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3 April 2020
A big thank-you to all the residents across Plymouth who are following Government advice and playing their part in reducing the spread of the coronavirus by:
- staying at home
- exercising close to home, only once a day
- only making essential journeys to collect food or medicine
With Easter approaching, it’s more important than ever that residents stay at home, and continue to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives.
Our Plymouth Good Neighbours Scheme is going from strength to strength, with nearly 400 new volunteers coming forward to help in the community fightback against coronavirus.
Some of these generous folk have already been passed on to community partners and are now out in the city helping people less fortunate than themselves.
This week, we've opened the scheme up to businesses, who have come forward in their numbers to offer us staff, premises, fleet and all sorts of other weird and wonderful assets.
A big thank you to all of the community organisations who have been in touch with us for support and guidance. You're all doing a great job. Thank you and keep it up!
Interested in volunteering? Sign up here.
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We’ve launched a major operation to shield Plymouth’s most vulnerable residents from COVID-19.
Caring for Plymouth is supporting medically vulnerable people who have been advised to stay in their homes for 12 weeks, as well as older and disabled people who have no-one else to help them.
An alliance with Livewell Southwest and local voluntary and community sector organisations, it is helping to provide emotional support and help with shopping, medicine collection, paying bills and accessing money.
If you know someone who needs help see the Caring for Plymouth web page or call 01752 668000, seven days a week, between 8am and 6pm.
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If you are of working age and on Council Tax Support you will automatically get a £150 discount off your Council Tax bill for 2020/21, as part of Government measures to help those on a low income or whose earnings have dropped as a result of COVID-19.
The same discount will be applied to new Council Tax Support customers, while funds are still available.
And self-employed people are being offered a chance to defer payments for a few months – they can spread their Council Tax payments over the latter part of the year if they find themselves in difficulties.
For more information, to apply for Council Tax Support or to request a deferral see our Council Tax web pages.
Everyone sleeping rough on the streets of Plymouth is being offered accommodation to help them stay inside and, if necessary, to self-isolate.
Extra beds have been made available in private rental properties to help rough sleepers stay safe during the outbreak.
It follows intensive work between the Council and Plymouth Alliance to find appropriate accommodation (with separate rooms and support) and to get in touch with rough sleepers to encourage them to go inside.
If you’re worried about someone on the street and you think they might need support let us know.
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Since writing to all businesses eligible for the new Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail Hospitality and Leisure Fund last week, we have received nearly 2,300 completed submissions.
The funds offer grants of up to £25,000 to help businesses through the coronavirus pandemic. We've paid out £18 million so far and are aiming to make all payments within two weeks of receiving the request.
We are also running a dedicated helpline to support businesses who haven’t received a letter, or who are unable to access their business premises but believe they are eligible for the grants. You can find more details, including eligibility criteria, on the Invest in Plymouth website.
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Our waste and recycling teams are working hard to keep all the bins emptied. We'd like to say a special thank-you to them for their effort and dedication to keeping this vital service running.
Sadly we’re not able to run our garden waste service and because we’ve had to close both our recycling centres and suspend non-core services we’re asking residents to help the crews, themselves and neighbours by following this advice:
- Hold on to any DIY waste until restrictions have been lifted. If you can’t store the waste on your property please postpone these projects. Don’t put it in your normal bins or back lanes.
- Don’t put garden waste in the brown bins. If you haven’t thought about home composting before, why not give it go?
- Don’t fly tip or dump rubbish in your back lanes. As well as blocking access for refuse or emergency vehicles and spoiling your neighbourhood, you could be prosecuted.
- Place any bags that contain used tissues in a second bag, tie them securely and keep them separate from other waste for at least 72 hours before adding them to your brown bins.
- Clean bin handles and wash your hands after putting out your bins and bringing them back in.
See our bin collections update page for the latest information.
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The Government has launched a national food voucher scheme to ensure children eligible for free school meals can continue to access meals while they stay at home.
Schools can now choose to provide every eligible child with a weekly shopping voucher worth £15 to spend at supermarkets while schools are closed due to coronavirus. It does not cover school holidays.
Alternatively schools can work with their school meal provider to continue to provide meals for collection or delivery themselves. Most schools in the city use CATERed, who will still be offering a grab-and-go package or a meal at school. This offer continues through the holidays.
Find out more here.
We’re working with Devon and Torbay Councils to recruit more healthcare assistants to help support the county’s most vulnerable residents.
The Proud to Care campaign is aimed at job seekers, students back from university, college leavers and former care and health staff.
They can play a frontline role in supporting Plymouth’s NHS and social care as coronavirus puts even greater pressure on existing services and staff.
Both temporary and permanent workers are needed now to fill a variety of flexible shift work, including evenings and weekends, in people’s own homes and in residential homes.
Find out more and register here.
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If you haven't seen it yet there is lots of useful advice and information on our COVID-19 web page, including:
- Advice for vulnerable and homeless people
- Ways to stay healthy, active and well at home
- Help with your finances
- Advice on volunteering
- Information about schools and childcare
- Updates on Council services and what’s open and closed
- Advice for employers and businesses
- Information on travel and parking
- Useful links
...this email with friends and family if you think the information might be useful to them.
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