Coronavirus update: 10 June 2020

Last night, the Council’s Cabinet met to discuss a report on how the borough has been impacted by coronavirus; how the Council has responded in supporting residents – particularly the vulnerable – and businesses, while keeping vital frontline services going; and how local organisations, businesses and hundreds of volunteers had come together in the joint effort.

We all agreed the way the Council and its communities have pulled together has been truly inspiring. It’s been a real joint effort of so many individuals, organisations and businesses; we’ve really seen the best of the borough.

However, we also agreed that without a major programme of investment, reform and collaboration the looming economic impact could be catastrophic. It is projected that Hounslow will be the second hardest hit borough in London, with a 40 per cent drop in economic activity and tens of thousands of jobs at risk because of its close links to the aviation industry.

We need to bring the borough together, to galvanise communities, local organisations, businesses and partners to rise to the challenge. It will also take a regional effort, working alongside neighbouring boroughs, and we need the Government to provide us with the necessary financial measures, investment and policy freedom. It’s not about handouts, but we need the tools and partnership working to provide local solutions and capture opportunities to support and empower our communities.

The voice of our residents, businesses and community groups will be essential in this. We need to hear from as many people as possible, to find out what you need or how you can help, and we will be stepping up our efforts on engagement. I’ll be updating you with more on that shortly.

We’re setting up a new Hounslow Recovery Board to lead on supporting the borough. It will be underpinned by boards covering economy, community, environment, and health and wellbeing, on which will be representatives from partner organisations, community groups and businesses. Projects include a piece of work to understand the impact of coronavirus and lockdown on our BAME communities, and to explore how the Council can better support them through the growing economic impact.

There’s no doubt things will be tough, but I have so much faith in the people of Hounslow and believe we will make the best of it and be stronger for it.

You can read the Cabinet report here, and watch last night’s meeting here, which was streamed live.

It's Carers Week and a chance to say a special thanks to the thousands of unpaid, non-professional carers in Hounslow who look after their loved ones or support vulnerable residents across our communities.

We understand that there are many challenges for carers and that the pandemic may have brought additional stresses for you and your families. 

The theme for this year is ‘Making carers visible’. While the week brings an important focus to unpaid carers, we also want to acknowledge and thank all types of carers working so hard across our borough at this time.

This year’s celebration will be moving online with a series of live events, videos and podcasts.

There will be a video from HRCH NHS Trust on managing challenging behaviour. Local Hounslow GP, Dr Fabio Conti, is recording two podcasts - one on “Is the person I care for well?” (signs and symptoms of illness to look out for) and the other answering questions submitted by Hounslow carers on coronavirus from a GP’s perspective. Local yoga teacher (and carer herself) Sefali Dhani will be delivering an online breathwork and meditation session.

The Alzheimer’s Society, Hestia and The Mulberry Centre are also running online events and activities to celebrate carers.

Carers Week 2020 Event Timetable

OneYou Hounslow are also offering three free webinars over the next three days to celebrate Carers Week 2020. The webinars will cover nutrition, physical activity and stop smoking support. You find out more about these webinars here. 

As part of the Hounslow's Streetspace project, we have accelerated the implementation of the Liveable Neighbourhood programme to transform South Chiswick into a low traffic area and improving local public space.

The Government has called for residents to walk and cycle wherever possible to ease pressures on public transport and continue to support our climate emergency. 

We have already started to introduce a raft of measures to help make it easier for residents of the borough to walk or cycle and to socially distance. The Liveable Neighbourhood Programme allows prioritisation of public safety and greatly enhances the quality of life of residents, with more opportunities to make greener, safer and healthier choices to walk or cycle.   

You can find out more about the work being undertaken to reduce traffic and increase opportunities to walk or cycle more in South Chiswick on our website.

We’re thankful for the hundreds of comments we’ve received on our borough wide consultation which we are using to help prioritise some of our work to develop trial changes– please keep them coming! 

We will be collecting all the comments made on the proposals during the next few months which we will review carefully before we decide whether to make any of the measures permanent or not.

The COVID-19 Transport Response – Hounslow’s Streetspace consultation is open until the 25 June and can be accessed here

Do you want to take control of your diabetes this Diabetes Week? Whether you find carb counting confusing or need advice on lifestyle or medication, there’s support available on all aspects of living with diabetes.

New research shows that people with diabetes are more at risk from complications due to coronavirus, so now it’s more important than ever to take action and get your blood sugars in range. A new dedicated website Know Diabetes has been setup to provide residents with advice, tools and tips on staying healthy and managing  diabetes. Diabetes UK also has a dedicated helpline and online tools to help people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes manage the condition effectively. 

You can also continue to access your usual local diabetes support for advice through telephone or virtual appointments.

You can find out more about the free Know Diabetes resource and the work we are doing with the local NHS to support people living with diabetes and anyone at risk of developing diabetes on our website. 

The new Discretionary Business Support Grant for small and microbusiness in Hounslow borough is now open. There are three levels of grant funding available to businesses: £25,000, £10,000 and £5,000.

In order to qualify small and microbusinesses must meet a stringent set of criteria. Full details of the scheme and the criteria required are provided in the Discretionary Business Support Grant Policy May 2020.  Please make sure you read this before making an application.

Grant funding will be issued on a first come first served basis to small and micro businesses who have applied and meet the criteria, and we hope to complete the process and issue the funds to the approved businesses by the end of June.

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We understand that the ongoing pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on local businesses of all sizes, and from all sectors, and will continue to bring challenges over the coming months. While you are no doubt working hard to respond to the evolving situation, we would appreciate your time in completing the Business Impact Survey.The deadline to complete the survey and submit your responses is tomorrow.

The survey is for all business owners operating within the London Borough of Hounslow, as well as social enterprises and individuals who are self-employed or who do freelance work.  We want to hear from you about what you need in the short, medium and long term so please complete this form to let us know how this challenge is affecting you, your staff and the wider community. The results from the survey will be invaluable in evidencing the impact of coronavirus on local businesses, and shaping the council’s support and assistance for you as we move forward.   

Your contact name and email will not be shared externally. By submitting your contact details, you are consenting to us (the Council) contacting you with general business guidance and information only.  

It’s important that vaccinations are given on time for the best protection. Routine vaccinations for babies, pre-school children and adults are continuing as normal, if you have missed a vaccine contact your GP to make an appointment.

Hounslow GP practices are taking precautions necessary to ensure this is delivered in a safe environment, if residents are concerned about attending their routine immunisations they should speak to their practice. 

People affected by dementia are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In fact, 78 per cent of people with dementia report feeling more lonely as a result of coronavirus. It is therefore vital we continue to empower our communities to support people with dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Society is running regular workshops to train up Champions to deliver online dementia friend sessions across their place of work, communities and families. Once you are trained as a Dementia Champion you will be provided with all the resources you need to make Dementia Friends from the comfort of your own home.

You can choose between two delivery methods to find the style you are most confident with:

• Livestreaming – Delivering the Information Session as you would face to face only over a live video call.
• Webinar – Delivering an Information Session using a PowerPoint presentation.

To find dates and book your place on one of our workshops click here

Not sure which option you’d like to learn? No problem at all! Pop along and participate in a 30 minute online demo session run by a Dementia Friends Officer at the Alzheimer’s society!

The dates for the upcoming webinars are: 

Thursday 11 June, 10-10.30am, Livestream/Videocall Session

Friday 12 June, 2.30-3pm, Info Session Webinar

If you would like joining instructions for these webinars or would like to speak to someone please contact Kim.Steady1@hounslow.gov.uk. 

Last month the Government introduced temporary extensions to construction working hours. The Government brought in this extension to enable safe working and social distancing on all building sites. In light of this we are encouraging construction companies to have consideration for residents.

Hounslow Council’s regulations and powers which restrict noisy building and construction works remain unchanged. The hours where noise is permitted in relation to construction and building works (and which are set out in the Control of Pollution Act 1974) remain unaffected by these temporary changes.

The hours of operation continue to be:

• Monday - Friday, 8am - 6pm
• Saturday, 8am-1pm 
• No noisy works on Sundays or Bank Holidays

You can find out more about the extension of these temporary measures and guidance on our website.

For further information, advice and contact details on noise nuisance please click here. 

The furlough scheme now allows employers to decide the right arrangements for them and their furloughed staff, meaning furloughed staff could return on a part-time basis, while still being able to claim CJRS for their normal hours not worked. From August HMRC will not reimburse any pension or national insurance costs.

Our Hate Crime Advocacy Service is still open and accepting referrals in this lockdown period. The service provides support to anyone in Hounslow who has experienced hatred, hostility or prejudice based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. 

Coronavirus has presented additional challenges for everyone but experiencing hatred can make life harder and isn’t something you have to go through alone. Whether it’s a stranger that’s yelled hateful comments, acts of criminal damage or a neighbour who’s made hate fuelled threats toward you and your family, experiences of hate can make you feel unsafe and anxious.

Our dedicated Hate Crime Advocate can provide confidential advice and support with:

• Safety planning
• Emotional support
• Anonymous reporting
• Support through the civil and criminal justice systems

Telephone: 020 8583 2464

Email: Community.Safety@hounslow.gov.uk

Online via our Hate crime referral form

If you’re in immediate danger, please call the Police on 999.

The Communities Secretary last week announced an extension to the suspension of new evictions until 23 August.

The two-month extension will come into force on 25 June, ensuring there’s no gap between the existing ban and the extension, and also applies to homeowners, commercial and leasehold.

Ministers are also working with the judiciary, legal representatives and the advice sector on arrangements, including new rules, which will mean that courts are better able to address the need for appropriate protection of all parties, including those shielding from coronavirus.

You can find out more about this announcement on the Government's website.

Clifton Gardens care home in Chiswick is recruiting for domestic assistants and Marjory Kinnon School in Feltham are recruiting for a Primary Teaching Assistant, a Secondary Teaching Assistant and an Apprentice Teaching Assistant.

For full details on these and other current vacancies please visit our website