UK STATISTICS
There have been about 8.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and over 139,000 people have died, government figures show. Around 86% of people in the UK aged 12 and over have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and around 79% have had their second.
Total UK Cases: 8,589,737 positive tests
Latest UK daily figure: 49,139 new cases
Number in UK hospital: 7,891, 124 more than on previous day
New deaths across UK: 179
Total UK deaths: 139,031
England Cases per 100,000: 466 (rising)
R number in UK: 0.9 to 1.1
Vaccine data:
Total 1st doses given: 49,505,327 – 90% of UK aged 16+
Total 2nd doses: 45,433,757 – 82%
Daily 1st doses: 42,902
Daily 2nd doses: 32,767
Latest Stockport data:
Total Stockport cases: 44,351 to 20 October
Cases in the latest week: 1,656, 73 fewer than previous week
Total deaths: 759 to October 8th (+1)
Cases per 100,000: 563 per 100,000 week ending 16 October
R number in North West: 0.9 – 1.1
Stockport vaccine data:
1st dose: 82% of over 12s to 17 October
2nd dose: 76%
The R value and growth rate
The R range for England is 0.9 to 1.1 and the growth rate range for England is -1% to +2% per day as of 15 October 2021
Slides, datasets and transcripts to accompany coronavirus press conferences
Updated with slides to accompany coronavirus press conferences
Slides to accompany coronavirus press conference: 20 October 2021
Slides on coronavirus presented by Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency.
UK NEWS UPDATES:
Doctors call for Covid Plan B to start in England
An “unacceptable” level of Covid cases means ministers should trigger their Plan B for the pandemic in England, doctors say. The British Medical Association accused the government of being “wilfully negligent” for not reimposing Covid rules such as mandatory face masks. Daily UK infections have been above 40,000 for eight days in a row. Health Minister Edward Argar said the NHS is not under “unsustainable pressure” to justify restrictions. He told BBC Breakfast there were about 95,000 beds in NHS hospitals, with 7,000 occupied by Covid patients and 6,000 currently empty.
“We know how those numbers can rise swiftly, which is why we’re looking at that day by day, hour by hour. But at the moment we do have the ability to manage,” he said.
Government borrowing fell in September compared with a year earlier as the economy continued to recover from coronavirus lockdowns
Borrowing – the difference between spending and tax income – stood at £21.8bn, which was £7bn less than in September 2020. But the figure was still the second highest for September since monthly records began in 1993. Borrowing hit record levels during the pandemic. The government spent billions of pounds on emergency measures to protect wages, such as the furlough scheme, which wrapped up last month.
Tesla reports record sales and profits
Electric car maker Tesla has brushed off supply chain issues and the global microchip shortage to report record quarterly sales and profits. Revenues rose to $13.76bn in the third quarter of the year, up from $8.77bn 12 months earlier.
The company, led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, posted a net profit of $1.6bn and sold 241,391 cars. “We achieved our best-ever net income, operating profit and gross profit,” Tesla said. The firm said China remained its main exporting hub and it planned to roll out a different type of battery in its standard vehicles worldwide. The new lithium iron phosphate batteries are cheaper than traditional batteries but offer lower range, Reuters reported. Analysts said this could help keep costs down and address part shortages.
Unilever warn of price rises
The company behind brands such as Marmite, PG Tips and Dove has said it will raise prices to cope with “elevated levels” of cost inflation which it expects to continue next year. Consumer goods giant Unilever said it had already taken “appropriate pricing action”. Unilever said this would continue across its global operations and within each of its product divisions. The company reported a 2.5% rise in sales for the third quarter. Growth was supported by a 4.1% increase in prices while the volume of goods sold fell by 1.5%. On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics said that the UK consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation slowed to 3.1% in the year to September.
UK government secures groundbreaking COVID-19 antivirals
The new antivirals could be rolled out through a clinical study from winter.
Thousands of vulnerable patients could be taking ground-breaking COVID-19 antivirals this winter after the government announced deals to secure 2 new treatments. The deals made by the Antivirals Taskforce are a significant step in its ambition to secure at least 2 new effective treatments by the end of the year for those who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with the virus. Should the treatments be approved by the UK’s renowned medicines regulator – the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – thousands of NHS patients will be able to access the treatments to prevent the infection from spreading and speed up recovery time.
The 2 new antivirals are expected to be given to those most at risk from the virus, helping reduce the severity of symptoms and ease pressure on the NHS over winter.
REGIONAL & LOCAL NEWS:
North-West labour rates rise for third month in a row
Skilled self-employed labour rates have risen for the third month running in the North-West and London. Average weekly earnings for self-employed tradespeople in the North-West increased by 3.3% to £887 while in London rates increased by 1.8% to £938 during September. According to the industry’s biggest employment contract services firm, Hudson Contract, the two areas have become pinch points for this skills shortage, while across the rest of country as a whole, pay rates actually dipped in September.
Major investment programme progresses North-West hydrogen plans
A subsidiary of global chemical firm, Ineos, has announced investment plans to increase production of hydrogen from its Runcorn plant.
Inovyn, which has produced hydrogen by electrolysis at its site in Runcorn for over 100 years, is set to ramp up production as part of plans for a low-carbon industrial cluster and associated hydrogen fuel-cell infrastructure, HyNet North West, as part of the region’s efforts to achieve net-zero carbon. Inovyn’s investment will deliver dedicated on-site facilities for the purification and compression of existing low carbon, fuel cell quality hydrogen for subsequent loading and transportation and distribution to fuelling stations across the UK. The firm is Europe’ largest operator of electrolysis technology and produces clean hydrogen by separating water molecules to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
Digiknow: It’s Get Online Week in Stockport
Stockport is marking Get Online Week (18th to 24th October) with more than 60 sessions at the One Stockport Hub in Merseyway and other venues across the borough, where people can learn the essential skills needed for today’s digital world. The theme of Get Online Week this year is ‘Get online. Get connected.’
SECTOR SPECIFIC CORONAVIRUS-RELATED NEWS:
BUSINESS:
Submit your Kickstart Scheme vacancies
Submit your Kickstart Scheme vacancies after you’ve received a successful outcome to your online Kickstart Scheme grant application.
CARE:
Adult Social Care Infection Control and Testing Fund: round 3
Sets out the measures that round 3 of the Infection Control and Testing Fund supports, including distribution of funds, conditions and reporting requirements.
COMMUNITY:
Private providers of coronavirus (COVID-19) testing
Lists of and information about private providers who have self-declared that they meet the government’s minimum standards for the type of commercial COVID-19 testing service they offer – updated the general list of providers.
CONSTRUCTION:
End of timber shortages in sight
Near record-breaking softwood timber imports have replenished stocks to a level needed to meet the demand surge from construction. This brings the prospect of an easing in supply bottlenecks once ongoing delivery issues from a shortage of HGV drivers are resolved. According to the Timber Trades Federation more than 7 million m3 of timber and panel products were imported by the UK between January and July. This is nearly 2 million m3 above the same period in 2020, and half a million m3 above 2019 levels – the UKs last ‘regular year’ before COVID-19 – which is about an 8% increase.
HEALTH & WELLBEING:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, characteristics of people testing positive for COVID-19, UK: 21 October 2021
Characteristics?of people testing positive for COVID-19 from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey. This survey is being delivered in partnership with University of Oxford, University of Manchester, Public Health England and?Wellcome?Trust.?This study is jointly led by the ONS and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) working with the University of Oxford and Lighthouse Laboratories to collect and test samples.
Wider impacts of COVID-19 on health monitoring tool
National monitoring tool that brings together metrics to assess the wider impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on health.
Regulatory approval of Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca)
Information for healthcare professionals and the public about Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) – added Guillain-Barré syndrome [GBS] as a very rare side effect.
PROPERTY:
Another jump in house prices confirmed by government figures
House price inflation accelerated to 10.6 per cent in August, up from 8.5 per cent in July as buyers rushed to beat the end of the stamp duty holiday.
Government figures from the Office for National Statistics data show that the average house price across the UK reached £264,000 in August, some £25,000 more than a year earlier. Yet again London saw the lowest annual growth – for the ninth consecutive month – with prices up 7.5 per cent annually but on a monthly basis prices jumped 5.6 per cent in August alone in the capital.
RETAIL:
John Lewis Cheadle one of 10 JL stores to open Christmas Emporium
The John Lewis department store has opened the doors to its Christmas Emporiums across 10 of its UK stores. The retailer is hoping to offer a one-stop Christmas shopping experience, with the emporiums hosting in-store events, festive workshops, and offering personalised gifting experiences. Some of the Christmas emporiums will also offer food experiences, including personalising a bottle of champagne with a photograph and Quality Street personalisation stations. Christmas Emporiums can also be found in John Lewis stores in Bluewater, Oxford Street, Peter Jones, Southampton, Trafford, Cribbs Causeway, Kingston, Milton Keynes and Newcastle.
TRAVEL:
Morocco bans flights amid Covid fears
Morocco has banned all flights from the UK over concerns about escalating Covid rates. The ban also applies to Germany, Netherlands and Russia, which will severely affect Morocco’s tourism industry just as it was recovering.
It comes as UK Covid rates in the last seven days reached 40,000 per day.
Royal Air Maroc said it would allow unlimited changes of ticket date and destination, free of charge until 15 December 2021 to the same or another destination.
The government is working on a means for children to show they have recovered from Covid and are fit to travel, the health secretary has confirmed.
At a press conference on Wednesday (20 October), Sajid Javid was asked about children who had contracted Covid and recovered before the offer of a vaccine and what the government would do to provide them with proof of recovery so they can travel during half-term and beyond. He replied: “In many countries where they have a vaccination rule for entry… they would treat anyone under 16 as being fully vaccinated, as the UK does. That doesn’t apply to every single country, so we are working on a plan that would give some proof of antibodies, but it will be up to the country the child is travelling to to decide to accept that.” How to quarantine and test at home if you’ve been in a red list country and have permission to quarantine at home
Quarantine and testing requirements for people allowed to quarantine at home after arriving in England from a red list country, including rules for their households – updated household quarantine section: added information on what household members should do if they will not be staying in the place of quarantine during the quarantine period; explained what household members must do if the traveller’s stay in the UK is less than 10 days.Added information about what the traveller and household members must do if the traveller tests positive for COVID-19. Added a new section on what to do if household members test positive for COVID-19. Updated the contact email address for MQS.
Summary of updates to international travel, October 2021
Changes made to international travel rules during October 2021.
Covid-19 Webinars:
Remote education webinars
How to access school-led webinars on remote education to help share good practice – new dates for webinars for teachers added.
Help and support if your business is affected by coronavirus (COVID-19)
Watch videos and register for the free webinars to learn more about the support available to help you deal with the economic impacts of coronavirus. The YouTube video for Self-Employment Income Support Scheme – Universal Credit and Child Benefit has been updated.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – How to make a claim:
This guides you through making a claim, including the essential information you need, what to do before you make your claim, calculating and processing your claim.
Choose a date and time
If you’ve missed any of HMRC’s live webinars, you can catch up series of recorded webinars on HMRC’s YouTube channel – available at a time to suit you.
Brexit Webinars:
Exporting: Actions you need to take now: An overview of the actions you need to take now before you export goods from Great Britain to the EU and move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Key processes include – staged border controls, zero-rated VAT, customs declaration, using an intermediary as well as licences, certificates, and authorisations. Please register to take part if you’re planning to export.
Trader responsibilities when using an intermediary: You now need to complete import or export declarations to trade goods with the EU. These are complex and a lot of businesses choose to use an intermediary to do these for them. This webinar explains your responsibilities as a trader if you choose to use an intermediary. Please register to take part if you’re planning to import or export.
What are customs import declarations?: If you import goods, you now need to make customs import declarations on controlled goods and all goods by the end of June. This webinar will help you understand what they are in more detail. This includes what is needed for simplified declarations, supplementary declarations, how to make them, and delayed import declarations. Please register to take part if you’re planning to import.
Importing: Staged controls and how to prepare to use them: This webinar will walk you through the three stages of the new border controls introduced on 1?? ?January?? ?2021, and what actions you need to take for each stage. Please register to take part if you’re planning to import.
LATEST LINKS:
Repayment period for Bounce Back Loans extended to ten years
Businesses that took out government Bounce Back loans to help them through the Coronavirus crisis now have more time to repay. Companies will be contacted with options to extend the length of the loan from six to 10 years as part of a new ‘pay-as-you-grow’ initiative. The new proposals give businesses three new options:
1. Extending the length of the loan from six years to 10;
2. Making interest-only payments for six months, then repaying the principal on a phased basis with other interest-only periods;
3. Delaying repayments entirely for up to six months.
Financial support for businesses during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Pay VAT deferred due to coronavirus (COVID-19)
Find out how to pay VAT payments deferred between 20 March and 30 June 2020.
Report an outbreak of Coronavirus in Stockport:
https://www.stockport.gov.uk/coronavirus-in-stockport/report-a-coronavirus-outbreak
Home workers can claim £26 tax relief for job expenses
If you’ve asked your employees to work from home, and you’ve not reimbursed them already, your employees may be entitled to claim tax relief on additional household expenses they’ve incurred, such as heating and lighting.
New hotline launched to report COVID fraudsters
A new hotline has been launched to stop fraudsters illegally targeting COVID stimulus schemes.
If you would like to register your interest in creating one or more Kickstart Job, please complete the Kickstart Employer Enquiry Form and a member of the Council’s Kickstart Team will contact you to explain more.
Kickstart Scheme
The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds.
Kickstart Scheme terms and conditions
Kickstart Scheme terms and conditions for employers and gateways receiving the Kickstart Scheme grant from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Kickstart Scheme employer resources
If you’ve been offered Kickstart Scheme funding, you can use these resources to show your support for the scheme.
Kickstart Scheme employer contacts
List of regional contacts for employers applying for a grant through the Kickstart Scheme.
Apply for a Kickstart Scheme grant: 30 or more job placements
If you are an employer looking to create 30 or more jobs placements for young people, apply for funding as part of the Kickstart Scheme.
Apply for a Kickstart Scheme grant: 29 or less job placements
If you are an employer looking to create 29 or less jobs placements for young people, apply for funding as part of the Kickstart Scheme.
Visit the Stockport Council website to report details of any outbreaks online.
https://www.stockport.gov.uk/coronavirus-in-stockport/report-a-coronavirus-outbreak
Opening times for Stockport Council Coronavirus Helpline
The helpline for vulnerable people across Stockport can now be accessed through new opening times by calling 0161 217 6046:
• Monday – Thursday from 9am to 5pm
• Friday from 9am to 4.30pm
• Saturdays from 10am to 1pm
At busy times, residents are automatically offered a call-back from one of our call handlers.
New tools and resources available from Acas:
Redundancy letter templates
Redundancy process map
Acas have also contributed to the development of a new return to work toolkit in partnership with SOM, CIPD, BITC and Mind.
Business Support in Stockport – a centre pool of information to support business owners in Stockport:
www.skbusinessrecovery.co.uk
Government – Guidance on Returning to Work safely
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
Stockport Council’s FREE job matching website helps support employers with vacancies and individuals across the Stockport borough who are looking for work. The service, Stockport Jobs Match, will help to connect employers who have urgent temporary or permanent vacancies with applicants who are immediately available and in need of employment. The website also helps signpost individuals to available support services and information. www.stockport-jobsmatch.co.uk
Stockport Council – Health & Mental Well-being https://www.stockport.gov.uk/showcase/coronavirus
Government – Financial Support
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – online claims portal open
Government – Business Support:
Government launches new coronavirus business support finder tool
Government – Business Support Hub:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support
Government – IT safety support:
Government Warnings Over Coronavirus Scams – Here’s How to Protect Yourself
Government – Financial Support:
HMRC has published guidance on how it will work out income and profits for the self-employed or those in a partnership who have lost profits due to coronavirus.
Government – Business Support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19
Government – Financial Support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding
Government – Business Support:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
Gov.uk: Maintaining Educational Provision: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
Business Growth Hub:
www.businessgrowthhub.com/coronavirus https://www.businessgrowthhub.com/coronavirus/resources/2020/03/coronavirus-business-support-webinar-series
Employment – Useful information for the Self-Employed:
News and Guidance for the self-employed:
Concerned how Coronavirus might impact you and your business?
Please get in touch with Enterprising You and you will be connected to someone who can help.
You can also access information and guidance including the latest Government updates via www.businessgrowthhub.com/coronavirus
Can you claim back Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay in the Rebate Scheme
From Tuesday 26 May 2020, small and medium-sized employers, with fewer than 250 employees, will be able to apply to recover the costs of paying coronavirus-related Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) payments they have made to their employees. Health updates:
Health – updates from NHS
https://www.england.nhs.uk/news/
Health – Dedicated helpline to support vulnerable residents in Stockport:
Support can be accessed by calling 0161 217 6046 Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
Health – Dedicated health & wellbeing services:
24/7 mental health helpline & safe haven for anyone over the age of 18 in Stockport (0800 138 7276).
Health – An Emotional Wellbeing Hub which provides information, advice, and guidance for anyone up to the age of 25 for emotional wellbeing and mental health concerns. 0161 217 6028 – 8.30am-5pm Mon – Thurs 8.30am-4.30pm on Friday.
Community – Guidance for businesses seeking to help voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
How businesses can offer services, funds and volunteers to civil society during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Find out more information here.
Stockport park unveils tribute to young community hero 
Research finds Covid-19 has not fundamentally changed the UK labour market 
Government sets out ‘Living with COVID’ next steps from 1st April