank everyone for playing their part in helping us keep these vital services going and to our front-line workers who are working hard to ensure everyone’s waste continues to be dealt with safely and responsibly. The Dorset Council Waste Services team The Chancellor Rishi Sunak provided an updated statement on coronavirus unveiling on 20 March a further series of measures to support people, jobs and businesses. Here is a transcript of his speech made that day.
"Good afternoon. The economic intervention that I’m announcing today is unprecedented in the history of the British state. Combined with our previous announcements on public services and business support, our planned economic response will be one of the most comprehensive in the world. Let me speak directly to people’s concerns. I know that people are worried about losing their jobs. About not being able to pay the rent or the mortgage. About not having enough set by for food and bills. I know that some people in the last few days have already lost their jobs. To all those at home right now, anxious about the days ahead, I say this: you will not face this alone. But getting through this will require a collective national effort, with a role for everyone to play – people, businesses and government. It’s on all of us. To meet our commitment to that effort, I am today announcing a combination of measures unprecedented for a government of this nation. Our Plan for People’s Jobs and Incomes, will: * Protect people’s jobs; * Offer more generous support to those who are without employment; * Strengthen the safety net for those who work for themselves; * And help people who stay in their homes. The first part of our plan is to protect people’s jobs. This week, the Government has taken unprecedented steps to fight the coronavirus. We have closed schools. We have told people to stay at home to prevent the spread of infection. We are now closing restaurants and bars. Those steps are necessary to save lives. But we don’t do this lightly – we know those measures will have a significant economic impact. I have a responsibility to make sure we protect, as far as possible, people’s jobs and incomes. Today I can announce that, for the first time in our history, the government is going to step in and help to pay people’s wages. We’re setting up a new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Any employer in the country – small or large, charitable or non-profit - will be eligible for the scheme. Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover most of the wages of people who are not working but are furloughed and kept on payroll, rather than being laid off. Government grants will cover 80% of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month – that’s above the median income. And, of course, employers can top up salaries further if they choose to. That means workers in any part of the UK can retain their job, even if their employer cannot afford to pay them, and be paid at least 80% of their salary. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to March 1st and will be open initially for at least three months - and I will extend the scheme for longer if necessary. I am placing no limit on the amount of funding available for the scheme. We will pay grants to support as many jobs as necessary. And can I put on record my thanks to the Trades Union Congress, the CBI and other business groups, for our constructive conversations. We said we would stand together with the British people – and we meant it. We have never had a scheme in our country like this before – and we’re having to build our systems from scratch. I can assure you that HMRC are working night and day to get the scheme up and running and we expect the first grants to be paid within weeks – and we’re aiming to get it done before the end of April. But I know that many businesses are hurting now. I have already taken extraordinary measures to make cash available to businesses, through loans, grants and guarantees. I can announce today that the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will not be interest free, as previously planned, for 6 months – it will now be interest free for twelve months. Thanks to the enormous efforts of our critical financial services sector, those loans will now be available starting on Monday. And I will announce further measures next week, on top of those the Governor and I have already taken to ensure that larger and medium sized companies can also access the credit they need. I’m also announcing today further cash flow support through the tax system. To help businesses pay people and keep them in work, I am deferring the next quarter of VAT payments. That means no business will pay any from now until the end of June; and you will have until the end of the financial year to repay those bills. That is a direct injection of £30bn of cash to employers, equivalent to 1.5% of GDP. Let me speak directly to businesses. I know its tough out there. We in government are doing everything we can to support you. We’re paying people’s wages up to 80% so someone can be furloughed rather than laid off to protect their jobs. We’re deferring £30bn of taxes until the end of the financial year. We’re lending unlimited sums of money interest free for 12 months. We’re abolishing business rates altogether this year if you are in hospitality, retail and leisure. We’re providing cash grants of £25,000 for small business properties. The Government is doing its best to stand behind you – and I am asking you to do your best, to stand behind our workers. We’re launching in the coming days a major national advertising campaign to communicate the available support for businesses and people. Please look very carefully at that support before making decisions to lay people off. It’s on all of us. We are starting a great national effort to protect jobs. But the truth is we are already seeing job losses. And there may be more to come. I cannot promise you that no one will face hardship in the weeks ahead. So we will also act to protect you if the worst happens. To strengthen the safety net, I’m increasing today the Universal Credit standard allowance, for the next 12 months, by £1,000 a year. For the next twelve months, I’m increasing the Working Tax Credit basic element by the same amount as well. Together these measures will benefit over 4 million of our most vulnerable households. And I’m strengthening the safety net for self-employed people too, by suspending the minimum income floor for everyone affected by the economic impacts of coronavirus. That means every self-employed person can now access, in full, Universal Credit at a rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay for employees. Taken together, I’m announcing nearly £7bn of extra support through the welfare system to strengthen the safety net and protect people’s incomes. And to support the self-employed through the tax system, I’m announcing today that the next self-assessment payments will be deferred until January 2021. As well as keeping people in work and supporting those who lose their jobs or work for themselves, our Plan for Jobs and Incomes will help keep a roof over your head. We’ve acted already to make sure homeowners can get a three-month mortgage holiday if they need it. I’m announcing today nearly £1bn of support for renters, by increasing the generosity of housing benefit and Universal Credit, so that the Local Housing Allowance will cover at least 30% of market rents in your area. The actions I have taken today represent an unprecedented economic intervention to support the jobs and incomes of the British people. A new, comprehensive job retention scheme. And a significantly strengthened safety net. Unprecedented measures, for unprecedented times. Let me close with one final observation. Now, more than any time in our recent history, we will be judged by our capacity for compassion. Our ability to come through this,won’t just be down to what government or business can do, but by the individual acts of kindness we show one another. The small business who does everything they can not to lay off their staff. The student who does a shop for their elderly neighbour. The retired nurse who volunteers to cover some shifts in their local hospital. When this is over, and it will be over, we want to look back at this moment and remember the many small acts of kindness done by us and to us. We want to look back this time and remember how we thought first of others and acted with decency. We want to look back on this time and remember how, in the face of a generation-defining moment, we undertook a collective national effort - and we stood together. It’s on all of us. Thank you. Published 20 March 2020 Updated guidance for employers, businesses and employees is available at:
From Dorset Council- We know that many people in our communities want to help and we want to harness that goodwill - we are going to need it. We are working with public sector partners and charities across Dorset to respond to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
I want to help - who do I contact? If you want to help but are not sure where to start, register with the Dorset Volunteering Centre in the first instance. Click the button below to visit the page and register. I know someone who needs help - who do I contact?
Age UK (North, South and West Dorset) are coordinating requests for help with issues relating to loneliness and isolation, or support in accessing items such as food, cash or medication. To request help email: [email protected] call 01305 269444 Each request will be individually assessed and categorised according to the individual’s level of need. Volunteering - things to think about Before considering volunteering, ask yourself if you are well enough to volunteer and think about the following: Try and work as a pair, this will alleviate some concerns about safeguarding and offer protection for yourself and the person you're helping Always tell someone where you're going and when you anticipate returning Carry a mobile phone with you Try to volunteer in daylight hours only Carry a torch with you if you can’t avoid volunteering in the dark Stay at least 2 metres (about 3 steps) away at all times - this reduces the risk of potential infection to yourself and the person you're helping Avoid entering the home of the person you're helping Don't take credit cards from individuals, and keep any receipts for items purchased on behalf of others Photograph all receipts and purchases for your records Don't assume that someone needs help or call at a house unexpectedly - anxieties are high at the moment and people need to follow guidance with regards to opening their front doors, especially if they are self-isolating Consider dropping a note through the door as a first offer of help (but wash your hands before doing so) Don't get disheartened if a volunteering role is not found for you immediately - the response to this crisis is growing daily and the volunteering response will grow with it Only assist with activities which have been risk assessed - if you're asked to carry out a different activity, contact your volunteer coordinator / voluntary group for guidance Always put yourself in the shoes of the person you're helping, ask how you would like to be treated if the situation was reversed For your peace of mind and that of people you support, a DBS check may be required for some activity – check with the Volunteer Centre For more information and links relating to the above topics, please click on the links below I very much regret that The Stalbridge Community Volunteer Car Scheme (SCVCS) will be unable to provide Drivers for the registered Passengers until further Notice. There are already a few Booked Journeys for appointments from now until the 15th April next. We hope that we will still be able to meet those prior Bookings, but we will be unable to take on any more Journeys from today and until further notice. If we have to cancel a prior Booking we will let you know as soon as possible. In the same way, if those with a prior Booking are notified of a cancellation or other arrangements by their Surgery or Hospital it is important that they let us know immediately. We hope to be able to resume our normal service when the NHS/Government Guidelines allow. Quite simply, events are moving very fast and a large proportion of our Drivers have had to withdraw or self-isolate on NHS advice. This is because a lot of them are over 70 years of age, may have families at risk and may have other non-infectious health problems such as Asthma, Respiratory weakness or a compromised Immune system that would make them more susceptible to infection themselves. Both Mobile phone numbers will remain open and operative, 07512 489 531 for Tony, (Administration and general enquiries or new registrations) and 07746 100 299 for Annie or Helen for back up general information. We also hope to operate the mobile phones for those registered Members who might have a specific need or just want someone to talk to because they are isolated and lonely – “Phone Buddies”. The phone numbers above would not be emergency numbers and any medical enquiries should continue to be directed to the Surgery or Hospital or whoever else according to their issued instructions. Tony Bishop (SCVCS Administrator & a Co-ordinator) |
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