Covid 19 & Vaccinations

An additional 13 cases of Covid 19 have been registered in Sutton Coldfield for the week of 15 - 21 May compared to an updated figure of 15 for the week of 8 - 14 May based on data from Birmingham City Council’s public health division.

The 7-day case rate between 15 - 21 May in Birmingham was 22.9 cases/100K population, compared to 16.0/100K for the period between the 8 - 14 May

Over the 7 days leading up to 22nd May, of 15,740 PCR pillar 2 tests, 200 (1.3%) were positive in Birmingham, a higher positivity rate than both the West Midlands and England.

Birmingham ranks 13th in the region for pillar 2 PCR tests, with 1,379 tests per 100k population. 61,853 LFT pillar 2 tests were also carried out.

Hospital admissions range between 3 and 12 new cases a day at Birmingham hospital trusts over the 7 days from 15 - 21 May

The attached image shows an overview of first vaccinations across different wards in Sutton Coldfield, based on the data that was available on Tuesday. Over 42,400 second vaccines have been administered in Sutton Coldfield.

Royal Sutton Coldfield updates

This morning I visited John Willmott school and met a group of year eights who have been litter picking as part of their enrichment projects. I was quizzed by the students on a number of issues including the Clean Air Zone and the importance of litter picking. It was great to see such a positive community spirit among the students. I then met the Head Tracey Peters, to have a catch up about how the school has dealt with Covid since we last met. The school has created a YouTube Channel and they been able to showcase their students’ musical talents and create Q&As for incoming year 6 students.

Later I met Raaj Shamji a Senior Development Manager in the Partnership Team at Birmingham City University to discuss the Graduate Re-Tune Accelerator Programme which runs as a partnership between BCU, Aston University and the DWP’s Jobcentre Plus (and is backed by the GBSLEP and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce). The programme offers intensive employment support to unemployed graduates of BCU and Aston University. It was good to hear that the team intends to create a nationally replicable model with plans to widen specialist support access for local graduates.

I also held my first face to face advice session this year in my office on the High Street which covered a wide range of issues. I am glad to be able to resume face to face appointments, however, I will also continue phone calls and Zoom sessions for those that are unable to travel to my office.

Aldi is running a virtual exhibition for their Brassington Avenue site which includes the option for local people to submit feedback on the plans: https://aldiconsultation.co.uk/brassington/virtual-exhibition/ Potentially this looks like a good solution for this space which has been an eyesore for more than 20 years and which would bring it back into productive use. But is essential that it fits in with the Council Masterplan which has been so carefully and well put together through Simon Ward and the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council.

The WMCA has developed a programme to support local young people as part of the Commonwealth Jobs and Skills Academy, which is driving skills and employment opportunities through the Commonwealth Games. New funding from The National Lottery Community Fund will help at least 800 young people to learn new skills and secure jobs from opportunities generated by the Games. Outreach activity will support local young people aged 18 to 30 who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment.

The West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme which was first launched earlier this year in Sutton Coldfield has now been expanded to include central Birmingham. More than 300 bikes have been distributed among 43 docking stations placed at key locations in and around the city centre – including bus, train and tram interchanges and popular destinations like Broad Street and Victoria Square. This will rise to 83 docking stations and more than 700 bikes later this year – covering an area including the city centre and stretching out towards the University of Birmingham.

This week is English Tourism Week, an annual celebration of the tourism industry, highlighting its economic importance to local economies and encouraging people to take domestic breaks. With international travel restrictions still in place and the opening up of local attractions, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend locally in Sutton Coldfield and across the West Midlands. For those with caravans, if you haven’t towed for a while, it’s a good idea to check everything on your caravan or trailer is still in working order and I am supporting the SAFE Towing Safety campaign: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tow-a-trailer-with-a-car-safety-checks

Congratulations to the winners of the West Midlands Combined Authority Community Recovery Innovation Challenge: https://www.wmca.org.uk/news/winners-of-competition-to-help-boost-west-midlands-communities-announced/

Westminster news and Parliamentary business

On Monday I hosted an online export event with the Department for International Trade for businesses across Sutton Coldfield. The event provided information aimed at those already exporting and for businesses considering taking the first step to finding new international customers. The session provided an overview of changes to trading as a result of Brexit and the global opportunities that are available following our departure from the EU. I will be hosting a further export meeting in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday I attended a Bond conference looking at the role of NGOs in international development. In the afternoon I hosted the AGM of the St Helena All Party Parliamentary Group and then attended an meeting with the ICAI commissioners. The Independent Commission is the taxpayer’s friend as it holds to account ministers and officials on behalf of all of us, for spending tax money on development to best effect. Obviously I am very proud of it having set it up in 2010. It is now an essential part of the architecture when it comes to spending money well.

On Tuesday evening I appeared on Newsnight to discuss the work of the charity War Child and the importance of funding international development projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spWwS2SJeoE

On Thursday I spoke in an Urgent Question in the House of Commons about the Government’s handling of the Covid 19 outbreak. I have secured a meeting for a cross-party delegation of West Midlands metropolitan leaders to meet the Health Secretary to discuss our local vaccine rollout and other issues relating to Covid 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HmumQvyEs

This week the Government has announced £166.5 million of funding to help develop technologies in carbon capture, greenhouse gas removal and hydrogen, while also helping find solutions to decarbonise sectors including manufacturing, steel, energy and waste.

The Education Secretary announced a £51 million funding boost will help thousands of vulnerable young people in the care system, as well as proposals to improve the quality of their accommodation.

Opportunities and Events

Sky has launched a £2million support scheme for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, with a chance to win free access to TV advertising and a business broadband package. The SME100 scheme is open to any small business that has been running for at least one year in the UK. 100 UK small businesses will win £20,000 of TV advertising across Sky Media’s channels and a phone and broadband package from their B2B telecoms business Sky Connect. https://www.adsmartfromsky.co.uk/sme100

Football Rebooted is a new campaign that aims to save at least one million pairs of pre-played football boots. The ‘donate and claim’ campaign, enables anyone with spare football boots or AstroTurf boots to request a freepost ‘boot bag’ to donate their boots, after which their boots will appear at one of many claim stations that will pop up in parks, training grounds, and at some of the UK’s largest football clubs. Premium pairs of the ‘most wanted’ retro boots and former and current players’ boots and other items will also be in the mix, giving anyone a chance to come along and grab a pair to be proud of, for free. https://footballrebooted.co.uk/

The latest issue of Families Birmingham magazine has been published and is free to view online: https://issuu.com/familiesonline/docs/fambhammayjun21digital?fr=sNzUzZjM2MjM3MzU

Pop Up Festival Presents is a free live-streamed literature festival which will run between 14-18 June for primary, secondary and special schools, celebrating some of the best writers and illustrators. The summer showcase will feature over 20 workshops with a diverse group of bestselling and award-winning children’s authors https://pop-up.org.uk/our-work/education/pop-up-festival-presents/

A reminder that the first round of the Celebrating Communities small grants funding scheme, part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games closes for applications on 1st June. Groups that are unable to submit a bid before Tuesday can apply during the second round which will open in October. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/celebratingcommunities

Applications are now open for the 2021 UK Social Enterprise Awards. The awards are the biggest celebration of the year in the social enterprise calendar, recognising the best organisations and individuals who work at the heart of the social enterprise movement.  https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/social-enterprise-awards/uk-social-enterprise-awards-2021/

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is a free service that protects your money when pensions and investments providers go out of business. Visit https://www.fscs.org.uk for guidance on how to check your money is protected.

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