- Help slow the spread of COVID in Cornwall
- What's changing on 21 June?
- Urban verge cutting
- Let's Talk Homes
- Funded support for unemployed residents
- Match funding for planet positive projects
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- Local council planning induction training
- Temporary pause on development in River Camel SAC
- Important support
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Help slow the spread of COVID in Cornwall
While COVID-19 case numbers have remained low across Cornwall in recent weeks, cases are now doubling every few days, as they are elsewhere in the country. This is due to a mixture of the new variant being up to 60% more transmissible, and increased socialising over the last few weeks. As the Government’s decision to delay the next stage of the roadmap by four weeks shows, the Delta variant circulating is a reason for caution.
Cases are mainly among 16-29-year-olds, many of whom are currently not vaccinated.
Please share these three messages with your communities to help slow the spread of the virus and make sure our NHS remains protected:
- Make twice-weekly testing part of your routine so cases can be identified even when people have no symptoms. Rapid Lateral Flow Tests are free of charge and can be picked up from local pharmacies or ordered online.
- If you do develop symptoms, which include a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss or change to sense of taste or smell, you should self-isolate straight away and book a test online at www.gov.uk/coronavirus, or call 119 if you don’t have access to the internet.
- If you’re eligible, book your vaccine. Make sure you have both doses to give you the best protection. Having both doses reduces the chance of symptomatic COVID-19 by 76-84%
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What's changing on 21 June?
The final easing of lockdown restrictions has been delayed until 19 July, subject to a review in two weeks.
There are still a few restrictions that will be lifted on 21 June, including:
- Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies can be attended by more than 30 people, but numbers will instead be determined by a venue’s social distancing capacity.
- Care home residents will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days when they return from visits outside, except for high risk trips such as an overnight hospital trip.
- Out-of-school groups, such as Brownies, Scouts and Duke of Edinburgh, will be able to have overnight trips in groups of 30 children.
You can see the latest on coronavirus restrictions on the GOV.UK website.
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Urban verge cutting
Wildflowers are being left to flourish in towns and villages under Cornwall Council’s new approach to urban verge cutting.
The Council is responsible for maintaining over 75 hectares of urban verges across Cornwall within 30mph zones. Previously, these sites were mowed around eight times a year starting in spring.
After public consultation showed that residents wanted to see nature encouraged to flourish, Cornwall Council introduced a new policy that aims to help wildflowers and pollinators to thrive, without compromising road safety.
Verges will now be cut two or three times a year, instead of eight, and cuttings will take place after the flowers have finished blooming and seeds are set.
The Council will still be tidying path edges, cutting around benches and fixtures, ensuring visibility for safety reasons, and removing noxious weeds. Cutting at junctions and bends on the highway will also continue to ensure roads remain safe and visibility is not compromised.
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Let's Talk Homes
Residents, stakeholder organisations, and those interested in housing issues are invited to share their views on what’s important about future homes in Cornwall as part of Cornwall Council’s review of the Housing Strategy for Cornwall. The Housing Strategy is a strategic partnership document and describes what the Council’s priorities will be for homes over the next five years and beyond.
People can share what ‘home’ means to them via a survey on Let’s Talk Homes until Wednesday 30 June. Cornwall Council will add more questions to this web page to test the responses over the next few months and will use these responses to prepare an initial draft strategy.
The Council will hold a formal consultation on the initial draft strategy during the summer months and then consult on the final draft strategy towards the end of the year.
For more information, email sarah.thorneycroft@cornwall.gov.uk.
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Funded support for unemployed residents
Please tell people in your area about the People Hub. There’s also a People Hub poster that local councils can download and display on their noticeboards.
The People Hub is a new service part funded by the European Social Fund and Cornwall Council which offers bespoke, independent, and FREE support to individuals across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Using an innovative triage and referral service, the People Hub provides a one stop shop for free and confidential information, advice and guidance on finding employment and training opportunities, as well as other areas like housing, debt, mental health, and helping people to overcome barriers to getting into work.
The People Hub’s team of Connectors work with people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who need support and advice, either because they are unemployed and are wondering what options are open to them, they have been made redundant and want to get back into work or training, or because they are looking to retrain or develop new skills.
The Connectors talk individuals though their issues and concerns, and then signpost them to an organisation or project with the specific expertise to help them move forward.
To contact the People Hub, call 0333 015 0699 or visit www.ciosgrowthhub.com/peoplehub.
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Match funding for planet positive projects
There’s £30,000 match funding available for ten planet positive projects in Cornwall and local councils can enter. Please encourage individuals, groups and organisations in your area to enter too.
Cornwall Council and Crowdfunder are encouraging green initiatives to let them know what they’re doing in response to the climate emergency and how crowdfunding will play its part.
Ten successful entries will be chosen to win a share of £30,000 in match funding from Cornwall Council to go towards a crowdfunding campaign.
There’s more information and the opportunity to enter online on the Crowdfunder website.
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Local council planning induction training
There’s still time to sign up to Cornwall Council’s planning induction training for all local councils if you’re quick. These will take place via Microsoft Teams events on:
Tuesday 22 June, 12 noon – 1pm:
- National, Local and Neighbourhood Planning Policy
Wednesday 23 June, 10am – 11.15am:
- Development Management
- Getting Involved
Thursday 24 June, 10am – 11.15am:
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Appeals
Local councils can nominate two delegates plus one reserve for each event. Spaces are limited, so clerks are asked to coordinate bookings please.
Recordings of the sessions will be available to all local councils after 24 June. The presentations from the event will also be published on Cornwall Council’s Local councils webpage.
To book a place
Clerks should email positiveplanning@cornwall.gov.uk by noon on Monday 21 June and include:
- Names and email addresses of their delegates (maximum of two places plus one reserve)
- Local council being represented
- The sessions the delegates wish to attend. This can be all three or different local councillors for different dates.
Joining instructions, including the Teams meeting link, will be sent direct to confirmed delegates by 5pm on Monday 21 June.
See our privacy notice.
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Temporary pause on development in River Camel SAC
There are currently significant issues with development in the River Camel Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Cornwall Council has received a letter from Natural England about levels of phosphates in the River Camel and its impact on the SAC.
The Council is taking precautions by pausing decision making in the River Camel catchment area. Developments cannot be approved unless they can be shown to be nutrient neutral. The Council is investigating implications and exploring options for future mitigation.
Cornwall Council officers are progressing this as a priority. More information and the latest updates on the situation will be published on the Council’s web page Temporary pause on development in the River Camel Special Area of Conservation.
If you have any questions about the situation, please email them to positiveplanning@cornwall.gov.uk.
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Important support
For vaccine questions, please email nhskernowccg.ciosc19vaccine@nhs.net or visit the NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group’s website.
Please send all other coronavirus related enquiries or issues to Cornwall Council’s dedicated email address covid19@cornwall.gov.uk. Residents can also ring 0300 1231 118 for any COVID-19 related queries.
You can see the latest COVID-19 data for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Cornwall Council’s website.
Cornwall Council has a dedicated telephone line 0300 1234 334 specifically for residents who are in the clinically extremely vulnerable group.
Find out more about Cornwall Association of Local Councils at www.cornwallalc.org.uk or email enquiries@cornwallalc.org.uk.
Anyone who needs help can request a volunteer by ringing Volunteer Cornwall on 01872 266988 or emailing requestforhelp@volunteercornwall.org.uk.
Community volunteers can register with Volunteer Cornwall on their website or by emailing mid@volunteercornwall.org.uk. Volunteer Cornwall will match people who ring up needing help with the community volunteers in their local area – or, if they have more complex needs, with specialist services.
Support for those living with domestic abuse is available from Safer Futures. People can make a referral online, email saferfutures@firstlight.org.uk or ring 0300 777 4777. There is also refuge and support via the Cornwall Refuge Trust website and their 24 hour helpline 01872 225629.
There’s information about support for those facing hardship or redundancy, including help with food, benefits and council tax, on the Do you need a helping hand? page on Cornwall Council’s website.
Find out more about the support available for businesses here: Support for businesses and Growth Hub.
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