Maryport regeneration progress
Work on our Maryport regeneration programme is really starting to kick into action.
We reported on work starting on the building housing Heron Foods a few weeks back.
Now the builders have arrived at the Town Hal. Over the next few months they'll be improving the inside and outside of the building to make it not only look better, but work better for visitors and those who work there.
You can keep up to date with all the latest on all our schemes by signing up to our Maryport Regeneration newsletter.
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 Buy a ticket on our Allerdale and Lakeland Lottery and you will not only help local good causes, but you'll also be in with a chance of winning the weekly top prize of £25,000 AND you may also scoop the special national prize of £1,000 in Sainsbury's vouchers which will be drawn at the end of the month.
Cumbrian COVID cases continue to fall
Cases of COVID-19 in Cumbria have fallen again in the week ending Friday 28 January as 3,969 new cases were recorded - a decrease of 763 or 16% - down from 4,732 new cases in the previous week.
New cases decreased in all districts, with Copeland and Carlisle having the greatest decreases (-22% and -21%, respectively).
For the 2nd week in a row, the 5-11 age group had the greatest number of new cases in Cumbria (815 new cases) and the highest rate of new cases in Cumbria (2195 new cases per 100k population).
However, new cases decreased from the previous week in all age groups, with the 0-4 age group having the greatest proportional decrease of 46%.
In the week ending Monday 31 January, the number of new patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 positive status in Cumbria decreased by 5 compared to the previous week. While the average number of patients with COVID-19 occupying hospital beds in the county decreased by 24 from the previous week.
Sadly, in the week to Friday 21 January there were 22 deaths with COVID-19 as cause of death.
Colin Cox, Cumbria’s Director of Public Health, said: “Thankfully the number of COVID cases in our county is continuing to fall – albeit slower than we’d like them to.
“With cases still highest amongst the 5-11 age group, I’d urge parents of school-age children to continue testing them regularly with lateral flow tests. Remember though, if they do test positive using a lateral flow, you no longer need to confirm this with a follow up PCR test – but they do need to self-isolate as per national guidance
“While we have sadly recently seen the highest number of weekly deaths with Covid-19 for almost a year, these numbers are actually extremely low given the number of cases that we’ve seen over the last six weeks, reflecting the success of the vaccination and booster campaign in keeping the vast majority of people safe from serious harm. I am reasonably confident that we are now over the peak of omicron deaths and that these numbers will start to come down in the coming days.
For the latest information on COVID-19 guidance and how to stay safe, visit gov.uk/coronavirus.
The full COVID-19 situation report can be found at cumbria.gov.uk/stopthespread.
Financial support for businesses
If you run a local business in Allerdale that was affected by the rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, then you may be entitled to support funding. We are running two schemes using funding from the government.
The deadline for one of the schemes - the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant - has been extended until 18 March 2022. But the sooner you get an application to us, the quicker we can pay the money into your bank account.
 Pay for parking using the MiPermit app. Search for MiPermit on your app store or click the image
Shop Local
Thank you to everyone who entered our Shop Local competition which we ran throughout January. We'll be holding the draw soon - so good luck to you all.
And a big thank you to all the local businesses who provided around £1,000 worth of prizes. We do have a wealth of fantastic local companies in Allerdale.
That's why as part of our Shop Local campaign, we're starting to focus on some of the individual businesses that you can find in our towns. This includes the world renowned Wigton shop Redmayne 1860. Find out more about the fascinating history of this business at: https://visitallerdale.co.uk/shop-local-in-wigton-redmayne-tailors/
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 "My Green Gym"
BBC Radio Cumbria joined the Workington Nature Partnership (WNP) team this week to find out more about the benefits of volunteering for outdoor groups - or as one volunteer explained, "I call it my green gym".
A big thank you to the BBC for highlighting the great work by the partnership. You can find out more about what they do, and how to get involved, via their website..
The BBC's Twitter post includes a link to the radio story.
Join our team
We currently have two vacancies. These are for a Specialist role and a Senior Business Support post in our housing team.
Closing date for both jobs is 18 February 2022. Find out more on our website.
Local government reorganisation in Cumbria
Find out more about the changes that will be happening to local government in Cumbria from 1 April 2023 on the NewCouncilsForCumbria website.
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Meetings next week
Our Executive meets on Wednesday 9 February and one of the items on the agenda is the budget for the next financial year.
You can see the published agenda items, and the proposed financial plans on our website, where you can also find the details of the time and location.
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Go-ahead for £40m next phase of West Cumberland Hospital redevelopment
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has this week announced that it has secured final approval to start work on phase two of the redevelopment of the West Cumberland Hospital.
The £40 million pound full business case was submitted to the Department of Health earlier in the year and the Trust has received the news that the work can now go ahead.
Phase two of the plans include replacing up to 40% of the original hospital and build upon the £90m investment from phase one of the project which was completed in 2015. The new build will bring a huge upgrade in facilities for both patients and staff, creating an improved environment while keeping the number of beds and retaining services for the site.
The new build will include: a paediatrics ward and assessment area, a care of the elderly ward, a specialist palliative care/step down ward and a stroke/rehabilitation ward.
To ensure the plans for phase two sits within the available national funding allocation, the Trust will cover the costs for the refurbishment side of the project from its own capital programme.
Delivering a suitable design for phase two has been a collaborative process between colleagues across the Trust, ensuring the design is clinically-led and fit for the future.
The design has been created and modified to accommodate the changing landscape within healthcare. Elderly care will have both four bedded areas as well as single rooms after feedback from patients stated they felt they benefitted from the company of others while recognising single rooms allow for privacy. All areas will adhere to infection prevention best practice.
New Highways reporting system for Cumbria County Council
Cumbria Highways recently launched a new highways online reporting form. Their new service makes it easier for elected members, customers and partners to raise enquiries and report problems, resulting in an improved customer experience.
They have also enhanced the way their highways teams handle reports to advance the efficiency of the service for their customers.
The service now follows a consistent approach to managing reports and are encouraging everyone to submit their request directly to Cumbria Highways using the ‘one front door’ approach:
- Telephoning the Highways Hotline on 0300 303 2992
By submitting a report using the one front door approach, their teams receive the key information that they require to initially conduct a desktop assessment and take the appropriate course of action.
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