A blog by Public Health England has highlighted how important self-isolating is to stop coronavirus from spreading in our community, particularly to people who could become very sick if they catch the virus.

Although cases have been rising among the student population in Exeter the number of confirmed cases in Teignbridge remains comparatively low.

Don't forget, you should self-isolate:

• if you have symptoms and are waiting for a test
• if your test is positive
• if you’re notified by NHS Test and Trace or the new NHS COVID-19 app that you’ve been in close contact with a confirmed case.

Maintaining service delivery throughout the pandemic

Work to keep Teignbridge Council's services operating effectively over the past six months of the pandemic was highlighted by Council leader Alan Connett at this week’s full council meeting.

He highlighted the £2 million savings we've made to offset the loss of income and the additional costs of dealing with Covid and set out what have done and will be doing to support the three priorities he highlighted when he became leader – climate change, jobs and homes. You can listen to what he said on our YouTube channel, starting at approximately 23 minutes.

Some of the examples Cllr Connett highlighted were:

• 62,000 homes have their bins and recycling collected each week
• We provided 250 food parcels for shielded and vulnerable individuals
• Rough sleepers were supported and off the streets
• 2,919 grant applications approved for the Small Businesses and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure funds totalling £33.8m
• 661 Discretionary Business Grant applications approved totalling £1.9m
  Waste levels were similar to those only usually experienced at Christmas but for months rather than a few weeks.
• The garden waste collection service kept running as many turned to tidying their gardens during lockdown
• We kept our public toilets open throughout the lockdown
• We were able to reinstate all three leisure centres within a week of the permitted opening, operating on reduced opening hours and with Covid-secure measures.
• During lockdown we developed a bespoke leisure ‘app’ that has given customers a convenient way to manage their bookings, resulting in around.12,000 bookings from reopening until the end of August.
• Providing financial support to local foodbanks (£20k); funding for the CVS to provide a community hot food service (£2k), Westbank and the CAB (£20k shared); and providing assistance to the Meadow Centre, Buckland Community Centre and Chudleigh Youth Club by allowing a six month rental break (equivalent to 13K).

Last chance to sign up to innovative solar panel group buying scheme

If you are a homeowner or landlord and haven’t yet registered your interest in our group solar panel buying scheme, Solar Together then time is running out.

Midnight on Monday 5 October is the deadline to register. It's simple, free and there is no obligation to buy. 

Research by the University of Exeter shows that 19 per cent of all Devon’s carbon emissions are created by our homes, with more than half of those by grid-supplied electricity. Installing solar panels will reduce the amount of grid-supplied electricity needed for things like hot water, with a transfer to more eco-friendly solar energy.

A ‘reverse’ auction involving pre-vetted suppliers will then take place on 6 October and the winning bid will be the most cost-effective one for registered residents to then consider.

Registered households will then receive a recommendation, specifically tailored to the details they submitted in their registration. If they accept the recommendation, the specifics of their installation will be confirmed with a technical survey and then a date can be set for installation

Black History month marks positive contribution of black communities

Yesterday saw the start of Black History Month which seeks to celebrate the positive contribution of Black Britons and the black community across the world.

The Black History Month website has a host of interesting articles, interviews and details of activities taking place across the country.

In July, councillors unanimously supported a proposal from Cllr Nina Jeffries which acknowledged 'the current situation facing under-represented groups in Teignbridge and seeks to support the work that is taking place UK-wide to tackle racism and discrimination.”

Black History Month is an opportunity to raise awareness and promote the contribution of black members of our communities across Teignbridge.

Take the 28 day Stoptober challenge

If you haven’t managed to stop smoking yet, why not try an alternative approach and download the free NHS Stoptober app to help you quit and start breathing easier? Stoptober is a 28-day stop smoking challenge. The app allows you to:

• track your progress
• see how much you're saving
• get daily support

If you can make it to 28 days smoke-free, you're five times more likely to quit for good.