UK STATISTICS
Total UK Cases: 5,923,820 positive tests
Latest UK daily figure: 21,691 new cases
Number in UK hospital: 6,099, 201 more than on previous day
New deaths across UK: 138
Total UK deaths: 129,881
England Cases per 100,000: 261
R number in UK: 1.1 to 1.4
Vaccine data:
Total 1st doses given: 48,898,525 (88% of UK adults)
Total 2nd doses: 38,590,332 (73% of UK adults)
Daily 1st doses: 26,114
Daily 2nd doses: 126,307
There have nearly six million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and nearly 130,000 people have died, government figures show. However, these figures include only people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus. More than 85 million vaccine doses have been administered across the UK; nearly 47 million people in the UK have now had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and nearly 36 million people have also had their second vaccine.
Latest Stockport data:
Total Stockport cases: 30,313 to 3 August
Cases in the latest week: 847, down 511 on previous week
Total deaths: 735 to July 16th
Cases per 100,000: 289 per 100,000 week ending 30 July
R number in North West: 1.0 – 1.2
Stockport vaccine data:
1st dose: 85% of adults to 2 August
2nd dose: 72%
The R value and growth rate
The R range for England is 1.1 to 1.4 and the growth rate range for England is +2% to +5% per day as of 30 July 2021.
Slides, datasets and transcripts to accompany coronavirus press conferences
Updated with slides to accompany coronavirus press conferences
UK NEWS UPDATES
BBC: UK experts to recommend 16 and 17-year-olds offered a Covid vaccine
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation stopped short of making the move last month, saying it was still assessing the benefits and risks.
About 1.4 million teenagers will be included in the new rollout but it is not known when the jabs will start. They are only offered now to those over-12s who have underlying conditions or live with others at high risk. But some countries, including the US, Canada and France, are routinely vaccinating people aged 12 years old and over. Whitehall sources say ministers in England are expected to accept the advice of the JCVI, following an announcement today, Wednesday.
£7m fund launches to support flexible apprenticeships
Businesses in the creative, agricultural and construction industries are among those now eligible to benefit from a £7 million fund to create new flexible apprenticeship opportunities. The fund will establish agencies to set up more flexible apprenticeships in areas where roles are typically short-term and therefore unsuitable for traditional 12 month apprenticeship programs. The new scheme will allow an apprentice to complete their training across a range of projects and multiple employers, enabling sectors such as digital, social care, transport and manufacturing to offer high-quality training to those at the beginning of their careers.
Covid cases and hospital admissions down after lockdown lift
Two weeks on from the 19 July unlocking – both infections and now hospital admissions are falling. A similar pattern is emerging elsewhere in the UK where restrictions have also been eased – albeit not quite as much as in England. Has the gamble paid off? The scientists predicted if there was a gradual return to normal, hospital admissions would not go above 1,000 – exactly what seems to have happened. “If it was a gamble, it was a calculated one,” says one of the modellers. “This is not some unexpected accident.”
UK hits 85m jab milestone
More than 68% of 18 to 29-year-olds in England have had a first jab, while 88.6% of all UK adults have had one. In total, over 85 million doses have now been administered across the UK. More than 72.5% of UK adults have received two doses so far. Health Secretary Sajid Javid described delivering 85 million doses as a “phenomenal achievement”, while vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi urged people to get both jabs “so we can carry on doing the things we’ve missed”.
REACT study shows fully vaccinated are three times less likely to be infected
The latest REACT-1 study findings from Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI show COVID-19 infection rates are three times lower for double vaccinated people.
REGIONAL & LOCAL NEWS:
Trinity Methodist Church, Bramhall, – Pop Up Vaccination Clinic
NHS Stockport CCG’s pop-up vaccination clinic returns to Trinity Methodist Church, 351 Bramhall Lane, Stockport, SK3 8TP, this week on Thursday, 5 August, and Friday, 6 August, from 10am-4pm. Vaccination teams will be inside the Church offering first and second doses of Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccinations. Anyone 18 and over, including those who are 18 within three months, is able to attend. No appointment is required, but 8 weeks must have elapsed since the first jab to be eligible for the second.
Infection rates across Greater Manchester continue to fall
Six Greater Manchester boroughs now have coronavirus infection rates below 300 the latest figures show. It comes as the rate, the number of seven-day total cases per 100,000 people, fell again in all ten boroughs, week-on-week. And the rates in six areas -Bury, Tameside, Stockport, Trafford, Wigan and Bolton are now below 300. Rochdale, Oldham, Manchester and Salford are the only areas where rates are above that. Salford continues to have the highest coronavirus infection rate in Greater Manchester and is the only area to have a rate of above 400.
Stockport Exchange delivery partner Muse Developments makes positive contribution to Morgan Sindall Group plc’s half year results in the North West
Leading urban regenerator, Muse Developments, which has more than 35 major mixed-use, multi-phase regeneration schemes across the UK, has contributed positively to the half year results released today (Wednesday 4 August) to the London Stock Exchange, by parent company Morgan Sindall Group plc, the construction and regeneration group. Muse, working in partnership with Stockport Council, has submitted for reserved matters planning to accelerate the delivery of the fourth phase at Stockport Exchange – one of the Greater Manchester’s most connected and accessible business hubs. £4.2m funding has been secured from the government’s Getting Building Fund through Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to unlock the site and bring forward the next phase of the scheme, which includes 64,000 sq ft Grade A office building and a 400-space multi-storey car park. The wider £145m Stockport Exchange transformation sits as part of the Council’s visionary Mayoral Development Corporation and centrally to its £1bn town centre regeneration programme.
Help people in Stockport get online by donating old devices
When you upgrade your computer or phone, what do you do with your old one? Instead of letting unused tech waste away in a cupboard, consider donating it to a local recycling scheme, Community Computers, to repurpose and help people in Stockport get online. Community Computers, part of the DigiKnow Alliance, which is a partnership of organisations and community groups helping people in Stockport to get online, use donations to maintain the DigiKnow Device Library, which provides free loans of devices to Stockport residents who are without access to their own internet connections and IT equipment, including families with children, job seekers and the socially isolated.
SECTOR SPECIFIC CORONAVIRUS-RELATED NEWS:
BUSINESS:
NHS Test and Trace in the workplace
What to do if you or someone you employ is required to self-isolate. This includes being contacted by NHS Test and Trace, self-isolation rules and financial support – updated to reflect the introduction of daily contact testing for workplaces.
How is furlough changing and when will it end?
The scheme, which has protected millions of jobs, is due to close at the end of September. The government initially paid 80% of the wages of people who couldn’t work, or whose employers could no longer afford to pay them – up to a monthly limit of £2,500. In July 2021 employers were required to pay 10% of salaries – with the government’s contribution falling to 70%. In August and September, the government’s contribution will reduce further: it will pay 60% and employers will pay 20% The monthly limit of £2,500 will stay in place, so workers will not notice the difference. But by making furlough more expensive for employers, the government hopes to encourage them to take workers back full-time if they can. Employers already have to pay pension and National Insurance contributions.
CARE:
Visiting arrangements in care homes
Sets out how care homes can support families and visitors to visit residents – clarification on PPE usage when caring for residents with learning disabilities.
Adult social care in England, monthly statistics: July 2021
Experimental statistics on a range of topics including infection control measures, coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations and testing for COVID-19 in adult social care settings.
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.
COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection
Stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
Vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes: operational guidance
From 11 November 2021, anyone working or volunteering in a care home will need to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus (COVID-19), unless exempt.
CONSTRUCTION:
Profits record of £820m for Taylor Wimpey, despite shortage of materials
Taylor Wimpey is on course to post an operating profit of £820m this year as the house builder delivered a record first half performance, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The firm completed 7,303 homes in the six months to July 4 2021 compared to 2,771 last year as pre-tax profit recovered to £287.5m from a £39.8m loss on revenue up to 2,196.3m from £754.6m. Whilst there is pressure on pricing and supply chains for certain materials such as timber and steel owing to strong global demand, healthy increases in house prices are fully offsetting build cost inflation.
EDUCATION:
Vocational, technical and other general qualifications in 2021
Publications relating to the awarding of vocational, technical and other general qualifications in the academic year 2020 to 2021 – added the document, ‘Delivery of qualification results: vocational and technical qualifications’.
PROPERTY:
New homes figures still below old government level
The UK government will not achieve its pledge of delivering 300,000 new homes a year until 2028, according to analysis from property development firm StripeHomes. In 2017, the UK government pledged to build 300,000 new homes a year by “the mid-2020s.” However, StripeHomes says the data shows that the government has only just managed to break the 200,000 homes a year mark. Back in 2006 the then-Labour government delivered 223,500 new homes. This number fell in the years following the financial crisis of 2007 and has not been achieved again. The 200,000 mark was only breached again in 2019 when some 214,000 homes were delivered. The 2020 figure has not yet been released although some analysts suggest an estimated 225,000 homes were delivered.
TRANSPORT:
Haulier coronavirus testing
To monitor the number of tests delivered and the positivity rate of the tests.
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.
CORONAVIRUS GRANTS FOR BUSINESSES IN STOCKPORT:
Applications for the Economic Recovery Fund ARG Localities Grant closed 31st May
Discretionary Grants summary:
As at 29/07/2021
- Received: 2,911
- Processed: 2,911 (100%)
- Grants Funding Issued: £10,843,331
Restart Grants summary:
Grant allocation: £14,652,603
Number of businesses eligible: 1,845
Number received a grant: 1,799
Total value of payments made: £12,823,488
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:
Stage four (19th July):
- All legal limits on social contact will be removed
- No legal limits on the number of people who can attend weddings, funerals and other life events
- Nightclubs will be allowed to reopen
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