Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update Briefing- May 2021

1. Weekly Coronavirus statistics Latest Coronavirus statistics as of 28 April 2021. You can also find the full infographic here.

We publish the latest infographic across our website and social media channels each week, so please share with your followers, aloing with any other COVID-19 updates we publish. For sharing

2. Mobile COVID-19 Tests Mobile testing coming to Flitwick We are rolling out a fleet of mobile COVID-19 test and collect buses to make it even easier for you to get a rapid test if you don't have COVID-19 symptoms. The new service will provide testing kits and show you how to take a test on site first to ensure you feel confident to use them at home. The first buses have been operating in and . From this week more buses will be on the road, starting with Flitwick on Friday. We also aim to launch in soon. The mobile service replaces the testing sites that have been operating at the leisure centres in Biggleswade, Flitwick and which have now closed. Testing at the mobile buses is free and there is no need to book an appointment, you can just turn up. Staff will be on hand to help you self-test, demonstrate how to do the tests at home and give away home testing kits. There will be help on hand if you need it. Update briefing for Town and Parish Council Clerks and Chairs The testing is free, easy and quick. With around one in three people who have coronavirus showing no symptoms, regular testing is vital to help identify more people who have COVID-19 as early as possible and help to reduce the spread of the virus. We recommend getting tested twice a week, 3 to 4 days apart. If you have COVID-19 symptoms The rapid test centres are for people without symptoms. If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), you should ask for a PCR test to check if you have the virus. You can book a home test or a test at a PCR centre. You can request a test online via the NHS website.

Where to get your rapid test You can collect up to 2 packs of 7 tests from our new mobile testing centres in Houghton Regis, Leighton Buzzard and Flitwick. And from 11 May, you will be able to collect a home test kit from any library in Central . Houghton Regis Day Centre, 12, Parkside Drive. Monday 11am to 7 pm Tuesday 11am till 7pm Thursday 11am till 7pm Friday 11am till 7pm

Leighton Buzzard Duncombe Drive car park Monday 9am to 6pm Tuesday 8am to 5pm Thursday 9am to 6pm Friday 8am to 5pm

Flitwick Village Hall, Dunstable Road, Flitwick, MK45 1HP Friday 7 May 8am till 5pm Monday 11 May 9am to 6pm Tuesday 12 May 8am to 5pm Thursday 14 May 9am to 6pm Friday 15 May 8am to 5pm More information You can get test kits from participating pharmacies or order a pack of 7 tests for home delivery from the UK government website. Find a pharmacy where you can collect rapid tests Order rapid lateral flow home test kits on GOV.UK:

2 Update briefing for Town and Parish Council Clerks and Chairs If you do tests at home, you'll need to report your results online or on the phone. Your pack will include details of how to do this and what to do next. Find out more here. For sharing

3. Return to physical meetings At the Corporate Resources OSC on 29 April Members were briefed on the outcome of a High Court decision in relation to remote meetings. As a result of this decision the Council must recommence face to face committee meetings from 07 May 2021 onwards. These meetings will be delivered in line with the government’s guidance ‘COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of council buildings’ updated 29 April 2021.

4. Business Grants Applications for Restarts Grants, which replace the national scheme of Local Restrictions Support Grants, opened on 6 April and payments are being made on an ongoing basis in order of when the team receive applications. So far, 938 businesses have applied for this grant and we have awarded over £3.1m in government funding. Applications for this grant close on 30 June. Please note that businesses which applied for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) need to apply separately for the Restart Grant. For more information, including application forms for grants please visit our website. For sharing

Other News

5. Council offers businesses free incentive via Experience Bedfordshire

Businesses that rely on visitors and tourists are being offered the opportunity to promote their business for free via Experience Bedfordshire, on a first come, first served basis.

Central Bedfordshire Council is funding membership for 65 businesses to sign up to Experience Bedfordshire, a tourism organisation that promotes the whole of Bedfordshire, to give businesses a boost as the tourism sector reopens in line with the Government’s roadmap.

Experience Bedfordshire is the Destination Management Organisation for Bedfordshire and is open to a range of businesses, including hotels, tourist attractions and restaurants.

We are pleased to be supporting businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic sign up to Experience Bedfordshire to help boost their profile as they reopen. The visitor economy is a key sector for the Council and our ambition is to secure, sustain and grow businesses and jobs in this sector.

Experience Bedfordshire welcomes the Council’s incentive offer as a really positive opportunity in supporting the area to open back up and to help those businesses most affected by the pandemic. As the Destination Management Organisation for Bedfordshire, we are here to help support the Visitor Economy businesses in Bedfordshire, and part of that role is to encourage visitors to the area; therefore the more that this offer is taken up, the greater the return for the area.

Businesses can sign up to Experience Bedfordshire by emailing [email protected]

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3 Update briefing for Town and Parish Council Clerks and Chairs

6. The Great British Spring Clean (GBSC) The Great British Spring Clean (GBSC) takes place from 28 May to 13 June 2021 The Great British Spring Clean takes place between 28 May and 13 June this year. We are again asking Town and Parish Councils to confirm your participation with us and to register your litter pick on the Keep Britain Tidy website, where you can also order bags for collecting the litter. We will provide guidance on managing volunteers and collecting litter safely and adhering to the guidelines as we move out of lockdown. This is the 6th year of the GBSC and all of our litter picking kit has been distributed to participating Town and Parish Councils in previous years so those items should be reused. Our waste contractor, FCC has agreed to pick up larger quantities of waste and you will need to let us know a location that this should be collected from; somewhere suitable where the contractor can access it easily and where it will not attract fly tipping. Smaller amounts of litter can be added to household waste or recycling bins and will be collected as part of the household collection. 1. If you would like to get involved this year, make sure you also register your litter pick by visiting The Great British Spring Clean. The website has lots of useful information, posters and logos to help with your local promotion. This year the KBT website is also offering the opportunity to order bags and purchase equipment too if required. 2. Please can you also let us know by emailing Community Engagement Team by 12 May and include the following: - Where, when and at what time(s) you plan to do a litter pick - How many volunteers you hope to engage in your event (approx.) - Name / contact details of the group taking part (email/phone) - the location that collected litter should be collected from (ideally we’d suggest keeping the bags at a village hall until the day of collection (as most litter picks take place at the weekend in many cases the contractor won’t be able to collect the bags until Mon/Tues). 3. Remember, government guidelines and social distancing, litter picking should only be undertaken, in pairs or small groups of people, and you must read the guidance provided by Keep Britain Tidy. 4. Please remember that we cannot collect litter from any private land and please make sure that you do not pick near busy roads (over 30mph) and always have safety in mind whilst litter picking. 5. Finally, we would be really grateful if you could take lots of photos of your litter picking that can be used in future publicity – and if possible also let us know how many volunteers were involved and how many bags were collected so that we can celebrate community action and volunteer effort. For further information please contact Community Engagement Team or the Environmental Services team [email protected]

7. S106 Parish Reports The latest S106 Parish reports have now been updated on the website. For sharing

8. SEND Consultation relaunches We have relaunched a consultation on proposed changes to special schools and additional resource provisions within mainstream schools, to support children and young people identified with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

4 Update briefing for Town and Parish Council Clerks and Chairs This is part of Schools for the Future programme, which is a long-term plan to raise education standards and make sure Central Bedfordshire area has the right schools, in the right places, delivering the best education.

The consultation, which was originally launched in February, proposes to:

• increase places across the four special schools in the area: , , and Weatherfield • increase additional SEND places in mainstream schools – known as additional resource provision • include multi-use/nurture spaces within mainstream schools, where there is space to do so.

Following feedback from a participating parent, a decision was made to pause the consultation last month. We have used the time to work with SNAP Parent Carer Forum in revising the consultation and making the supporting information simpler to read and clearer to understand.

The consultation is open for 12 weeks until July 8.

Further information, including how to have your say is available on the Schools for the Future website.

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9. Community Grant Schemes Community Assets Grant Scheme The the Community Asset Grant scheme has been given the green light to go ahead with another bidding round. Further details including guidance for applicants and an e-form for applications is available on our website. £200,000 has been allocated to help town and parish councils, local voluntary and community organisations make their projects a reality. Groups can bid for matched-funding grants of up to £25,000 to invest in capital projects, such as a new roof for a village hall or to improve access for people with disabilities. As a result of the last bidding rounds, it meant that 32 projects got underway or were completed, including resurfaced tennis courts for the Flitwick and Ampthill Lawn Tennis Club and Leighton Linslade Town Council’s adult outdoor gym. The grant scheme is open to a range of Central Bedfordshire organisations, including voluntary and community groups, not-for-profit organisations, Parish or Town Councils. A briefing session will be held on 14 May from 10am to 11am for applicants. To take part, please email [email protected] Ward Councillor Grant Scheme The 2021/2022 allocation for Ward Councillor Grant funds are now available. Each Ward Councillor has an allocation of £2,000 which they can allocate grants to local projects that demonstrate a community benefit. Councillors can also work together across a ward to combine their grants if that’s what is most needed. £1,000 of each Councillors allocation requires match funding and £1,000 does not, it is at the Councillors discretion as to how they wish to allocated these funds. Visit the website to read the guidance or make an application. Support from the local Ward Councillor must be sought prior to submitting an application. For sharing

5 Update briefing for Town and Parish Council Clerks and Chairs 10. New funding for neighbourhood planning Two new neighbourhood planning funds totalling £2.1m and £330,000 have been announced by MHCLG aimed at kick-starting neighbourhood planning groups in deprived or urban areas and piloting making neighbourhood planning simpler.

11. Changes to Town/Parish Council membership – please keep us informed It is vital that we keep the council databases up to date with the correct contact details for all town and parish councils to ensure timely communication with you.

Please let us know if there have been any changes to the contact details for the clerk and/or the Chairman of the parish/ town council by sending the relevant name, postal and email addresses and contact phone number to the Community Engagement Team as soon as possible.

Please note these details are held on the CBC website and our Outlook email address list.

12. Upcoming Meetings

Date Meeting Thursday 13 May 06:30pm Council Tuesday 25 May 10:00am Traffic Management Committee Thursday 27 May 10:00am Audit Committee

13. Central Bedfordshire Council consultations and surveys Details of current and upcoming consultation activity undertaken by the Council are provided by the Community Intelligence Team. For more information about this update please contact Clare Harding, tel: 0300 300 6109 (ext. 76109).

Current consultations and surveys

Subject Description Start End Lead officer Schools for the Consultation on the proposals for the 15 Apr 8 Jul Jackie Edwards Future - SEND SEND cluster 2021 2021 0300 300 4795 Electric Vehicle A survey seeking views on potential future ongoing Stephen Mooring Charge points electric charge points 0300 300 6241

Upcoming consultations and surveys

Subject Description Start End Lead officer No upcoming surveys or consultations

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