| A message from Dine Romero, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council Hello, Today the government updated its tier restrictions and has kept Bath & North East Somerset in tier 2. This decision is based on several factors including the pressure on our local NHS and the rate of infection among people aged over 60. Our figures are beginning to reduce again and we must continue to do all we can to drive them down. While the decision to keep us in tier 2 is good news for our hospitality sector it does mean we remain in high alert. It also means that our Public Protection Teams will continue to be out during the Christmas and New Year period, working closely with the police, partners and our Covid Safety Officers to make sure our shops, pubs, cafes and venues are following the guidance and to take action where necessary in order to keep us all safe. I want to thank all our residents, our partners and council staff for pulling together. This has been a tough year and we know people have sacrificed so much. We’re all missing family and friends and it’s understandable that people are desperate for some form of normality but remember Covid doesn’t have a calendar. We must consider others, especially our older and more vulnerable family and friends during the five-day Christmas bubble period. This where the Government has relaxed the tier guidance from December 23 to 27. The bubble allows you to join up to two other households during this period. Once you have decided on which two households then your bubble remains the same. This means you cannot spend Christmas Eve with two households and then Christmas Day with two different households. However, just because we can do this doesn’t mean we should. We are asking everyone to act responsibly to protect the health of you and your family and to think very carefully about whether a Christmas extended bubble is a good idea. On Wednesday the first Covid-19 vaccination in Bath & North East Somerset took place at Combe Down Surgery, the start of the rollout of the vaccine in our area. I am proud of the NHS and all the other teams who are involved in this, which presents such a huge logistical challenge. Thank you to everyone involved. This is obviously good news and it is vital that people wait to be contacted with instructions on how to receive the vaccine. When it is the right time for you to receive your vaccination, you will receive an invitation to come forward. We have received more than 2,000 applications for our free school meal vouchers and more than 1,700 applications have already been processed since the scheme launched on December 8 to provide supermarket vouchers worth £40 to more than 4,000 eligible children in Bath and North East Somerset. Parents can apply for vouchers online or for parents who do not have access to the internet, applications can be made by calling 01225 477777 and select option 4. If you haven’t applied yet, the final deadline is January 4. This week we held a budget planning webinar: Improving People’s Lives: our aims for the Budget in 21-22. Thank you to all those who took part. If you want to have your say there are two more planned on: 18 December 2pm https://bathnes.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vK1h_wXzTVmfopDJifeIlQ 22 December 12 noon https://bathnes.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VL5Pc3ZBTUSckozanB1b0Q You will be able to put questions to me, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Richard Samuel, the Chief Executive Will Godfrey and the Director of Finance Andy Rothery. |
| These are the latest Covid case figures for B&NES – please play your part to drive the number down. |
| Local restriction tiers |
| Bath & North East Somerset is in Tier 2 – high alert. Find out more about the measures that apply in Tier 2 areas. |
| Latest Government guidance |
| COVID-19 vaccination Why you have to wait People most at risk from the complications of COVID-19 are being offered the vaccine first.Find out more about eligibility and vaccine supplies. What to expect from the vaccine Find outmore about what you can expect after you’ve received the COVID-19 vaccination. Social care and healthcare staff Information forfrontline health and social care workers taking the COVID-19 vaccination. Older adults Information forolder adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination. |
| Self-isolation period Theguidance around how long to self-isolate if you or someone in your household has covid-19 symptoms or tests positive, has changed. Your isolation period includes the day your symptoms started (or the day your test was taken), and the next 10 full days. |
| Getting tested Guidance oncoronavirus testing, including who is eligible and how to get tested has been updated. Information on the different types of tests and testing kits is also now available on the government’s website. This includes testing before a hospital procedure. |
| Stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection Guidance forhouseholds with grandparents, parents and children living together where someone is at increased risk or has possible or confirmed coronavirus infection. |
| Shielding and protecting people defined as extremely vulnerable Information forshielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19. |
| Making a childcare bubble with another household How you can getinformal childcare for anyone under 14 from friends and family you do not live with. |
| Making a support bubble with another household How you can safelyexpand the group of people you have close contact withduring the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. |
| Funerals during the pandemic Guidance forarranging or attending a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic. |
| COVID-19 and renting Guidance forlandlords, tenants and local authorities in the private and social rented sectors. |
| Latest council updates |
| Christmas recycling and rubbish collections Waste and recyclingcollections across Bath and North East Somerset will change temporarily over the festive period. Leaflets advising of collection dates, along with details about how you can recycle your real Christmas tree, are going out to households. |
| Bath and North East Somerset Council opening times over Christmas and New Year Ouropening times over Christmas and New Year can be found on our Newsroom. |
| Have your say on plans for active travel schemes Twoschemes to improve walking and cycling routes around Bath and North East Somerset using £500k government funding to encourage more active travel, are currently being consulted on. |
| Time running out to have your say on Keynsham Recycling Centre You have until midnight on Monday 21 December tohave your say on plans to develop a state-of-the-art waste and recycling facility in Keynsham. |
| Find out how planning policy is shaped How planning policy for Bath and North East Somerset is decided and the timescale for when residents will be able to have their say is the focus of a webinar on Monday December 21. |
| Help to create one shared vision for Bath and North East Somerset We’ve had some really great responses to our request for help in creating One Shared Vision for Bath and North East Somerset. Thank you for taking part. We’ve also been asked for more time for people to put forward their ideas onto our A Bigger Say website. So, we’re extending the call for your ideas until 8 January. We’re looking for your input into the following stories, all of which will help us shape a vision for our area: 15-minute neighbourhoods Heritage of the Future Nature and Landscape Fairer Financing Business and Innovation To get involved go tohttps://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/help-us-create-one-shared-vision |
| Wellbeing Hub supports healthy eating Find out more about making healthier eating choices with help from the Community Wellbeing Hub. |
| Bath at Christmas shop project fills city with Christmas cheer Festive decorations including a series of striking shop window animationsencouraging residents to stay safe and shop locally have gone up in Bath city centre. |
| Council meeting calendar Do you want to know about decisions being taken by the council and have your say? Please follow this link to the council’s calendar of meetings. |
| Follow us on online You can follow us on twitter, facebook and instagram; subscribe to us on YouTube, read the latest releases on our newsroom and if you sign up on https://nextdoor.co.uk/ we are there too. For updates on our services visit our website. |
| Where to find support |
| Future Bright Do you know someone who needs careers support? Future Bright offers FREE careers coaching, support and access to training. We are keen to work with those who have been negatively affected by COVID-19. Check out our newsletter to see how we have been supporting residents through the pandemic. For more information go to www.futurebright.org.uk or give us a call 01225 395555. |
| Community Wellbeing Hub If you are vulnerable and need help getting food, medicine, housing or other essential items, are feeling isolated, or concerned about your physical and mental wellbeing the Community Wellbeing Hub can help. Call the Community Wellbeing Hub on 0300 247 0050 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. email BATHNES.thehub@virgincare.co.uk website: http://communitywellbeinghub.co.uk Text 07870 868368 Following us on Twitter @cwhbanes Bath & North East Somerset Council, working with 3SG, Virgin Care, and local NHS colleagues, have set up the Hub to give advice and support to those who need it during Covid-19. If you need support to self- isolate please contact us on the number above so as we can support you through this process. If you can get support from family, friends or the local community, or can order food or medication online, please continue to do so. This means staff operating the phone line can prioritise those who need the most help and get to calls as quickly as possible If you need to contact the council about its services please ring Council Connect on 01225 394041 or email Council_connect@bathnes.gov.uk |
| Mental health and wellbeing If you need mental health and wellbeing support go to Every Mind Matters and there’s also information on these pages: Bathnes 1BD provides information, activities and support for families and children, including mental health and emotional wellbeing. We also have a similar page for adults needing support or care, on Wellbeing Options. You can call: Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust 0300 303 1320 Community Wellbeing Hub 0300 247 0050 Bath Mind Breathing Space 01225 983130 breathingspace@bathmind.org.uk |
| Sight loss support Sight Support West of England provides emotional and practical support to help people adjust to living with sight loss. Since lockdown this has been either online or over the phone. Now following careful planning, some covid-secure face-to-face support sessions are resuming on an appointment only basis. Your Community Sight Loss Adviser will be available at Manvers Street Baptist Church, Bath on the first Wednesday each month and at Midsomer Norton Town Hall on the 4th Thursday each month. To find out more, or make an appointment please call 0117 3224885 or emailFor more information on the full range of services visit www.sightsupportwest.org.uk For more useful information visit the RNIB website: www.rnib.org.uk/ |
| Local agencies and useful links We have been working closely with local agencies and if you would like to find out more about their work please look on their website: RUH, Avon and Somerset Police, Curo, and Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire CCG. Public Health England updates a daily dashboard: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ It includes deaths that have occurred in all settings where there has been a positive COVID-19 test, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community. Latest information on coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus NHS information on coronavirus: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ |
| Tune in Local radio is a great way of keeping up to date with essential information, if you don’t already you should tune into BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Somerset or BBC Radio Wiltshire. |
| Somer Valley FM covers Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Westfield and surrounding villages including Farrington, Paulton, Peasedown, Coleford and Stratton. Broadcast online and on 97.5fm you can contact at studio@somervalleyfm.co.uk or call 01761 411 755 |
| Bath Radio is a community radio station which has been operating as a hospital radio station for the past 50 years. It now broadcasts to the wider Bath community. Listen online. |
| Radio Bath provides local news and information, promotes the city and supports its businesses, charities and community organisations. |
| Keynsham’s KTCRfm 105.8FM is now broadcasting 24/7. KTCRfm covers Keynsham, Saltford, Hanham, Bitton, Warmley, Clutton, Timsbury, the Chew Valley and as far south as Temple Cloud. East to the eastern edge of Bath. North across South Gloucestershire to the M4 corridor and west into many parts of Bristol. |
| BA1 Radio have been established for a year in Bath and operate from a studio in Southside Youth Hub, broadcasting twelve hours of shows every weekday, focusing on Bath and the local community, including hourly news reports. website: www.BA1Radio.org call: 01225 941 080 |