Sharing these newsletters
To share this newsletter on social media sites such as Facebook, please visit our COVID-19 Community Champions website www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/covid-champions where you will find links to this update and previous ones at the bottom of the page. Just copy and paste the link.
Read the MK COVID-19 Champions code of conduct here.
COVID-19 snapshot
Click here to see and print the full COVID-19 snapshot as of 3 March 2021 (data reported up to 28 February 2021)
Vaccine update
East of England at: 4 March
Region of Residence
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1st dose
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2nd dose
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Cumulative Total Doses to Date
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Total - England
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17,785,702
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684,220
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18,469,922
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East of England
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2,096,215
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83,972
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2,180,187
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Sharing facts about the COVID-19 vaccines
The NHS have produced several videos in 14 languages including Bengali, Polish, Somali and Urdu. These can be found here.
Lockdown changes from Monday 8 March
- All schools and colleges will reopen,
- with rapid testing for teachers and secondary school pupils
- University students on practical courses can return
- We can meet with one other person outside socially, not just for exercise
- Care home residents can receive one regular, named visitor
- Childcare and children’s supervised activities can resume
- The guideline to stay home will remain, and there should be no household mixing indoors.
Budget and COVID-19 support
Vaccine Roll-out
£33m will be invested in vaccine testing and development to protect against future outbreaks and variants.
Furlough scheme
The 80% subsidy has been extended to 30 September, it will be reduced to 70% from July.
Self-employed grants extension
Self-employed people who saw their turnover fall by 30% or more will be eligible to claim grants.
Help for businesses
New Restart grants of up to £6,000 for non-essential shops, which will hopefully open from 12 April, and up to £18,000 for hospitality and leisure businesses, including personal care and gyms, so that businesses can plan ahead and re-open safely over the coming months. There are also still grants available until 31 March to provide help to businesses during the current lockdown. Visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/business to find out more.
Universal credit and working tax credit payments
The £20-a-week temporary increase in universal credit will be extended for a further six months to the end of September. Those who receive working tax credit payments, will get the equivalent of six weeks' payment with a lump sum of £500.
Business rates holiday
The retail, hospitality and leisure industries will have the 100% business rates holiday extended until the end of June. For the remaining nine months of the financial year after that, they will be discounted by 66% up to £2m for businesses that had to close due to the pandemic. For businesses that were legally allowed to open during the national lockdown starting 5 January 2021, the maximum discount will be capped at £105,000 rather than £2 million. Nurseries that benefited from a business rates holiday in 2020/21 will also have a similar extension to their rate relief. Visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/business to find out more.
VAT reduction
For hospitality and tourism, the 5% reduced VAT scheme will be extended until 30 September. For the six months after that VAT will be at 12.5% before rising to the original 20% in April 2022.
Stamp duty holiday
The stamp duty holiday scheme will be extended for the first £500,000 until 30 June.
Domestic abuse
There has been a significant rise in domestic abuse during the pandemic. £19m will go to domestic violence programmes and a network of respite rooms for vulnerable homeless women will be piloted.
Help for culture and sports
A £700m pot of cash will be available to help the arts, culture and sports to reopen as restrictions ease. Sports will get a £300m boost and an extra £500m will go towards the film industry to help them restart.
Alcohol and fuel duty
There will be no rise in alcohol or fuel tax duty for the next financial year.
Help and support still available from MK Council
On low income and being asked to self isolate? You may qualify for a £500 Test and Test and Trace support payment. Find out more about that, as well as other benefits and financial support available.
If you or anyone you know is at risk (self neglect, domestic violence, or other harm) visit our safeguarding pages for advice. In an emergency call 999.
If you're worried about a scam, please call us on 0808 2231133 or email tsd@milton-keynes.gov.uk.
Food Bank Xtra is our partnership with the MK Food Bank, and is an emergency food service for people in crisis.
If you're in a high risk category (e.g. over 70, you would usually be eligible for a flu jab, or you are pregnant) and have no other local support (e.g. friends/family/neighbours) and need help to access food or medicine, call us on 01908 252398. We can take calls Monday to Friday between 9am and 5:15pm (NB not on bank holidays). Please note, this helpline is people who have no other support to turn to. If you do have friends and neighbours who can help, please do keep this resource free for people in need.
Taking part in the 2021 Census
Why do we have an Census in the UK?
Every ten years the census gives us a complete picture of the nation. It allows us to compare different groups of people across the United Kingdom because the same questions are asked, and the information is recorded, in the same way throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The census provides information that government needs to develop policies, plan and run public services, and allocate funding.
Develop policies
Before central or local government can offer services, policies must be based on high quality evidence.
We all use public services such as schools, health services, roads and libraries. These services need to be planned, and in such a way that they keep pace with fast-changing patterns of modern life. We need accurate information on the numbers of people, including the balance of young and old, what jobs people do, where they live and in what type of housing.
How is the Census information used?
- For new jobs and training policies and investment decisions
- New housing policies
- Evaluating equal opportunities policies
- Health and social services
- Roads and public transport; the data also contributes to the understanding of pressures on transport systems.
We know there are some people who will find this challenging. That’s why there is help with a wide range of support services. The census team will make it easy for you, whatever your needs. Services include:
- help for anyone over the phone - call 0800 141 2021
- online information and web chat at www.census.gov.uk
- social media on Twitter @Census_MK and @Census2021
- online guidance and support in many languages or by calling the language helpline on 0800 587 2021
- a paper version of the questionnaire, if you prefer, can be ordered online or by calling 0800 141 2021
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accessible census guidance, for example, in braille, large print and easy-read
Elections 2021 – Are you registered?
There are Police and Crime Commissioner, Borough Council and Parish Elections scheduled for Thursday 6 May 2021. We want to make sure everybody is registered and can vote safely.
The choice on how to vote at next May’s elections is yours, you can have your say by post, in person, or by proxy. If you’re worried about going to a polling station you can apply for a postal vote. We have been sending out forms to every household in Milton Keynes, starting on the Monday 15 February, look out for yours in the post.
How do I get more information?
You can visit our website at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/elections.
New Futures
Would you like to help young people and adults whose employment has been affected by COVID-19?
MK College, in a project funded by MK Council, are looking for enthusiastic and positive people who have experience in their own career, and who are willing to give up their time to support and encourage people as they return to the workplace.
Full training is given with a Level 2 qualification.
Interested? Please use this form to express interest: Mentor Expression of Interest.
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Free wellbeing webinars from MIND MK
MIND MK is offering free wellbeing webinars via Zoom for people who feel lonely and want to learn some tools and techniques to support their own wellbeing.
By attending a one of these sessions you will be able to:
- Recognise common factors and symptoms of loneliness, and the link between stress and loneliness
- Identify coping mechanisms and develop skills including maintaining emotional balance and mindfulness
Dates:
Wednesday 17 March 10.00am – 11.30am
Monday 22 March 10.00am – 11.30am
MIND MK are also offering sessions on other topics:
Five ways to wellbeing - Wednesday 3 March 9.00am – 11.30am
Support for sleep Tuesday - March 3.00pm – 4.30pm
Mindfulness relaxation - Tuesday 23 March 6.00pm – 7.30pm
If you would like to attend one of these free webinars please email your contact details and selected date to training@mind-blmk.org.uk or call 0788 1248 780.
Other useful mental health contacts
- Milton Keynes Talking Therapies 01908 725099
- Mind BLMK 0300 330 0648
- YiS Young People’s Mental Health (for young people aged 11-21) 01908 604700
- Samaritans 116 123 (for emergency support)
Reporting concerns
One of the ways you can help is by reporting serious concerns about workplaces and other facilities where social distancing and other measures aren’t being followed. Intelligence like this can help us to track and control virus transmission.
Please tell us when the breach of restrictions took place, and a full address of the site if known. Your details will not be shared with the person or place you are telling us about.
You can write to us at COVIDconcern@milton-keynes.gov.uk.
We may not reply to all messages but we will read them all, and they’ll be used to gather intelligence so we can take action where needed.
Useful links
See the latest Government guidance here gov.uk/coronavirus.
Find COVID-19 Information from the NHS: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
To print and share this, please click "view it as a web page" at the top of this bulletin. This will take you to a web page with the option to print this off at the top.
To share this newsletter on social media sites such as Facebook, please visit our COVID-19 Community Champions website www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/covid-champions where you will find links to this update and previous ones at the bottom of the page. Just copy and paste the link.
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Let us know how we can improve: COVIDChampions@Milton-Keynes.gov.uk
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