Good Afternoon

We are approaching our special Bank Holiday, 8th May – a day to start the celebrations of a great victory 75 years ago when the war in Europe was finally and officially over.

It was a day that had been hard to envisage as the war took its course. As we look at those war years in retrospect, we view them with the knowledge that the conflict lasted for six years. However, for the people who lived, worked and fought through those times they might have been facing decades of conflict, they might have been facing defeat, they might have been facing a dark future in which all that they knew and loved might be gone.

The spirit of hope that remained alive throughout those years is truly remarkable. It was fuelled by the political, spiritual and military leaders of the day and, of course, by King George VI, a veteran of the First World War who, with Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), became a figurehead, visiting factories, hospitals and bombed areas and visiting troops abroad.  The speech that he gave, with his customary difficulty, 75 years ago on Victory in Europe Day still inspires us today:

“… let us think what it was that has upheld us through nearly six years of suffering and peril.  The knowledge that everything was at stake: our freedom, our independence, our very existence as a people; but the knowledge also that in defending ourselves we were defending the liberties of the whole world; that our cause was the cause not of this nation only, not of this Empire and Commonwealth only, but of every land where freedom is cherished and law and liberty go hand in hand…… We did not fail.  We kept faith with ourselves and with one another, we kept faith and unity with our great allies. That faith, that unity have carried us to victory through dangers which at times seemed overwhelming.”

One of the unique phrases that he uses is “proud sorrow”.  For me, that phrase resounds again as I think of the frontline NHS and care staff who have lost their lives during our current, very different, conflict.  I am so proud of them, but so intensely sad that they made the ultimate sacrifice as they tried to save others. Their profession is a truly noble calling, and that fact has never been more evident than in our current crisis.

We can’t gather together as planned in celebration of VE Day’s special anniversary today, but let’s find our own ways to mark the occasion.  We can join the nation in a two-minute silence at 11am to remember a generation’s immense sacrifice, followed by a celebratory toast at 3pm to honour a great victory that brought us the amazing privileges and freedoms that we enjoy today.

We shall be marking the VE Day 75 through a number of videos on the Mayoral and borough council social media channels, including Facebook @BasingstokeMayor and Twitter @BasingMayor throughout the day.

For the schedule of virtual events visit https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/ve-day

Please stay safe and reduce the spread of Covid-19 by staying at home and finding your own special way of marking this anniversary.

Diane

Cllr Diane Taylor
The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Tel: 01256 844844
Cllr.Diane.Taylor@basingstoke.gov.uk
www.basingstoke.gov.uk
@twitter.com/BasingMayor
@BasingstokeGov   @BasingstokeGov

Hampshire County Council to reopen household waste recycling centres

Hampshire County Council has said that preparations are underway to safely reopen household waste recycling centres in the week commencing 11 May.

This date is subject to further guidance expected from the government next week on travel to a household waste recycling centre during the COVID-19 outbreak. The household waste recycling centres were temporarily closed at the end of March following the government’s announcement that people should stay at home to protect the NHS and prevent the spread of Coronavirus, and only travel for very limited and specific reasons.

More information at: Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs)

Update on local NHS services

NHS organisations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been working with other emergency service partners and councils to ensure that there is enough capacity for people needing care during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Despite tragic loss during the outbreak, this preparation has meant the local NHS has coped with the additional pressures to date and is well placed to meet any future peaks in demand. This includes more intensive care capacity, more hospital beds and ensuring patients know they can access the right staff and services when they need them.

The NHS is encouraging residents to contact their local GP practice if they need to, anyone needing urgent medical advice should continue to use the NHS 111 online service and if someone has a serious or life-threatening emergency, they should call 999.

Council tax re-billing

Residents will be receiving new council tax bills during this week, following the decision to provide all households in the borough with a council tax payment holiday in April and May 2020.

As a result of the changes no instalments, which includes direct debits, will be taken in April and May 2020. Payments will resume in June 2020 and council tax bills will be payable over 10 instalments to March 2021.

If residents still want to make their payments in line with their previous instalment plan, they can still do this but will need to make a manual payment. This can be done by visiting www.basingstoke.gov.uk/paymyctax or by calling 01256 844844.

As the only council in Hampshire who has offered this support to its residents and therefore is rebilling them, the council has had the opportunity to get important information out to all residents about help available to them during the coronavirus outbreak. This includes information on support for vulnerable residents, financial support for residents, businesses and community groups, advice on fraud and an update on temporary changes to bin collections.

Where residents have signed up for e-billing, council tax bills have been sent electronically and includes a link to this additional information. The additional information can be accessed by clicking the ‘my document’ link on the right hand section of the page and clicking ‘information enclosed with bill’.

If you receive any queries on council tax, please direct residents to our dedicated webpage – www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-council-tax – or ask them to contact our contact centre on 01256 844844.

Helping those who are not online

We have created a page on our website where important information has been put into an easily printed newsletter and can be shared with people who are not online.

If you know someone who is not online you can help to pass on important information during the COVID-19 outbreak.

We are producing short newsletters with key updates that can be printed off and posted through doors – following the social distancing guidance – or relayed over the phone. Following advice from Public Health England, people are asked to wash their hands before printing the paper and putting it through someone’s door and also to wash their hands after delivering.

The information in these newsletters could be crucial in helping certain individuals to gain access to help and support they may not be aware of. The first newsletter features changes to waste collections and access to help and support.

You can find the newsletters at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-information-sharing

Temporary closure of Deanes building

The Deanes building is to temporarily close from next Wednesday (22 April) in response to the continuing coronavirus outbreak.

As you are no doubt aware, we have been, in line with the government instructions, supporting council officers to work from home during the current pandemic wherever possible.

This has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of officers working in the campus buildings. There has also been a significant reduction, based on the sign-in process in Deanes, of councillors attending site over the last two weeks.

This is being actioned for a number of reasons. It will support staff wellbeing, as we have had a number of occasions, both in Deanes and Parklands, when people who need to be in for operational reasons have been working in isolation on a floor or wing of a building, and even at times in the building as a whole. This is not ideal from a health and safety perspective.

Given the small number of people coming in, social distancing can still be easily maintained in Parklands to protect staff and we can focus on increased cleaning of more heavily used areas to support increased hygiene measures already in place.

It is difficult to justify the cost and energy use of opening all the campus buildings with such a significant reduction in usage. Parklands must be kept operational because of the police occupation of the top floor so it is logical that Deanes should be the building to close.

The Facilities Management team will be able to focus on Parklands, albeit with daily checks in Deanes. This will enable greater resilience in the team so that the campus remains operational.

The Deanes building can be fully operational with a day’s notice and therefore the decision to temporarily close it will not impact as we move into the recovery phase of the pandemic.

Appeal to share bin collection information

We are appealing to people to safely share important information from the council on how to receive help and support and details of changes to services during the COVID-19 outbreak. We are asking them to safely pass on information to anyone who is not online and lives in the borough like a neighbour, friend or family member, by calling or telling them, keeping within the social distancing guidance.

One of the things we are asking them to pass on is important changes to the frequency of grey bin waste collections in the borough from Monday 20 April. This temporary change will mean green bin collections will stay the same and grey waste bins will be collected fortnightly on the alternate week.

Key points to pass on are:

·         this is a temporary change

·         if you have a grey 140 litre waste bin you can leave out two additional bags for collection

·         if you have a large grey 240 litre waste bin no additional bags will be taken

·         if you have a large family you can apply for an additional bin if you do not already have one

·         assisted collections will continue

·         clinical waste collections will continue

·         recycling and glass collections will continue as normal

·         please recycle as much as you can

·         start looking at how much waste you throw away and how you can reduce this by buying differently

·         start squashing your waste, like yoghurt pots, to maximise the capacity of your grey bin.

For more information on the changes and frequently asked questions visit https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-bins-and-recycling

Good Afternoon

I do hope this email finds you well during this difficult and extra-ordinary period we find ourselves in combating the Coronavirus?

Duly noting that some of you are finding alternate ways (electronically / virtually) with keeping the local communities in touch, the Mayor Cllr Diane Taylor has asked if you would be so kind as to share her message throughout the borough of Basingstoke and Deane.

Message from the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Diane Taylor

I have always noted that humans are great adjusters.  Whenever there is a difficult and significant change in our lives, perhaps a death or illness or relationship break-up, we can feel that we will never get used to it… but somehow, with time, we always manage to adjust to our “new normal” and get on with life in its different format. 

If you had told me last year that in Spring 2020 I would be confined to my home for weeks on end, working forever at the computer, not meeting people face-to-face, queueing to get into food shops, unable to attend a single public meeting or event, I would have been horrified.  How can I live like that?  Guess what – I can!  Like everyone who is either completely isolated for health reasons or, at the other end of the scale, working all hours to save the lives of dangerously ill people, somehow we humans adjust and find a way to get on with life.

One of the final public duties of my Mayoral year would have been to lead the celebrations of the 75^th Anniversary of VE Day on Friday 8 May.  Needless to say, there will be no public event to mark this significant occasion – just a video of me at the War Memorial at 10am on that morning which will go out on social media. 

However, can I encourage everyone to find a way – perhaps in the afternoon at about 3pm – to raise a glass or a tea cup in in your own homes in celebration of a victory that brought us the great life that we are privileged to lead today.

The resilience, courage and determination of this nation during World War Two astounds me.  Let’s celebrate the outcome of a war that logically we should have lost – but, with our great allies, we won!  And what’s more, we will win the Coronavirus war too!

In the meantime, please stay safe by staying at home unless it’s for an essential journey as outlined by the government and help to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

If you are a vulnerable resident self-isolating due to an increased risk of illness, and have no friends or family nearby, you can register for support to access food supplies and collection of prescriptions. Call the Coronavirus Hampshire Helpline on 0333 370 4000, available seven days a week, from 9am to 5pm or visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-community-hub for more information.

Our many thanks.

Keep safe and keep well

Zoe McLaren
Mayoral Events Coordinator
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Tel: 01256 845591
Zoe.Mclaren@basingstoke.gov.uk
www.basingstoke.gov.uk

@BasingstokeGov    @BasingstokeGov

Update on support for vulnerable residents

The Basingstoke and Deane Community Hub continued to operate across the Easter period and responded to requests from vulnerable residents during this time.

The community hub continues to be working well and is receiving triaged enquiries from Hampshire County Council.
If you are aware of vulnerable residents in your ward who need support, please ask them to contact the Coronavirus Hampshire Helpline on 0333 370 4000. The helpline is available seven days a week, from 9am to 5pm.

Following the award of £200,000 of emergency funding last Wednesday to BVA, community groups are being encouraged to submit applications for funding – see https://www.bvaction.org.uk/covid-19-emergency-response-community-grant/

A number of applications are currently being considered and funding will be issued as soon as possible to ensure groups can continue to provide support in their communities. Please help by sharing this with the groups operating in your area.

More information about the community groups providing support in your wards can also be found on the BVA website – www.bvaction.org.uk/basingstoke-deane-community-hubs/

In recognition of the wide range of support required by residents during this period, we have updated our website with details of charities providing support on issues such as mental health, domestic abuse and loneliness. If you are aware of any residents that require this support, please direct them to www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-community-hub for more information.

Residents support ‘stay at home’ restrictions during Easter 

Despite the warm weather and the bank holiday, the vast majority of residents continued to follow the government’s social distancing measures over Easter.

The Community Safety Patrol Officer team was on patrol over the weekend and continued to support the police by educating residents and reinforcing the importance of staying home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In readiness for the weekend, the decision was taken on Thursday to close the car parks at a number of ‘destination parks’ across the borough, including Eastrop Park, Crabtree Plantation and Lime Pits, as people were continuing to travel from a distance to use these facilities.

Following reports of a number of cars parked at Black Dam Ponds too, the decision was taken to close this car park on Saturday as well.

Residents are still able to enjoy a daily walk or run to get essential exercise in the borough’s parks which remain open but should keep a two-metre safe distance.

Play parks and outside gyms have already been closed in line with government guidance to stop them spreading coronavirus through people using the equipment without washing their hands. But the council is having to inspect the play parks and put up more signage after incidents of people removing ‘closed’ signs and even cutting padlocks to get in and use them.

There are also reports that people are continuing to use the Down Grange running track, ignoring signs that has been closed to ensure people are observing social distancing when exercising.

People should be staying at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and should only be going out under government restrictions to exercise once a day, to travel to and from work where absolutely necessary, to shop for essential items and for any medical or care needs.

Advice for tenants in houses in multiple occupation

We have contacted landlords of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) to offer information and advice to help keep their tenants safe and reduce the spread of COVID-19. Tenants in HMOs share facilities and live in close proximity to others.

Landlords are advised to:

·         reinforce the importance of good personal hygiene with their tenants including frequent hand washing, especially after they have been using communal areas

·         request tenants clean all communal areas regularly including door handles, bannisters, kitchens and bathrooms.

Visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/houses-in-multiple-occupancy for more information.

St Andrew’s Centre Covid-19 patient assessment centre

The local NHS has sent us details to share with you about a new service set up at St Andrew’s Centre in response to the COVID outbreak – a COVID Assessment Centre:

This is where the NHS can see patients with severe Covid-19 symptoms and carry out assessments to see if they need to be referred to hospital, or can continue to manage at home. This service is for referrals only – please note it is NOT a drop-in service – staffed by GP practices in and around Basingstoke.

The service is NOT a ‘Covid testing’ centre – there is no national community testing at this time.

Patients will be seen both in the St Andrews Centre, and also in their vehicles, using tents in the car park. For both car and clinic appointments our staff will be wearing protective clothing.

The assessment is likely to include checking a temperature with a thermometer and measuring the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood using a fingertip monitor, as well as checking the pulse and breathing rate.

Clearly this is not normal practice but is intended to reduce social contact, and so limit the spread of the virus, keeping patients and staff safe at a challenging time.

Waste collections temporarily reduced to protect service and bin crews

Bin collections are set to be reduced temporarily to ensure waste, recycling, glass and clinical waste collections can continue in the borough during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Leader, by agreement with Group Leaders and the Chair of Scrutiny and working with officers and Serco, has taken the difficult decision to reduce the frequency the grey waste bin is collected to protect bin crews and sustain the service for the duration of the pandemic.

This means residents will be asked to only put out their green recycling bin and glass container on their normal recycling collection day and the other week put out their grey waste bin. The waste bin will be collected every fortnight instead of every week. The day of the week that bins are collected will not change.

The temporary changes to the service will start from Monday 20 April and will be monitored and reviewed regularly to respond to changes in government guidance as they emerge.

Many councils in Hampshire already have a fortnightly waste collection service and recently one other council has had to reduce its waste bin collections following the outbreak of the virus.

Bin crews in Basingstoke and Deane have continued to work hard to deliver the waste collection service during these challenging times and the council has already taken steps to reduce the pressure on the service by suspending garden waste and bulky waste collections.

These changes have enabled weekly waste collections to continue for several weeks longer than anticipated but, to allow staff to follow guidance on self-isolation, this cannot be sustained indefinitely and measures need to be put in place to protect the crews and ensure residents receive a regular and reliable service.

Those residents currently receiving an assisted collection, as they need help to put out their own bins and do not have anyone who can do this for them, will continue to get this support from the bin crews. The clinical waste service will also continue to run as normal for those customers who are registered to use this service.

Households with smaller 140 litre waste bins will be able to leave out two extra black sacks. Those households with larger 240 litre waste bins can only fill their bin as normal.

Support and information will be available through the council’s website, social media and e-newsletter to help residents reduce the amount of rubbish they put in their grey bin and maximise the amount of recycling they put in their green bin and glass container.

For more information on the changes and answers to frequently asked questions visit COVID-19 – Bins and recycling.

Support for businesses

We are now sending businesses further information on how to access grant funding, following the government’s announcement of a package of measures to support businesses through the period of disruption caused by COVID-19.

Businesses will be contacted by post or email, depending on how their business rates bill is usually sent, following which they will need to complete a simple form on our website to clarify their eligibility and confirm their payment details.

Upon completion, we would expect payments to eligible businesses to be made within two to three working days.

For further information on the available grants for businesses, see our website at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/COVID-19-business-support-and-grants

Grass cutting and essential maintenance in parks and open spaces

Essential maintenance and grass cutting is to continue in our parks, open spaces and verges.

Our operations team will work in line with the government’s strict social distancing guidelines with operatives working alone in a safe space away from members of the public.

The borough’s parks and open spaces have remained open for people to use for their daily exercise during the COVID-19 outbreak. To ensure these areas remain safe, clean and a pleasant place for residents to exercise alone or with other members of their household only, the operations team will continue to maintain them.

Essential work will also take place where safety is an issue and to ensure the ongoing maintenance of certain sports facilities such as cricket wickets and the bowling green at Stratton Park that require regular, specialist attention.

The borough council’s Safe Space campaign is reminding people to exercise safely if cycling, running or walking in public by keeping at least two metres away from each other.
Community safety patrols support ‘stay at home’ restrictions 

Our community safety patrol officers are continuing to support local communities and the police by providing patrols and a reassuring presence across the borough.

Officers are educating and encouraging residents to stay at home and follow social distancing restrictions. They have been working closely with the police to share information and identify individuals who are persistently ignoring the latest social distancing restrictions. The team are focusing patrols in parks and open spaces across the borough.

Despite the good weather over the weekend, the vast majority of residents are complying with the social distancing measures. However the community safety patrol team continues to see a number of groups when patrolling.

The team will continue working with the police this week to provide support and advice to residents and encourage people who are not out for essential reasons to return home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.

The team has also been supporting the wider community response and those most vulnerable to the current situation. This has included providing resource to the community hub enquiry team and ensuring those residents with immediate need have access to medication and food.

Over 1,500 volunteer to help those at risk stay safe during Covid-19 outbreak

Over 1,500 volunteers have signed up to support residents needing to stay at home to get shopping and prescriptions since the Basingstoke and Deane Community Hub was launched.

During the Coronavirus outbreak, many people have been told to self-isolate at home as they have medical conditions that could put them at risk or are over 70.

Some of these people have relatives or friends who are able to help out by dropping off shopping or prescriptions safely without coming into contact with them.

But for those who don’t have anyone to support them, Basingstoke Voluntary Action (BVA) worked with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and a number of other community organisations to set up the Basingstoke and Deane Community Hub to co-ordinate the volunteers wanting to help.

In just a week since the community hub was launched, 53 local neighbourhood groups have registered and volunteers are being put in touch with groups, with another 229 volunteers on standby to help if needed.

Hampshire County Council is acting as the main co-ordination point for all district community hubs in the county with a hotline The Coronavirus Hampshire Helpline – Hantshelp4vulnerable – that can be contacted on 0333 370 4000. The helpline is available seven days a week, from 9am to 5pm.

Vulnerable residents who need help, and do not have support from family or friends, should call the helpline to register for support. The county council will resolve complex cases and will pass on most other enquiries to the Basingstoke and Deane Community Hub to arrange support, such as deliveries of food.

Any residents who still want to volunteer or local groups who haven’t already registered should visitwww.bvaction.org.uk/coronavirus-volunteering or call 01256 423852.

BVA has published an interactive map on its webpage www.bvaction.org.uk/basingstoke-deane-community-hubs/ showing the location and contact details for all the local groups.

Those people identified at risk of severe illness as a result of underlying medical conditions, that have been written to directly by the NHS, should register for help via gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable as per the instructions in their letter.  They have been told that they should not leave home for at least 12 weeks.

Coronavirus scams

There continue to be numerous Coronavirus related scams circulating.

One of the examples that we have seen is phishing email/text messages stating that they are tracking you leaving the property more than once during the day and they are charging/fining you for breaking government guidelines.

The emails/texts ask you to provide personal information, which includes national insurance numbers, card details etc. If you receive a message that you believe is a scam please do not click any links or provide any personal information and report it to Action Fraud.

Support for people and businesses that are struggling financially

The council is offering a wide range of support to individuals and businesses struggling financially, including making changes to how council tax is paid and implementing the rates relief for eligible businesses across the borough.

For an overview of the support being offered for:

• residents in paying their council tax see www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-council-tax
• and businesses see www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-business-guidance

Support for residents – changes to council tax

To help during the coronavirus outbreak all residents in the borough have been automatically switched to paying their council tax over 10 months with non-payment months in April and May 2020.

Council tax bills and a leaflet explaining the changes will be sent out confirming the changes. Bills will be sent by post, unless residents have signed up to receive their bill by email.

We have communicated these changes in advance by sending e-newsletters to residents that are signed up to our database and – being particularly proactive compared to other councils – we have published regular posts on social media, with the most popular of these reaching over 75,000 people.

Support for businesses – business rates, rent and service charge reliefs now in place

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, as well as estate agents, lettings agencies, bingo halls and nurseries have been granted business rates relief over the next 12 months.

As the owner of a number of properties across the borough, we are offering a three-month rent and service charge relief to small businesses with annual rents of at or below £50,000.

Support for businesses – business grants available shortly

The council will shortly be making grants of up to £25,000 available to eligible businesses, in line with the measures announced by the Chancellor. Eligible businesses across the borough will be provided with a link to a simple form to clarify their eligibility and confirm payment details. Following completion, we would expect the grants to be paid within two to three working days.

We aim to send out these councillor bulletins regularly as we have more updates.

Dave Burn
Interim Head of Democratic Services Manager
dave.burn@basingstoke.gov.uk

01256 845510

Looking after mental health

The government has released some advice and information on how to look after mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic.

It encourages all of us to focus on key pillars of wellbeing including:

·         connecting with others

• looking after our physical wellbeing
• talking about our worries
• looking after our sleep
• and managing our media and information intake.

Stay at home social media campaign

A #StayHomeStayActive campaign has been running on the council’s Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/@BasingstokeGov to encourage everyone staying at home to engage with online activities and interests – and help save lives.

From gardening to keep fit, children’s activities to art, the council has been showcasing fun ideas and useful tips to help our residents stay occupied and boost their wellbeing during this difficult period in lockdown.

This past week, we have featured Basingstoke’s THAT Gallery and artist Kev Munday’s brilliant images for people to print at home, colour in and create their own art gallery. We also posted a link to two weeks of creative challenges – such as becoming a DJ for a day – from @64 Million Artists at http://dothinkshare.com/

Families have been encouraged to turn their daily exercise into a nature walk with scavenger hunt tips at https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/01/nature-scavenger-hunts/

In the garden, residents were reminded that food and green waste can be turned into compost with a link to https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/home-composting

Theatre fans can access some of the best shows streamed online live from London’s National Theatre online during the current crisis.

To help residents keep physically and mentally fit, we have scheduled a number of online resources for people of all ages and abilities. This included the Make Movement Your Mission workout sessions, running on the group’s Facebook page three times a day until 20 April.

Other exercise at home suggestions coming up include healthy heart moves, childrens’ games and seated exercises for older people.

We’ll have loads more great ideas posted in the next few weeks, look out for #StayHomeStayActive on our Facebook page.