27th October: Coronavirus Latest News

UK STATISTICS

There have been more than 8.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and nearly 140,000 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. A booster campaign is also underway.

Total UK Cases: 8,853,227 positive tests
Latest UK daily figure: 40,954 new cases
Number in UK hospital: 8,693, 305 more than on previous day
New deaths across UK: 263
Total UK deaths: 139,834
England Cases per 100,000: 503 (rising)
R number in UK: 1.1 to 1.2

Vaccine data:

Total 1^st doses given: 49,753,037 – 86% of UK aged 12+
Total 2^nd doses: 45,582,891 – 79%
Daily 1^st doses: 37,809
Daily 2nd doses: 21,446
Booster: 225,436 (4.5 million doses taken since 16 Sep)

Latest Stockport data:

Total Stockport cases: 45,644 to 26 October
Cases in the latest week: 1,560, 133 fewer than previous week
Total deaths: 760 to October 15th (+1)
Cases per 100,000: 530 per 100,000 week ending 22 October
R number in North West: 0.9 – 1.1

Stockport vaccine data:                  

1^st dose: 82% of over 12s to 24 October
2^nd dose: 76%

The R value and growth rate
The R range for England is 1.0 to 1.2 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: 

Chancellor’s Autumn Budget summary:

State of the economy:

• Inflation in September was 3.1% and is likely to rise to average 4% over next year, OBR says
• UK economy forecast to return to pre-Covid levels by 2022
• Annual growth set to rebound by 6.5% this year, followed by 6% in 2022
• Unemployment expected to peak at 5.2% next year, lower than 11.9% previously predicted
• Wages have grown in real terms by 3.4% since February 2020
• Borrowing as a percentage of GDP is forecast to fall from 7.9% this year to 3.3% next year
• Borrowing as a percentage of GDP will then fall in the following four years to 1.5%
• Foreign aid spending projected to return to 0.7% of GDP by 2024-25

Taxation and spending:

• Whitehall departments to receive rise in overall spending, totalling £150bn over the course of this Parliament
• Universal Credit taper rate will be cut by 8% no later than 1 December, bringing it down from 63% to 55%
• Business rates retained and reformed
• New 50% business rates discount will apply in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, up to a maximum of £110,000
• Planned rise in fuel duty to be cancelled amid the highest pump prices in eight years
• £24bn earmarked for housing: £11.5bn for up to 180,000 affordable homes, with brownfield sites targeted for development
• A 4% levy will be placed on property developers with profits over £25m rate to help create a £5bn fund to remove unsafe cladding
• Funding will rise by an average of £4.6bn for the the Scottish Government, £2.5bn for the Welsh Government, and £1.6bn for the Northern Ireland Executive
• Levelling Up Fund will mean £1.7bn will be invested in local areas across the UK
• Government backing projects in Aberdeen, Bury, Burnley, Lewes, Clwyd South, Stoke-on-Trent, Ashton under Lyne, Doncaster, South Leicester, Sunderland and West Leeds
• Extra £2.2bn for courts, prisons and probation services
• Tax relief for museums and galleries will be extended for two years, to March 2024
• Core science funding to rise to £5.9bn a year by 2024-25

Children & education:

• Schools to get an extra £4.7bn by 2024-25
• There will be nearly £2bn of new funding to help schools and colleges to recover from the pandemic
• Schools funding to return to 2010 levels in real terms – an equivalent per pupil cash increase of more than £1,500
• £300m will be spent on a “Start for Life” parenting programmes, with an additional £170m by 2024-25 promised for childcare
• A UK-wide numeracy programme will be set-up to help improve basic maths skills among adults

Air Travel:

• Flights between airports in the UK nations will be subject to a new lower rate of Air Passenger Duty from April 2023
• Financial support for English airports to be extended for a further six months
• A new ultra long-haul band in Air Passenger Duty for flights of over 5,500 miles will be introduced from April 2023

Alcohol:

• Planned rise in the duty on spirits, wine, cider and beer will be cancelled
• Simplification of alcohol duties will see the number of rates drop from 15 to six
• Stronger red wines, fortified wines, and high-strength ciders will see a small increase in their rates
• Rates on many lower alcohol drinks including rose wine, fruit ciders, liqueurs, lower strength beers and wines to fall
• All sparkling wines to pay same duty as still wines of equivalent strength
• New, lower rate of duty on draught beer and cider will cut the rates by 5%

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: antibody and vaccination data, 27 October 2021
Antibody and vaccination data by UK country and regions in England from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey. This analysis has been produced 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 UK Biocentre to collect and test samples.

TfGM welcomes £1.07 billion for city region’s transport investment
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has welcomed a £1.07 billion allocation in government funding to support transport improvements in the city-region.
The funding, the largest awarded to any city-region, was announced ahead of this week’s Budget and will deliver a consistent step towards delivering the Bee Network: Greater Manchester’s ambitious plans for an integrated transport network.
TfGM will use the funding, representing 90% of the total bid for, to support bus franchising plans and integrating services with trams and walking and cycling routes by 2024. Spending will deliver investment in quality bus transit corridors, improving transport infrastructure and connectivity for towns and high streets in the region. It will also pave the way for the next generation of Metrolink, including an expansion of the network and the introduction of tram-train services, as well as preparing for HS2.

Further 45 jobs created at Stockport manufacturer
Stockport manufacturer and supplier of military equipment, WFEL, is creating a further 45 jobs to meet continued overseas and domestic demand. The new roles will support the precision engineering and manufacture of military bridges from WFEL’s Heaton Chapel facility, and which are sold to over 40 armed forces worldwide. The bridges are designed to be quickly deployable to make emergency crossings in remote areas or those affected by flooding or other disasters.

SECTOR SPECIFIC CORONAVIRUS-RELATED NEWS: 

BUSINESS:

National Living wage to rise to £9.50 per hour
Around two million workers will get a pay rise next year when the National Living Wage is increased from £8.91 an hour to £9.50. The Treasury confirmed on Monday ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget this week that the increase for all over-23s will take place on April 1. The 59p hourly boost will mean a full-time worker on the living wage will get a pay rise of more than £1,000 per year, according to the Government. But critics questioned how much better off workers will be considering the Chancellor has already hiked National Insurance and cut Universal Credit as inflation rises. The 6.6% hike is more than twice the current consumer price inflation rate of 3.1%. While the National Minimum Wage applies to everyone of school-leaving age, the National Living Wage applies to everyone aged 23 and over.
For those aged 21 and 22, the minimum wage will rise from £8.36 an hour to £9.18, while the figure for apprentices will go from £4.30 to £4.81 per hour.

Stockport to host Care & Support Workers in-person Jobs Fair
There are currently over 50 part-time and full-time vacancies for Care and Support Workers across Stockport, with roles suitable both for those with experience and relevant qualifications, as well as those with no experience and an interest in starting a career in the sector. Some positions require a driving license, whilst others are in residential care or have walking routes available. To help showcase the opportunities in the care sector locally, Stockport Jobs Match has organised an in-person Jobs Fair on Tuesday 2nd November from 1pm to 4pm at Cornerstone, Stockport Homes, 2 Edward Street, Stockport, SK1 3NQ. The event is free to attend, with tickets available from the Stockport Jobs Match website.

COMMUNITY:  

COVID-19 vaccination: easy-read leaflets
Easy-read guides providing information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and vaccination – added links to English large print, Braille and British Sign Language versions of easy-read leaflet on COVID-19 vaccination for women who might get pregnant, who are pregnant or are breastfeeding their baby.

Finding and choosing a private coronavirus (COVID-19) test provider
Lists of and information about private test providers, to help you get the private COVID-19 tests you need – updated the general list of providers.

How to do a coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid lateral flow test at home
Find out how to do a rapid lateral flow test for COVID-19 and report the results. Rapid tests are only for people who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 – added information about ordering a rapid lateral flow test and how to do an MP Biomedicals rapid nose-only test. Added Dari and Pashto translated guides.  

EDUCATION:

COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey technical article: Estimate of pupils testing positive for antibodies, England: November 2020 to July 2021
Experimental statistics providing estimates of pupils ever testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey across a sample of schools, within selected local authority areas in England. This Schools Infection Survey is jointly led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK Health Security Agency and the Office for National Statistics.  

Coronavirus and first year higher education students: England, 4 October to 11 October 2021
Experimental statistics from the Student COVID-19 Insights Survey (SCIS) in England. Includes information on the behaviours, plans, opinions and well-being of first year higher education students in the context of guidance on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  

HEALTH & WELLBEING:    

Charlize Theron’s vaccine plea

The World Health Organization’s aim to vaccinate 70% of the adult population “isn’t going to happen” unless countries start sharing vaccines, says Hollywood actress Charlize Theron, who’s joined the social justice organisation Ford Foundation. 

US experts back Covid jabs for five-year-olds

Covid vaccines have been recommended to be rolled out to five to 11-year olds in the US by the government’s Food and Drug Administration panel. It says the benefits of some 28 million children having the Pfizer jab outweigh any other health risks, and come after a trial showed the vaccine was safe. There have been close to 740,000 deaths from Covid-19 in the US, with 160 of those being children aged five to 11, official data shows. The recommendation needs further approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How to become a private provider of COVID-19 testing??
Guidance for prospective providers?on how to be listed as a testing provider for?general?population, Test?to?Release and day 2 and day 8 testing – updated to add a link for the self-declaration form for providers of day 2 lateral flow tests for international arrivals.

International vaccination: Potential impact on viral evolution and UK public health, 21 July 2021
Paper prepared by academics on international vaccination.

Regulatory approval of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19
Information for healthcare professionals and the public about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

HOSPITALITY:

Wage rises could put 30pm on a pint, reperts pub chain
It looks like the price of a pint is about to rise. A pint of beer could set you back by as much another 30p, according to one pub company. City Pub Group says it’ll be needed to help pay for higher minimum wages announced by government and energy costs so the “only way forward” is to push up prices. The wages alone would cost about £1m a year, says the manager of the chain, Clive Watson. While increases to the minimum wage and the minimum living rate would be “welcomed” by many staff in pubs, Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, says it’s a further cost increase for pubs which are “still struggling to recover and face an uncertain future”.

PROPERTY:

Recruitment crisis as agents leave for better paid jobs
A recruitment expert says the estate agency industry has joined those sectors suffering from a shortage of staff. And in the case of our industry, it’s because agents have quit to move to better paid jobs, either elsewhere in the property business or in other sectors of the economy. That’s the view of agency recruitment consultant Josh Rayner – he says the industry is “the busiest I’ve ever known in my 17 years in the sector.”  The number of available positions in our industry is now 82 per cent more than a year ago, he says. Rayner is now operating not just with potential staff for agencies but also with what he calls “associate agents” – operators he likens to those working for hybrid firms, on a non-fully employed staff basis. “Demand from estate agency companies to replace and to expand is at boiling point’ says Rayner. 

Manchester lettings agency has 10,000 enquiries in one month
Manchester Apartments says it received some 21,000 enquiries in the quarter to the end of last month – with approaching half of those in September alone.

Jonathan Griffiths, director at the agency, says: “We do see an increase in enquiries during the summer months before the academic years begins, but the enquiries this year are not just from students. We’re speaking to a large number of young professionals who wish to make or continue to call Manchester their home. We feel this is a great reflection for the demand for city centre living; but do believe the housing stock required for these enquiries is still limited.” Manchester Apartments is the lettings agency arm of developer Beech Holdings, which currently has over 1,000 apartments located in the city. The developer has a further 1,000 apartments in construction or planning for Manchester and Newcastle.

RETAIL:

On the Beach “well positioned’ despite difficult year
Manchester-based online retailer of beach holidays On the Beach (OTB) has said the business is “well-positioned” as it enters 2022 despite another difficult pandemic-hit year. In a trading update for the 12 months to 30 September 2021, the group said its specific initiatives, including the “Free Covid Tests” promotion and a further softening of government Covid restrictions, have “stimulated bookings” in the final weeks of the financial year. It said the increased awareness of brand and strengthening of trading over the period provided confidence that there is “pent up demand” for travel and positions it well as it enters 2022.

Wickes sales dip as DIY slows
DIY retailer Wickes has said it performed well in its third quarter despite sales in its core category dipping due to tough comparatives in the same period last year.
In the 13 weeks to September 25, total like-for-like sales fell 1.6 per cent compared to 2020, which benefitted from an uptick in DIY due to Covid restrictions. On a two-year basis, however, sales were 16.3 per cent higher. While core like-for-likes declined by 2.3% year-on-year, the retailer said the category’s sales were supported by a strong performance in local trade where home renovations continued to drive robust order books for Wickes’ trade customers. In addition, the company said its operational strengths meant supply shortages had no material impact on sales in the period.

TRANSPORT:

Haulier coronavirus testing
To monitor the number of tests delivered and the positivity rate of the tests – latest data table added.  

Transport use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
To monitor the use of the transport system during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. DfT provides statistics on transport use by mode. 

TRAVEL:     

Australia to end travel ban

After 19 months of strict border rules due to coronavirus, Australia plans to lift a ban which has stopped its citizens travelling abroad without permission. From 1 November people won’t need an exemption to leave the country.  

Hardship arrangements for those unable to pay for managed quarantine or testing
Details of financial support if you can’t afford the managed quarantine and testing fees associated with travel. Find out who is eligible and how to apply.

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.