Latest data:
Testing: 763,387 people have now been tested for the virus
UK Cases: 161,145 have tested positive, + 4,309 on previous day
Loss of life: In hospital, 21,678 people have died + 586 on previous day
In Stockport: there are 765 cases of Covid-19, + 36 on previous day
Government Daily Briefings
Tuesday 28th April
Delivered by Matt Hancock:
- Future briefings to include reporting on deaths outside of hospital
- 4,434 deaths in care homes since Easter
- No changing to social distancing rules until 5 tests have been achieved
- Testing capacity currently stands at 73,400 per day
- The Government is rolling out testing to millions more people
- Testing of existing drugs in treatment of coronavirus
- Six drugs in clinical trials, one to progress to next phase
Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus press conference: 28 April 2020
Press conference slides and datasets used by Professor Angela McLean, Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser.
HEADLINE NEWS:
Testing rolled out to millions more people in England
The Government is rolling out testing of asymptomatic residents and staff in care homes in England, as well as patients and staff in the NHS. It is also making testing available to all over-65s and their households if they have symptoms, and all workers who have to leave home to go to work and their households if they have symptoms.
From today, the grim total will include deaths that occur in care homes as well as hospitals. A jump in numbers is inevitable, given that a third of all coronavirus fatalities in England and Wales are now happening in care homes.
LOCAL / REGIONAL NEWS & UPDATES:
Northern MPs and Peers call for additional funding for poorer children
A catch-up premium of £700 for every pupil on free school meals should be given to secondary schools when they reopen, say northern MPs and peers.
They believe such a premium would help prevent poorer children in England falling behind their classmates because of school closures due to Covid-19.
It would fund up to two-and-a-half hours of tuition for six to 12 weeks.
Fifty MPs from the North have written to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to make the case for £300m of funding.
Webinars:
30th April: Remote Leadership Training More info / book here
1st May: Liverpool and Greater Manchester Metro Mayors
talk about the impact on Covid-19 and what the
cities are doing both independently and collectively
to support businesses and tackle the challenge. More info / book here
5th May: Financial support for small businesses hosted by
Dept Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Register to join
6th May: How to influence a hybrid parliament More info / book here
15th May: Stakeholder Mapping in a Covid-19 lockdown More info / book here
Twice weekly: EnterprisingYou Finance support for the self-employed webinars For info about latest webinar date announcements please visit the website https://enterprising-you.co.uk/latest-news/
Stockport – is your business open for business?
Is your business in Stockport? Are you ‘open for business’?
Many businesses have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak and are currently unable to trade due to Government restrictions in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus, to keep us safe and to protect the NHS.
But there are businesses in Stockport who are allowed to continue to trade and are operating safely in compliance with the Government’s rules and guidance on social distancing measures. We want to ensure that support is provided to those businesses too and to let everyone know that, in part, Stockport is still open for business. Perhaps you have an online business? Or you have a food store. Are you offering a delivery service? Or perhaps you have a restaurant and are now offering take-aways? Whatever your business, we want to support you. And it’s free!
Follow the link, fill in the form and we will add you to our directory:
AGRICULTURE / FARMING / HORTICULTURE:
The Horticultural Trades Association has published a new study showing that a third of UK growers will be insolvent by the end of June, even with the Government’s support packages.
It is calling for a compensation scheme for the industry as current support does not take into account the highly seasonal income of growers. It warns that the Netherlands has already introduced such a scheme, positioning Dutch growers to supply the UK if the British sector collapses.
MPs urged to put pressure on government to support British dairy industry The National Farmers Union says that over 2,230 letters have been written to almost 400 MPs as part of its campaign for urgent help for the dairy industry during the crisis. The closure of food service and hospitality outlets has led to a loss of market for eight million litres of milk each week. The NFU is calling for a targeted grant scheme, market support measures and a furlough scheme for cows.
CONSTRUCTION:
EDUCATION:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): attendance in education and early years settings
Updated data and summary of how many children and teachers attended education and childcare settings since Monday 23 March to 24 April 2020.
A new online learning platform – The Skills Toolkit – to help boost the nation’s skills while people are staying at home, has been launched by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. Courses on offer cover a range of levels, from everyday maths and tools for using email and social media more effectively at work to more advanced training.
Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak
What schools need to do during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Updated guidance on bank holidays, Early Years Foundation Stage, recruitment and workforce.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
Added ‘Use of free early education entitlements funding during the coronavirus outbreak’ to guidance and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19) in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students.
EMPLOYERS / BUSINESSES / FINANCE:
Wages for furloughed employees are now being paid through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
If you have already made a claim:
Payment takes six working days from when a claim is submitted. Please do not call HMRC to chase payment as they will not be able to update you before the six working days have ended. It will automatically be sent to the bank account you nominated in your claim. Please retain all records and calculations for your claims in case HMRC need to contact you about them in future.
If you have not yet made a claim:
You can still claim online for a grant for 80% of your furloughed employees’ salaries, up to a maximum of £2,500 per employee, per month. You will receive the funds six working days after you claim, provided your claim matches records that we hold for your PAYE scheme.
Please continue to keep your furloughed employees informed and ask them not to contact HMRC directly – HMRC will not be able to provide them with any information.
How can property investors come out the other side of the Covid-19 crisis?
“The world has been temporarily paused, and for many, this is presenting a host of challenges. But for the few, it opens up a world of opportunities.”
Covid-19: Update on tax policy documents
HM Treasury and HMRC are today (28 April) setting out new timelines for tax policy consultations and other work in the light of the current Covid-19 crisis.
Government confirms allocations of £1.6 billion funding boost for councils
Individual councils in England have funding allocations confirmed following Local Government Secretary’s announcement of £1.6 billion in additional funding.
HMT and HMRC have set out new timelines for tax policy consultations and other work in the light of the current Covid-19 crisis.
The government is extending deadlines to ten consultations and calls for evidence currently underway by three months – including the Plastic Packaging Tax, a call for evidence on Vehicle Excise Duty and a consultation on the HMRC Charter – and also a short delay to the publication of other documents announced at Budget 2020.
The extension will give all stakeholders, who are facing disruption due to COVID-19, more time to submit their views and allow them to fully engage with these documents and contribute to the tax policy making process.
Cash Grant for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure and Small Business Grant Funding Since the launch of the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Leisure & Hospitality Grants Fund, over £7 billion in grants has been paid out to small businesses. Local Authorities in England have been working hard to reach out to eligible businesses directly to arrange payment. The grants are of £10,000 or £25,000 and do not need to be paid back. Please note, this scheme applies to England only. To ensure all eligible businesses can access these funds, we have two main calls to action:
- Check whether you are entitled to the grant, using the GOV UK checker tool.
For more information on the schemes, please click here.
Stockport businesses grant funding payments:
Stockport Council have administered a further 76 grants in the past 24 hours bringing the total amount paid to £48,360,000 across 4,173 qualifying businesses and 76.2% of those identified as eligible as at 11/03/2020. If your business qualifies for a grant, please complete the online application form.
If you have any queries please email business.rates@stockport.gov.uk
Webinars and videos from HMRC are now available, advising businesses on how to deal with the economic impacts of coronavirus, and how to access support.
ACAS runs a series of webinars on employment law and employment relations
Covid-19 Business Grant Funding Documentation
EMPLOYMENT / RECRUITMENT:
Care group launches recruitment drive for 3,000 staff
Home Instead Senior Care is looking for the extra staff, including 500 in its North West operations, to continue to provide its award-winning care to the elderly and vulnerable throughout the UK.
Stockport Jobs Match, matching Stockport workers with Jobs
Stockport Council has launched a job matching website to help support employers with vacancies and individuals across the Stockport borough who are looking for work.
Furloughed workers offered online skills training
The Department for Education is launching a collection of job-related online courses, teaching numeracy, coding and internet skills.
The Open University and Google are among the providers.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said businesses should encourage staff to “boost their skills”.
HEALTH & WELLBEING:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): reuse of medicines in a care home or hospice
Standard operating procedure on how to run a safe and effective medicines reuse scheme in a care home or hospice during the coronavirus outbreak.
COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection
Stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection – added guidance for households with grandparents, parents and children living together where someone is at increased risk or has symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
COVID-19 treatments could be fast-tracked through new national clinical trial initiative
This will accelerate the development of new drugs for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, reducing the time taken to set up clinical studies for new therapies from months to weeks.
£3.1million funding to support children impacted by domestic abuse.
the Home Office has announced £3.1 million will go to specialist services for children who have both been directly and indirectly affected by domestic abuse. This can include one-to-one and group counselling sessions to improve the mental health of children affected and early intervention schemes.
The Local Government Association has responded to ONS and CQC figures on community deaths.
Data shows that up until 24 April 4,343 people died from COVID-19 in care homes. It said: ‘Every death from this virus is a tragedy. This is being exacerbated by the fact some social care staff and other frontline workers still lack the necessary PPE to protect themselves and the people they care for from contracting coronavirus.’
Barnardo’s says its frontline workers are concerned about an increase in family conflict and stress and that children need to be recognised as victims.
The charity is calling for amendments to the Domestic Violence Bill to also protect children
Specification for ventilators to be used in UK hospitals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
This guidance sets out the clinical requirements based on the consensus of what is ‘minimally acceptable’ performance in the opinion of the anaesthesia and intensive care medicine professionals and medical device regulators. The Government aren’t currently able to proceed with any new applications to provide ventilators that have not already started.
Further expansion of access to coronavirus testing helps protect the most vulnerable
Anyone in England with coronavirus symptoms who either has to leave home to go to work or is aged 65 and over will now be able to get tested.
LGA responds to Care England Report on provider funding
“The £3.2 billion funding that government has made available to councils to help with additional costs arising as a result of COVID-19 is much needed. However, there are many and growing calls on this funding across the full range of council services and additional resources will be needed to allow councils to continue to support social care and other services.”
Personal protective equipment (PPE): export control process
Information for economic operators who will temporarily need a licence to export PPE outside the EU, EFTA member states and certain other territories. The 3 attachments on this page have been updated to reflect the revised EU regulations. The attachments are: ‘Personal protective equipment (PPE): export control process’, ‘Application form’ and ‘Notification form’.
IT & SECURITY:
Coronavirus: UK contact-tracing app ‘ready in two to three weeks’
Ultimately anyone will be able to get tested if they have symptoms – crucial when lockdown restrictions are eased as part of the “test, track and trace” strategy to keep the virus at bay.
PROPERTY:
Lenders grant 1.6 million payment holidays to mortgage holders
One in seven mortgages are now covered by payment holidays following steps taken by lenders to help households whose finances have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis. For the average mortgage holder, the payment holiday amounts to £755 per month of suspended payments.
Property sales worth £82bn ‘on hold’ amid lockdown
Some 373,000 property sales are on hold owing to the coronavirus lockdown, analysis of the housing market in UK cities suggests.
The value of held sales totals a collective £82bn, researchers at property portal Zoopla have estimated.
Agreed sales were running at a tenth of the normal level for the time of year, and were akin to the activity seen in late December, they said.
New guidance for removals could mean housing market back in action
The guidance comes from the government of Guernsey, where estate agents were allowed to resume viewings and open their offices last weekend. It says removals can only take place in a property where there has been no cases or suspected cases of Coronavirus for the previous 14 days.
Housebuilders plan to reopen sites, as unions warn against relaxing social distancing
Persimmon, Redrow, Vistry and Taylor Wimpey are among the growing list of housebuilders who are planning to reopen their construction sites, after closing them at the start of the lockdown. The re-opening plans are being put together in response to the Government’s objective of getting the construction industry back to work.
RETAIL:
McDonalds to trial reopening of UK branches in lockdown
The behind-closed-doors test which starts this week will involve “exploring social distancing measures for our crew, PPE options and opening in a limited capacity,” the company said.
Retailer Next has conducted a revised stress test after seeing its sales drop more than initially expected due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
In a trading statement this morning, the firm announced it is now modelling lower sales for both the first and second half of the year, with the worst case scenario showing a 40 per cent decrease in sales.
How are you doing?
If you are a business owner in Stockport, Totally Stockport and Stockport Council are also keen to find out what your needs are at this difficult time so they can provide the most appropriate advice and support.
To help them understand more, visit www.bidsurvey.com and help them to help you.
Useful links:
Stockport Council – Health & Mental Well-being: https://www.stockport.gov.uk/showcase/coronavirus
Government – Financial Support
CBILS – A guide to whether it may be the best options for a business
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 – 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.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/
Government – Business Support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19
Government – Financial Support:
Government – Business Support:
Bank of England – Financial Support:
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/news/2020/march/the-covid-corporate-financing-facility
Stockport Council Grant scheme:
https://www.stockport.gov.uk/business-rates-support-measures
Gov.uk: Maintaining Educational Provision:
UK Lockdown – Further businesses to close and exceptions:
Business Growth Hub:
www.businessgrowthhub.com/coronavirus
Food & Drink – advice and guidance:
Health – updates from NHS
https://www.england.nhs.uk/news/
Health – Shielding the most vulnerable
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).
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.
Health – the big white wall
The Big White Wall offers 24/7 anonymous support via a digital emotional wellbeing and mental health service, offering peer support for anyone over the age of 16, support from trained clinicians alongside a range of helpful tools and resources.
Media and Marketing:
Travel:
https://media.northernrailway.co.uk/news/coronavirus-travel-information
Recruitment: – DWP and Universal Credit
Retail: An update form British Retail Consortium
https://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/coronavirus-latest-retailer-activity/
Employment: – Stockport Jobs Match
Stockport Council has launched a FREE job matching website to help 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.
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
Stockport park unveils tribute to young community hero 
Last chance to get the winter Covid-19 booster 
Stockport hosts further pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinics ahead of Christmas