Despite the fact lockdown restrictions have been eased further, we must not forget that the coronavirus is still out there, and people continue to fall ill.

The government website has the latest ‘what you can and can’t do’ advice.

We all still have a role to play in minimising the spread of the virus.  That means you should:

• stay at home as much as possible
• work from home if you can
• limit contact with other people
• keep your distance from people not in your household (two metres [at least six feet] apart where possible)
• wash your hands regularly

Do not leave home if you, or anyone in your household, has a high temperature, a new and continuous cough or a loss of, or change to, your/their sense of smell.

Please visit the NHS website if you have symptoms.

If you’ve been out and about since lockdown restrictions were eased, you may have noticed that hospitality businesses are required to keep a record of their customers.

That means it’s quite possible you’ll be contacted by the NHS test and trace service if it turns out you have been in close contact with someone showing symptoms of Covid-19.

If you – or someone else in your household – gets the call, you (or they) will need to immediately isolate at home to minimise the risk of spreading the virus further.

There’s more information about the process and what you need to do on the North Yorkshire County Council website.

Town centre businesses across the borough need our support more than ever right now.

Provided social distancing rules are followed, and face coverings are worn when required, going out to shop or socialise is safe.

And, to give a welcome boost for hospitality businesses, we’re allowing them to use the space outside their premises.

If you are a business owner, applications for ‘pavement licences’ are now open and we encourage you to take a look at the scheme.

Meanwhile, the rest of us can take advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out initiative.

You can get a 50% reduction, up to a maximum of £10 per person when you eat and/or drink-in, every Monday to Wednesday until the end of the month.

There’s no doubt the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on tourism businesses throughout Filey, Whitby and Scarborough.

Tourism is vital to our economy.  We welcome 7.3 million visitors every year who spend £748 million when they are here.

The industry also supports more than 18,000 jobs across the borough.

We understand that some people are nervous about day trippers and holidaymakers coming to the Yorkshire coast bearing in mind the coronavirus hasn’t gone away.

That’s why we are working very closely with businesses across the borough to make sure government guidelines on social distancing, and the use of face masks are being followed.

Many have also signed up to the 'Good to Go' initiative.

Getting tourism back to where it was before lockdown will take time.

We have started work on the development of a new five-year plan to make sure our borough and the Yorkshire coast is a destination of choice for visitors.

You can help us with this work by taking part in a short survey.   It will only take a few minutes and your input will help shape the final plan.

You may have read in the press, or heard on the radio, that changes are going to be made to the way local government is structured in York and North Yorkshire.

It’s linked to the issue of devolution which would unlock more than £2 billion of investment for our county and transfer more decision-making powers away from London.

All nine councils in York and North Yorkshire have been liaising with government on a series of ‘asks’ if devolution was to go ahead.

In return, ministers have made it clear that major changes would be required.

The political leaders of the seven district and borough councils (including Scarborough) are working on a joint proposal for future arrangements saying they want to ‘get change right’.

They are opposed to North Yorkshire County Council’s plan to scrap the seven district and borough authorities and replace them with a 'mega-council' covering the entire county.

You can read more about the district and borough councils’ ideas for future arrangements on the Get Change Right website.

Although Scarborough Borough Council will no longer exist (in its current form) from as early as April 2022, you can be reassured that nothing will change in the meantime.

The local services that we know you appreciate, value and rely on will continue as usual.

A £4.37 million project in Filey to protect 739 homes and non-residential properties from surface water flooding is officially underway.

The Filey flood alleviation scheme will see the construction of a series of earth embankments, ditches and temporary flood storage areas at different locations.

Together with new drainage channels and culverts, water flowing from surrounding land during extreme rainfall will be captured and stored for controlled release once a storm has passed.

As well as homes and businesses, the scheme will also help to protect Filey’s only secondary school, the Scarborough to Hull railway line and the town’s two access roads.

We’ve put £369,000 towards the scheme, but the bulk of the cost is being paid for by the Environment Agency and a levy from the regional flood and coastal committee.

Filey Town Council is contributing £20,000.  Work is scheduled to finish next year.

We want Scarborough to be England’s best performing coastal town by 2025.

That’s why we’ve bid for £10 million from a scheme called the Future High Streets fund.

We plan to spend the money on finding new uses for empty buildings, creating new public spaces, and making the high street greener, cleaner and more attractive.

We’d also invest in new infrastructure to improve digital connectivity which will encourage new businesses into the town centre.

There would also be events and activities for all ages to attract more people into Scarborough to help to create a fully inclusive community.

The money will also support our ambition for Scarborough to become a university town.

We’ll find out in the autumn if our bid has been successful.

If you go down to the park today … you could ‘find’ a dinosaur!

With our friends at Love Exploring, we’ve launched a new interactive, virtual, dinosaur safari in Peasholm Park in Scarborough and Pannett Park in Whitby.

It’s perfect for families and you only need the free Love Exploring app on your smartphone.

Once it’s downloaded, fire up the interactive map and follow it to find our tame dinosaurs who live in their own virtual reality.

Have fun and don’t get bitten!