It is being suggested that businesses impacted by proposed changes to business rates may wish to withhold their initial business rates payment for April to allow for government measures to be full implemented. The council is planning to write out to businesses shortly as further government updates come through.

The Council is closing down certain non essential services on government advice and to ensure continuity of key services.

Press release:

Council’s continuing response to COVID-19 guidance

Durham County Council has announced further details of how its services and events are affected in response to government guidance on Coronavirus.

The council is continuously reviewing emerging government advice on how best to stop the spread of COVID-19, and considering how it can maintain essential services to residents in light of this.
The authority yesterday announced the cancellation of next month’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival, with stallholders and those who had bought tickets to receive full refunds.
It has today announced the following further changes to services and events based on the latest guidance:
• All council venues are to shut from close of play today, or not reopen following winter closures, until further notice. These include Durham’s Gala Theatre, the Empire Theatre at Consett, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Durham Town Hall, Binchester Roman Fort, Bowlees Visitor Centre and Killhope Lead Mining Museum. People who have bought tickets for shows and performances up until the end of May will be contacted to arrange refunds. Gala members will have the period of the closure added to the end of their membership.
• All council leisure centres and libraries are to shut from close of business today until further notice. Leisure centre memberships, including fitness, swimming and swimming lessons, will be frozen for the period of the closure and direct debit payments automatically adjusted while sites are closed. Anyone who has paid up front for any membership, will have the period of the closure added to the end of their membership. The mobile library service will continue to operate and residents can continue to access a range of online library services, including e-books and e- magazines. The council is currently looking at how access to computers currently provided at libraries can be maintained once they close. Fines accrued while they are shut will be waived

All council events up until the end of April will be cancelled or postponed. Durham Adventure Festival, which was due to take place at the Gala Theatre from 24 to 26 April, has been cancelled. People who have bought tickets will be contacted to arrange refunds.
• The full council meeting scheduled for next Wednesday 26 March will not convene, with all other council meetings cancelled until the end of the month when the situation will be reviewed in light of government guidance.
• The Big Spring Clean litter-picking campaign has been cancelled with a decision to be made on whether events as part of it can take place later in the year.
In addition to the above, the Police and Crime Commissioner election planned for May has already been postponed.
The council is prioritising essential services, including adult and children’s services, refuse collections and support for community and voluntary groups and businesses. Customer access points will continue to be open and provide a service to residents, as are the One Point hubs and family centres. Household waste recycling centres remain open.
The council’s schools are open and following the latest government guidance.
Terry Collins, the council’s chief executive, said: “We are continuously reviewing the guidance from government as it is issued and considering all the services we provide and the events we organise in light of it.
“We have had to take some really difficult decisions but these are based on government advice and out of a desire to protect the health, wellbeing and safety of everyone in the county.
“We are doing our best to ensure the priority services we provide to residents – particularly the most vulnerable such as adults who receive social care and looked after children – are affected as little as possible. Similarly we are doing all we can to support businesses and those who suffer financial hardship, and working with other agencies to co-ordinate volunteering efforts in communities at this difficult time.
“We are looking at whether we need to change how we deliver some services in light of the current situation and will ensure residents are kept fully informed in the fast changing situation.”
Amanda Healy, the council’s director of public health, added: “The decisions we have taken are to assist with the government’s advice that people should reduce unnecessary social contact and to self-isolate if the guidance is that they should.
“We would encourage everyone to follow the advice from Public Health England on how best to protect themselves which includes washing their hands for 20 seconds more often. We understand the impact this is having on our residents’ mental wellbeing and we are increasing support and advice in relation to personal wellbeing and mental health.”

Information about how services and events are affected will be available on the council’s
website at www.durham.gov.uk/coronavirus

Ends

Government advice is that children MUST NOT be looked after by older grandparents or other old relatives.

Key workers’ children must still attend school unless showing symptoms.

More details are being released by the government.

I was delighted today to visit Sainsburys and collect and drop off for sorting a huge amount of donations – 140kg! Thank you to everyone. We still need more donations urgently. Please view my other post a few days ago for the types of things we need.

There is an excellent article on the BBC website at

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51873799

The World Health Organisation has some good advice including avoiding watching, listening to or reading news that may cause you to feel distressed.

Seek information simply to protect yourself and your family and to prepare.

When you do need to get updates on current developments set specific times to do this to avoid spending all day checking out the news.

Anyone who is struggling financially due to the current situation can contact their bank and request a 3 month payment holiday on their mortgage.

If you call and find that banks are not offering this please do let us know so we can report this.

We have had a number of business owners contact us about how they are to manage.

Various announcements have been made by the government including loans schemes and grants, however trying to get the details is proving difficult. As soon as council officers provide details or I can find it online I will report it here.

Businesses are now able to contact their bank to get an emergency government backed loan. If anyone tries to do this and finds their bank hasn’t started offering this then please let us know.

Government advice is now being updated on daily basis. Latest advice today is critical and includes:

Avoid “non-essential” travel and contact with others to fight coronavirus.

Work from home where possible

Pregnant women, people over the age of 70 and those with certain health conditions should consider the advice “particularly important”

People in at-risk groups asked to stay home for 12 weeks from this coming weekend with further advice to follow.

http://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Please help the local food bank. They need to build up supplies as a matter of urgency.

The following are currently needed:

Tinned: soup, veg, fruit, spaghetti, fish, meat, tomatoes, rice pudding, sponge pudding

Pasta sauce, Long life Fruit juice, Powdered milk, Custard, Sugar, Chocolate bars, mini eggs

Toiletries – soap, hand gel/sanitiser, sanitary products

Any items for people with special dietary requirements – eg Long life milk alternatives, gluten free

Collection points in or near our area include:

Sainsbury’s Arnison Centre,

Co-Op Newton Hall,

All Saint’s Church Newton Hall,

Sainsbury’s Framwellgate Moor

We have had numerous discussions with council officers about Coronavirus and continue to receive updates.

The most important message we would like to pass on to all residents is to follow published advice from the government.

If there are specific localised messages we will post them here.

For the best current advice please visit http://Www.gov.uk/coronavirus

The most important thing to do is to follow the advice, not just for our own safety but for the safety of everyone in our community.

The County Council has a page which is also being updated:

https://www.durham.gov.uk/coronavirus

All Council staff are working hard to ensure that council services can continue and management are making sure staff are able to work from home in the event that they have to.

Clearly things are changing on a daily, even hourly basis at the moment, so please keep checking for updates on the government and council sites and keep abreast of the news.

Making sure our elderly and vulnerable residents are safe and have the help they need is going to be critical in the coming weeks, but in doing so, please make sure that you follow the government advice which is being updated all the time.