Friday 2 September 2022
Please pass this onto district, borough, parish and town councillors as appropriate. The bulletin can be shared as a link by clicking the 'View it as a Web page' link at the top. Find previous bulletins on our web page.
 Council support to help Devon businesses struggling with high costs and recruitment challenges
Businesses in hospitality and leisure - mainstays of Devon’s local economy - are continuing to find it difficult to recruit.
Many Devon businesses don’t know which way to turn, as they continue to struggle with recruitment difficulties on top of rising costs of commodities, energy and fuel.
Part of the reason for that is because property is seen to be too expensive and out of reach, dissuading many people on lower incomes from moving to where the vacancies are.
We've been talking to our team in the Growth Hub. They help support local businesses in Devon and explain the dilemma that many businesses are feeling, on the cusp of growing and wanting to expand, and yet worried to take on additional staff or make further investment while their costs are rising.
There is support for businesses, and our Growth Hub can help.
 Meet Jan Spicer, Interim Chief Executive
This week, Phil Norrey said farewell to everyone at Devon County Council and welcomed Jan Spicer (née Shadbolt) who takes up the post as Interim Chief Executive. Jan may be known to many people at Devon County Council as the previous County Solicitor and Chief Officer for Legal, Communications and Human Resources. Now Jan is back at the Council, find out her priorities as our Interim Chief Executive.
Add your voice at the Deprivation Dashboard webinar
Wednesday 7 September 2022 at 11:30am
Invitation to Members: Our Public Health Intelligence Team is running a webinar on their Deprivation Dashboard concept, on Wednesday 7 September. The purpose of the dashboard is to showcase headline analysis of deprivation in Devon.
Join the session to take part in discussions about stakeholder needs and learn how the dashboard can add context to our work.
Local Government Association training opportunities
There are several opportunities for Council Members to attend online events from the Local Government Association (LGA) which are government funded.
The scheduled free webinars include a wide range of topics, including Personal Safety for Councillors, An Introduction to Local Government Finance and Equality.
If you would be interested in attending any of these sessions, please contact Julia Jones by emailing Julia.E.Jones@devon.gov.uk or calling 01392 380547. Alternatively, you can contact our Democratic Services team.
New course of highly popular Let’s Talk Teenagers sessions starts this autumn
The second series of highly successful webinars for parents of teenagers is set to kick off this autumn, covering a range of new topics.
Let’s Talk Teenagers is a series of online support sessions and an opportunity for parents and carers of teenagers to hear about the challenges young people are facing today and discover ways to navigate their way through them.
The sessions have been running throughout 2022 and discuss the tools and techniques that can be used to support young people and their community.
The latest sessions, starting on Tuesday 13 September and running weekly until Tuesday 4 October, with an added session on Wednesday 5 October, cover topics such as exploring teenage relationships, mental health and emotional wellbeing, anger and challenging behaviour, bullying and online challenges including preventing radicalisation.
Anyone who would like to find out more or book their free place to these online sessions can visit the website devon.cc/teenagers.
It's almost the start of term... are you ready?
Have you seen the latest Children, Families and Education ConnectMe Bulletin? It's full of information to support you if your child is back at school or beginning university.
Find out about getting help with childcare costs and discover how to get more wear out of a school uniform.
Our National Child Measurement Programme Devon dashboard is live!
Our Public Health Intelligence team is pleased to announce that the first version of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) Devon dashboard is now live on our Health and Wellbeing Board website.
The NCMP measures the height and weight of children in Reception and Year 6, to calculate body mass index (BMI) and help evaluate the health of children's weight across primary schools. The purpose of the NCMP Devon dashboard is to provide quantitative analysis on pupils living and attending school in our Devon local authority area who were measured as part of the NCMP.
If you’re interested in keeping up-to-date with the NCMP Devon dashboard project, you can join the mailing list.
 Routine asymptomatic testing paused in last remaining care settings
The requirement for regular asymptomatic coronavirus COVID-19 testing (lateral flow testing), has now been paused across all remaining health and social care settings, since the end of August.
For the general public, they stopped being required in April, but regular testing continued to be used in some health and care settings while case rates were high.
People who are immunocompromised and in hospital, or being admitted to care homes or hospices, will continue to be tested, along with people with symptoms, including health and social care staff.
Case rates in Devon have fallen - currently around one in every 40 people in the south-west have COVID-19 - but the expectation is that they are likely to rise again this autumn and winter.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said that it's important that certain groups be offered booster vaccinations this autumn, including:
- health and social care staff
- everyone aged 50 years old and over
- carers who are over the age of 16 years old
- people over five whose health puts them at greater risk, including pregnant women
- people over five who share a house with somebody with a weakened immune system
Steve Brown, our Director of Public Health Devon, adds:
"It's important that those invited to come forward for their booster jab this autumn do so, to give them optimum protection from the virus over the winter months."
 New study looks into using farms and farm land for renewable energy generation
We're currently looking into the feasibility of a new scheme that could give community energy groups the chance to use farmland and farm buildings to help expand Devon's renewable electricity capacity.
It's about potentially using low-grade, agricultural land - this is land that isn't also important for wildlife or other environmental interests - and farm buildings, for renewable energy generation from solar, wind, biomass and agricultural waste.
Nationally, it's been said that renewable energy production needs to be quadrupled to have a chance of meeting the UK's net zero targets. We're expecting renewable energy production inside Devon to be a key requirement of Devon's Carbon Plan when it's published this autumn.
It's an exciting study with the potential next steps for a pilot scheme using our own tenant farms estate.
Bird flu is circulating in Devon's wild birds
The government has put Devon under avian flu restrictions, along with Cornwall and parts of Somerset.
A number of avian influenza cases in poultry and wild and captive birds has been detected across the region, and it is hoped that the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) will reduce the risk of further outbreaks of the disease occurring.
It is now a legal requirement for all bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks, of whatever type or size. Backyard owners with small numbers of poultry including chickens, ducks and geese must take steps to limit the risk of the disease spreading to their animals.
Additionally, keepers with more than 500 birds will need to restrict access for non-essential people on their sites, workers will need to change clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures and site vehicles will need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly to limit the risk of the disease spreading.
Have you seen these signs? Know what they're about?
|
If you’re out and about in certain parts of Devon you might have noticed some ‘Animal Disease Control Zone’ signs on our roadsides.
They are there because there are some cases of bird flu currently in Devon, and the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) requested that a protection zone be set up around outbreak areas so that people living in or visiting the area can take extra care to help reduce the risk of it spreading.
|
|
 |
A map of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone is available on the government's website.
The risk to public health from the virus is very low and the Food Standards Agency advice remains unchanged, that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.
Coronavirus advice in Devon
Find current COVID-19 local data on our dashboard.
Our outreach team is continuing to support the NHS in providing pop up COVID-19 vaccination clinics at a range of locations across Devon; dates are being added.
Vaccines are available for people aged five years and over, but please check your eligibility on the NHS website before attending.
Reminder: if you feel unwell don't come into an office
Our Strategic Leadership Team advise anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 or who develops symptoms to stay at home and avoid contact with others – in the same way you would if you had the flu or vomiting and diarrhoea.
If you are well enough and can do so, please work from home.
Members' area
Don't forget your Members' Area SharePoint site is your one-stop-shop to access resources to aid you in your role as a Devon County Councillor. Key documents from the Council's various service areas, including induction resources, are posted in the Document library, and the Who's who? highlights the best person for you to contact to help answer any queries you may have.
|
