Gedling borough’s council leaders are warning they risk having to issue P45s to the ‘heroes that are helping local communities beat this virus’ unless funding to help the borough fight Covid-19 is quickly increased.
In a letter seen by Gedling Eye, dated Friday, April 17, council chiefs John Clarke and Michael Payne have called on the government to urgently ‘deliver on the promise’ to reimburse councils for the cost of fighting the virus’ otherwise the impact on the council will be ‘crippling’.
In the impassioned letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson the council leaders said ‘you, rightly, told us to do what it takes, and you would back us. Now we’re asking you to deliver on that promise’.
PICTURED: The Richard Herrod Centre has been turned into a Humanitarian Centre to deliver food to the elderly and vulnerable during the coronavirus crisis
They added: ‘We need certainty, not uncertainty, leading to insolvency.’
The leaders have said that the council has already lost £832,000 of income in April, a figure that is ‘likely to be repeated month-on-month for the foreseeable future’.
They said the extra cost of £960,000 spent on tackling Covid-19 in the borough over the past month ‘equates to 8.2% of our council’s net budget for the entire year’.
In the letter, Cllrs Clarke and Payne claim that the council has so far received just £54,000 from the government emergency fund to fight the virus – and said they urgently need more.
They wrote: The £1.6bn Coronavirus funding allocated to local government thus far is welcome but goes nowhere near far enough to assist councils in dealing with the impact of this pandemic. Our own council’s share of that funding was only £54,000, which is barely 6% of the cost of this crisis for our council in one month alone.
“We need you to urgently deliver on the promise made to reimburse councils for the cost of this crisis. Anything short of that risks councils like ours being forced to issue P45s to the heroes that are helping local communities and our country beat this indiscriminate virus.”
Gedling Borough Council is writing to elderly people to let them know help is available for them during the coronavirus pandemic.
The local authority is writing to 11,000 residents in the borough who are aged 70 or older who may need support due to the pandemic.
The letter, sent jointly by the Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke, Deputy Leader Councillor Michael Payne and Chief Executive, Mike Hill is being delivered to all residents who have notified the council that they are over 70 through the electoral database.
The letter will ask those receiving the letter if they need any support and will include contact details for the Nottinghamshire Community Support Hub and the council’s own Giving for Gedling webpage.
PICTURED: Civic Centre at Arnot Hill Park
The letter is part of countywide effort to contact as many people as possible who may be self-isolating as part of the Government’s shielding initiative who may need non-medical support.
The council has also begun inducting volunteers to help deal with the potential increase in demand when the letters are sent. The council is offering help and support including wellbeing checks, befriending, dog walking, food and medicine collections and general support. Their recently opened Humanitarian Centre is also fully stocked and ready to deliver food parcels and over 500 people have signed up to volunteer.
Deputy Leader, Councillor Michael Payne said: “We are sending 11,000 letters out to residents who may need additional support and may not have access to social media and the internet but are in self-isolation and may not have family nearby to help them. Some of the people who receive the letter may not need any assistance at all but we want to make sure.
“We also want to make sure that all of our residents get help if they need it and this more traditional method of communication will reach a number of people who may not be aware that there is help available to them. Our staff and volunteers are ready to respond to any requests for help and we will do everything we can to support our most vulnerable residents.
All residents in Gedling borough are being asked not to have bonfires.
There has been a big jump in the number of complaints about people burning garden and household waste in the borough, which has prompted the council to make a fresh plea to those living in the area.
Many residents have taken to burning waste that would normally be taken to the recycling centre in Calverton, which remains closed due to the UK lockdown.
A spokesman for Gedling Borough Council said: “There are reports of an increased number of bonfires recently. If you have extra garden waste, please compost or store it in a dry area and take it to a recycling centre once they reopen. Don’t have a garden fire.
“Bonfire smoke can cause problems for people with health conditions and create an extra burden on the Fire Service
“You should never burn general waste. You could be fined up to £5,000 for creating a smoke nuisance.”
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) has also backed the councils call for less fires after seeing an increased number of controlled burns within the last four weeks,
Station Manager Paul Gair said: “As the weather gets warmer and people staying at home in line with government advice, we have seen an increase in residents lighting bonfires and we have had to deal with a number of bonfires that have got out of control.
“We are now asking Nottinghamshire residents to refrain from having bonfires due to the potential health implications the smoke could have on the respiratory system.
“We also ask you to consider the implications this could have on NFRS at this time due to unnecessary demand of bonfire calls.”
Gedling Borough Council paid a touching tribute to NHS workers fighting coronavirus as the nation took to their doorsteps to clap for our carers once again on Thursday night (April 17).
The Civic Centre in Arnold was lit up blue to coincide with Clap for our Carers, a social media campaign encouraging people to stand on their doorstep or by an open window and clap at 8pm each Thursday, to let the country’s NHS staff and social workers know how much they are appreciated.
PICTURED: Civic Centre in Arnot Hill Park turns blue (IMAGE: GBC)PICTURED: The Richard Herrod Centre was lit up blue in tribute to NHS heroes last week (IMAGE: GBC)
Deputy leader of Gedling Borough Council, Michael Payne said: “We lit Gedling Borough Council’s Civic Centre blue to say thank you to our NHS, carers & key workers. You’re the best of Britain; you’re the best of human nature; you’re all heroes. We salute you”
Last week the council carried out a similar gesture at the Richard Herrod Centre in Carlton.
The leisure centre was chosen as the first location to turn blue as it’s now houses the borough’s humanitarian centre which is distributing food to the vulnerable and needed during the UK lockdown.
With so many people’s lives changed almost beyond recognition by the coronavirus crisis, the MPs we elected have had to make significant adjustments too.
Like so many of their constituents, their daily commute is now to the lounge or kitchen.
But with so many constituents facing severe hardships, the casework inboxes have been bulging, with more and more people turning to their MPs for help.
When not dealing with casework, the roles played by Notts MPs has varied greatly.
Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome has returned part-time to the career she held before she was elected in December.
She now divides her time between day-to-day MP work and being a social carer.
Tom Randall, who replaced Vernon Coaker as the MP for Gedling in December, moved into a new flat in Arnold last month.
In the four months since he became an MP, a third of the casework has come in the last two weeks.
PICTURED: Tom Randall MPPICTURED: Nadia Whittome
He says he still puts on a tie every morning, in part so that when he takes it off in the evening it can symbolise the end of a working day.
He said: “In an odd way a lot of the work has carried on as usual, apart from the volume, because so much of what we do is by email and phone anyway.
“But it’s getting through the volume of casework that’s been the big challenge.
“I have still done surgeries, we’ve had surgeries over the phone, which are not great because you’re not in front of somebody and I like the personal contact of actually being able to meet someone face to face, but I’ve still held surgeries and they’ve gone quite well.
”We’ve had some good feedback which is nice, I mean obviously everyone is frustrated with what’s going on, but a lot of people have been saying ‘thanks for your help’.”
Shortly after the lockdown began, newly-elected Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome chose to return to social care, with all wages being donated to local coronavirus relief organisations.
Speaking to constituents, she said: “This is an unprecedented time for our city, country, and world.
“As the MP for Nottingham East, I want to reassure you that I am doing all that I can to work in our best interests during this worrying time.
“You may have seen that I have decided to return part-time to my previous job as a care worker, in order to support our care system that is already in crisis.
“I am maintaining my duties as a local MP; my office and I can be reached as usual and we will continue to work from home to deal with casework and enquires.”
A woman is in hospital after being stabbed in the head multiple time during ‘a targeted attack’ in Netherfield.
The incident happened at Bourne Mews in the town at around 8pm on Wednesday (April 14, 2020) where it was reported a woman attended the address and started arguing with the victim.
It is alleged that a woman attacked the victim with a knife.
Police say this is an isolated incident
The victim is being treated at Queen’s Medical Centre, her injuries aren’t life altering.
A 48-year-old woman remains in police custody.
Detective Sergeant Luke Todd, who is leading the investigation, said: “Officers were quickly on the scene and arrested a woman.
“We are still investigating the circumstances, but please be reassured that this is an isolated incident and a targeted attack.”
A man has appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged incident involving a knife.
Tyler Samuels, 19, of Caunton Avenue, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court today (April 15, 2020) charged with affray, possession of a knife in a public place and assault by beating.
He was remanded in custody and is next due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 6 May 2020.
Police were called to reports of two women fighting at flats on Pedmore Valley at around 11.15am yesterday (Tuesday 14 April 2020).
While officers were speaking to women involved to establish what happened, it’s alleged that a man left a flat in possession of a knife and threatened a woman with it before running off.
Officers gave chase and managed to catch up and arrest him. One officer was taken to hospital with a suspected broken thumb sustained during the suspect’s arrest.
Elaine Bond is a trained counsellor from Gedling. Here she shares some tips on looking after your mental health during the lockdown period…
Easter is over, the sun is out and here we are stuck at home with no idea of when this lockdown is going to end.
Our distress will now be starting to increase as feelings of helplessness and powerlessness take over. This is a natural process because as humans we need to feel we have control over our lives and, more importantly, be in contact with other humans – we are designed that way.
We may start to feel anxiety as we start to fill in the gaps with what we do not know with our deepest fears. Of course, the ultimate fear is death, so our anxiety takes us to the point where we believe we have Coronavirus or someone in the queue at the supermarket had it. It makes us suspicious of others and judgemental because other people are behaving in a way that we feel will endanger us. We have all seen the increase in our judgement of other people on social media and some of this is born out of fear.
Some of us will feel depressed, especially if our lives revolve around our work or our social life. Loneliness is often a key part of depression. The brain reacts differently when we are lonely. It processes the lonely feelings in a similar way it processes danger and threat which is by heightening our cortisol level when we wake and not letting it drop throughout the day.
We have been put into lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus
On the other hand, our mental health can be affected by too many people being in our home and we are stuck with them. Relationships with our partners and our children often work as there is a break from them and the old saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” has some truth to it! Living on top of each other can create friction as issues that were easy to ignore become increasingly irritating. Boredom, which is actually repressed anger, becomes overt anger and the lack of space becomes a whole new set of boundary issues.
If we have suffered some form of trauma in our past, this lock down will have triggering affects. Feelings of being controlled, helpless or out of control can trigger panic attacks, anger, anxiety or start flashbacks.
We all run the risk of going into what is known as survival mode, by becoming hypersensitive to our environment, struggling to do the usually easy things like getting up, taking a shower etc, or we find risky things to do, like breaking the lockdown, or we get snappy as we cannot see a future.
So, what can we do to get through this?
Looking after our mental health
As humans we need structure. Very few of us cope well without a sense of time and a routine based around time. We need to develop a routine, setting our alarm, having a shower, eating three meals a day, doing work if we are working from home, taking exercise, getting outside for a while and scheduling contact with others.
If we are working from home, we need to maintain some boundaries with our work and our boss! So, if we are doing a working day of 9-5 then that’s when we work from home. This means no quickly checking emails before 9am or answering that 7pm call and no missing your lunch break. Make a space for working from home, if you have an office door you can close at the end of the day that would be ideal, but if you are working for the kitchen table pack up the laptop and hide it away at the end of your working day. We should make sure there is a difference in the way you dress when you are working from home. My friend who worked from home for years taught me even if you have your PJs on always put your shoes on, then you know its work time. It’s worked for me for years.
If there are two of you working from home, then wherever possible have separate spaces to work from. Having space to work with your colleagues and not your partner is important.
It can be difficult if we have children with us, as a structure for them is important too. They need maybe structure of exercise, schoolwork, creativity, space to talk to friends and time away from family to remain okay with this situation. Many young people are struggling right now, some have not been able to finish their exams and are grieving for the loss of exam results, proms and final days. Others are without support, as young people create their own support systems, favourite teachers aren’t available and any access to counsellors is limited. Childline is open on limited hours for children and young people – https://www.childline.org.uk/. Its no reflection on us as parents if your children want that extra bit of support right now.
If you are a key worker like me, then taking care of ourselves is essential, being aware of our health and well-being, checking on our exhaustion levels and saying “no” when we need to.
The lockdown gives us no way to distract from our normal worries and concerns. It is a time for us to really take care of our mental health. There is something we can do by limiting our consumption of news and media reports as they are often dramatic and always talk about the bad news because that’s what sells.
Focusing on what we can control helps, as we can control our thoughts and behaviours, what we do with our time and how well we follow the government guidelines but have control over very little else. We all have an ability to be mindful and now is the time to try techniques that calm our mind from meditation to knitting to gardening do whatever keeps us in the here and now.
We all need to be aware that there will be an end at some point, as a virus has a shelf life and it will be over. We just cannot see when that will be.
It is really important right now that we stay in touch with our friends and relatives by setting up regular contact via telephone or video or even just a WhatsApp group for funny memes as makes us feel like we are connecting with people.
We should move around by taking exercise whether that is by going out for a walk or aerobics in front of the TV as the endorphins are brilliant at making us feel better and it keeps us in better shape to fight the coronavirus should we catch it.
Take that hour outside get some fresh air and some sunlight which is known to make us feel better and the vitamin D really helps fight any virus’s we come in contact with.
Try to relax. Some of us maybe be learning a new language or making a freezer full of homemade food and some of us may just be coping. Any of those or anything in between is fine right now.
Finally, most counsellors are still working remotely by phone or skype or online chats, I have found these methods work and can provide support and comfort for any issues you have right now. I have spaces for clients using all the methods above and can provide long or short-term support throughout the Covid-19 lockdown and beyond.
An army of scarecrows have taken over a street in Carlton to spread some much-needed cheer while the UK lockdown continues.
Householders have produced a number of imaginative creations that now line Orlando Drive and are putting smiles on the faces of passers-by.
NHS key workers join other superheroes like Spider-Man and Superman in the line up and carry the warning to stay safe and stay home.
Scarecrows have taken up residency in Orlando Drive (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)(PHOTO: Gedling Eye)
Lisa Matthews, 44, from Netherfield, said the scarecrows have helped lift her mood on the way to work each day.
She said: “They always make me smile. Things are a bit tough at the moment so it’s great when people do something to lift the spirits. It’s what us Brits are renowned for.”
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