Coronavirus (Covid-19) update -
3 November 2020
Following the Second Lockdown announcement at the weekend, this is a special Coronavirus (Covid-19) update for East Devon residents and businesses with information we hope will be of interest to you.
We plan to send out weekly updates of the newsletter and, unless there are any major announcements, our next bulletin will be sent on Friday 13 November.
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Commitment to help residents, businesses and communities
With the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases across the country over the last weeks, a second lockdown has been in our sights for some time and we’ve been putting measures in place to help our residents, communities and businesses get through this difficult period.
While we await further details and guidance from the Government, please be reassured that we are committed to doing whatever is needed to help people directly and to support our communities.
We learnt a great deal about helping our district during the first lockdown and we are using that knowledge and experience this time around to ensure our crucial services are there for you during this likely second period of lockdown.
For example, our all-important recycling and waste collections will continue as normal on the same day as you receive them now. Our parks and gardens will remain open as will our play areas and public toilets that have been made Covid-secure. Our housing repairs service for tenants will operate normally with full social distancing and PPE guidelines are in place with our staff and contractors.
For our residents and communities, we’re preparing to reopen our Community Support Hub hotline to help those who need support. There were so many great examples of people coming together to look out for each other during the first lockdown through the Hub. We will do all we can to make sure there is a focus on getting real help and support to all those that are likely to need it most.
As the situation develops, we will update you with guidelines and will outline what we may be asking of you, once we have the finer detail. Throughout our planning, we have been working closely with Devon County Council, national bodies and local agencies, all of whom are committed to help and support local people.
Details of a further business grants scheme are also expected to be with us in the coming days.
Some service areas will sadly have to close during the four week lockdown. Our Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton will need to close its doors and will have an online presence at www.thelmahulbert.com. Sadly, Leisure East Devon facilities across the district will also have to close until December 2.
Our offices also remain closed to the public, but you can call us on 01404 515616 to talk to an officer or arrange to meet them Covid-securely.
I would ask for your patience and understanding as we focus our resources in the areas where they are needed most. All staff and councillors are working hard to ensure that, despite these challenges, services are delivered in the best and safest way possible.
In the meantime, our website is regularly being updated with the latest information for residents, communities and businesses.
We will send out messages to our local media to be included in publications and we are regularly sending out updates through our social media - @eastdevon on Twitter, East Devon District Council on Facebook and eastdevondistrictcouncil on Instagram.
Please share this newsletter with your neighbours and friends and encourage them to sign up here to receive this information.
We will continue to review and adapt as necessary, and working together, helping each other and, above all, following the Government guidance will get us through this next phase of the pandemic.
Cllr Paul Arnott Mark Williams
Leader Chief Executive
New national restrictions for England from Thursday
East Devon Business Update
In preparation for the new restrictions the Government has announced a series of economic support measures to coincide with the national measures. This includes an extension of the furlough scheme and the self-employed income support scheme. Additional grant support for businesses required to close have also been announced.
Grant Support for Businesses:
We are awaiting fuller guidance along with a full list of businesses required to close from the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), but the support will include:
- Business premises forced to close in England due to local or national restrictions are to receive grants worth up to £3,000 a month under the Local Restrictions Support Grant.
- For properties with a rateable value of £15k or under, grants to be £1,334 per month, or £667 per two weeks;
- For properties with a rateable value of between £15k-£51k grants to be £2,000 per month, or £1,000 per two weeks;
- For properties with a rateable value of £51k or over grants to be £3,000 per month, or £1,500 per two weeks.
- Additional funding is being given to local authorities for one-off payments to enable us to support businesses more broadly.
To make clear, local authorities have not yet received any further information regarding business grants. As such, please do not contact us to ask for further information at present.
We will update our website as soon as more information is made available to us.
To stay up to date, please subscribe to the business newsletter by clicking this link https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKEDDC/subscriber/new and tick the ‘business news’ topic.
Follow East Devon Business on social media: @EastDevonBiz on Twitter; @EastDevonBusiness on Facebook; East Devon District Council on Linkedin
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LED Leisure update
All LED Leisure Centres, swimming pools, Exmouth Pavilion and Ocean on Exmouth Seafront will close from Thursday 5 November.
If you are a member, you need do nothing; all membership fee collections will be suspended for November and annual memberships will be extended by a further month, in addition to any extensions resulting from the first lockdown earlier this year.
If you have activities booked for the lockdown period these will be cancelled or postponed; managers of the respective facilities and activities will be in touch in the next few days to confirm arrangements.
Throughout the lockdown period, LED Leisure will be providing the community with a variety of fitness and wellbeing options to help motivate you to keep fit and healthy.
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Recycling and Waste update
Recycling centres will remain open during the latest lockdown, but please note that the re-use shops on the recycling centres will be closed from Thursday 5th November.
For further information and updates on Devon County Council’s household recycling centres please check their website.
Wild East Devon update
In light of Saturday’s government announcement we have had responded by making some substantial temporary changes to our operations across our nature reserves starting this Thursday 5th November:
- Our ten nature reserves remain open
- No events will run during this new lockdown period
- We will be ceasing all volunteer activities on our sites
- The four Bird Hides at #SeatonWetlands will remain open but in addition to the existing rules such as reduced seating, removed windows and a time limit we will be requesting that people entering the hides now wear face masks
- The toilets at Seaton Wetlands will remain open
- The Discovery Hut at Seaton Wetlands remains closed
Thank you for your support of the team up to now, please stay safe and await further updates from us with regards to each aspect of #WildEastDevon.
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To keep in touch with the Wild East Devon Team follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Trusted sources of advice and information
Please make sure that you only follow advice from trusted, official sources:
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