Covid-19 Community Support help available
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is impacting on everyone’s lives and Cambridgeshire County Council is working with our partner district and city councils and other partner organisations to ensure that the most vulnerable in our region are well cared for.
We are deploying council staff and recruiting volunteers who can help others. We are receiving a very high volume of requests and we are working on these as fast as we can.
If you or your organisation needs help – or can offer help – you can find useful information and links on the Covid -19 Community Support pages on the website. Please share this information.
NALC and CAPALC
The National Association of Local Councils is publishing updated information on a regular basis, please regularly visit their web page https://www.nalc.gov.uk/coronavirus
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Association of Local Councils (CAPALC) is also sending out regular emails to all of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Parish Councils where they have email addresses for Clerks and Chairs. If you are not receiving those emails and wish to do so please contact office@capalc.org.uk
If you have any other queries which are specific for your parish council, please contact ParishesCV@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Sharing Parish Updates
You are welcome to share this Parish Update by forwarding the email to people in your community, who can also subscribe to receive updates from Cambridgeshire County Council by registering and selecting ‘Parish and District Updates’ from the list under Covid-19.
Refuse collectors praised in Peterborough
Peterborough City residents have been leaving drawings and messages of support on wheelie bins for our Aragon Direct Services bin collection crews.
These have been welcomed by the crews who are key workers doing a vital job. The structure and nature of their duties mean that, at times, they need to be in closer proximity to people to carry out their work, as is the case for doctors, carers and police officers. For example, crews must travel together in the same refuse collection vehicle.
Extra safety steps are being followed by the crews to limit the likelihood of spreading Covid-19 as much as possible, while ensuring they can still provide an essential service to residents.
Councillor Marco Cereste, cabinet member for waste at Peterborough City Council, said: “The overwhelming support that our Aragon refuse collectors have seen from city residents is very much appreciated by the crews. They are key workers doing a fantastic job during the Covid-19 outbreak and it’s great that they are being supported so much by their local community.”
Supporting local businesses
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Trading Standards is offering free advice to businesses affected by the Government’s closure order if they are not providing essential services, to minimise spread of the Coronavirus.
Any business that is unsure whether the rules apply to them should contact Trading Standards urgently for advice free of charge.
Councillor Steve Criswell, Chairman of the Communities and Partnership Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “This is understandably a difficult and uncertain time for businesses but it’s essential that we follow the Government’s advice and do everything we can to stop the spread of this virus. I urge any local business, large or small, that is unsure if the mandatory closure applies to them to contact Trading Standards as soon as possible.”
Councillor Irene Walsh, cabinet member for communities at Peterborough City Council, said: “No part of our society is unaffected by the Coronavirus. We need to make sure that we all help to stop its spread, including those businesses who have sadly been instructed to close until the virus is under control. Please contact Trading Standards as a matter of urgency if you’re not sure whether the new rules apply to you.”
Visit our websites for more information, support and advice: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough or fill out a Trading Standards contact form: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/regulatorycompanion
Consumer concerns at increased prices
There have been reports that some businesses have been increasing the prices of goods during the Coronavirus outbreak. Whilst local businesses are free to set their own prices, the Competition and Markets Authority has set up a taskforce to examine the scale of the issue and are asking people to report instances via an online reporting form or via email to covid.monitoring@cma.gov.uk
Play areas reminder in Peterborough
All play areas, skate parks, outdoor gym spaces have been closed and messages are clearly displayed at the entrances. Please can we remind all residents, who are using the open spaces, not to meet in groups and adhere to safe social distancing of at least two metres/six feet apart from others.
Cambridgeshire Customer Services Contact Centre
Library and Trading Standards phone lines closed on Friday (27 March) to allow us to focus and prioritise critical services which need to remain open.
Bus Services in Peterborough
Service X4 Northampton – Kettering – Corby – Peterborough has reduced to a Sunday service. This changed yesterday (Sunday 29 March).
Changes to council services
You can keep up-to-date with any changes to our services on our websites:
Peterborough – https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/healthcare/public-health/coronavirus/disruption-to-council-services
Cambridgeshire – https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/coronavirus/disruption-to-council-services
Our advice and latest information on Coronavirus can be found on both websites – www.peterborough.gov.uk/coronavirus and www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/coronavirus
Coronavirus: what you need to do.
- Stay at home
- Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (where this absolutely cannot be done from home)
- Stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people
- Wash your hands as soon as you get home
Anyone can spread the virus.