Covid 19 & Vaccinations
Cases have fallen both locally and nationally this week. In the Royal Town our weekly figures are down by a third. An additional 526 cases of Covid 19 have been registered in Sutton Coldfield for the week of 17th - 23rd July compared to an updated figure of 803 for the week of 10th – 16th July based on data from Birmingham City Council’s public health division.
The 7-day case rate between 17th - 23rd July in Birmingham was 410.8 cases/100K population, compared to 568.0/100K for the period between the 10th – 16th July.
Over the 7 days leading up to 24th July, of 23,559 PCR pillar 2 tests, 4,345 (18.4%) 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 2,063 tests per 100k population. 55,965 LFD pillar 2 tests were also carried out.
Hospital admissions range between 34 and 57 new cases a day at Birmingham hospital trusts over the 7 days from over the 7 days from 17th - 23rd July, with a total of 297 cases, an increase of 24 admissions from the previous 7 days.
1,200 extra testing sites will be established to help enable a greater number of critical workers to take daily tests (rather than isolate) when they are identified as a close contact of someone who has Covid.
The attached image shows the number of vaccines per age group for Sutton Coldfield from data published yesterday.
Walk-in appointments are taking place at a mass vaccination centres across the Birmingham City Council area. Please check the latest availability via: www.birminghamandsolihullcovidvaccine.nhs.uk/walk-in you can also continue to book in advance online as normal: www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination
Royal Sutton Coldfield updates
Congratulations to Suttonian Alice Kinsella who has won a bronze medal in the Team Artistic Gymnastics event at the Olympics, a brilliant achievement! https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/olympic-games/2021/07/27/medal-winning-alice-kinsella-holds-family-bragging-rights-over-dad-mark/
Chief Constable Sir David Thompson has announced a review into the West Midlands Police estates strategy which has seen dozens of stations and bases shut down or threatened to be sold off in recent years. I very much welcome the review which is a good opportunity to think again about the muddled and ill thought through proposal to close the Royal Town’s police station which I along with our Conservative councillors have vigorously opposed. From the correspondence I have received from constituents and conversations with local people, it is clear that Suttonians want to see a full Police presence using the space in our existing facilities.
I have signed a cross party letter urging the Home Secretary to support the families of the Birmingham Pub bombings. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/birmingham-mps-government-andrew-mitchell-prime-minister-b947937.html The Home Secretary Priti Patel talked with the families on Wednesday in the offices of the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Today I met Ravi Johal who runs the Ramada in Sutton Coldfield to discuss the hotel which is currently providing quarantine accommodation for those arriving from abroad.
Good to hear that our local Park Run returned last weekend and will be taking place every Saturday at 9am https://www.parkrun.org.uk/suttonpark/
I would like to wish the British Heart Foundation a happy 60th anniversary, I really enjoyed my recent visit to our local shop which was a chance to thank the brilliant volunteers that help run the store. The charity is currently looking for donations and is also offering a number of voluntary opportunities for Suttonians including positions serving customers and opportunities in the stock room. https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/find-bhf-near-you/sutton-coldfield-bhf-shop
The first ever interactive map of the local arts scene across the West Midlands has been developed to help organisations access information to guide their planning and attract investment. The cultural sector is worth £1.1billion a year to the West Midlands. The West Midlands Combined Authority partnered with key stakeholders in the region including Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Coventry City of Culture Trust, Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Growth Company, GBS LEP, Culture Central, Arts Council England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to produce the project. https://beta.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/west-midlands-cultural-sector-research-project/west-midlands-cultural-infrastructure-map/
The West Midlands Combined Authority has signed a partnership deal with leading property developer St. Modwen to build 5,000 high quality, energy efficient homes on disused industrial land over the next decade. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding came as a formal planning application was submitted for the regeneration of the West Works site at the former MG Rover Longbridge site.
Welcome news for the international travel sector as TUI has announced the expansion of its holiday programme for next summer from Birmingham Airport - with the reintroduction of flights to Madeira, Portugal and increased flights to over 11 different destinations. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/tui-unveils-birmingham-airport-expansion-21133915
Birmingham has been named the host city for the International Working Group World Conference on Women & Sport 2026. https://www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/latest-news/news/2021/7/23/birmingham-to-host-women-and-sport-conference/
The head of international business at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce has been formally appointed as an executive director on the organisation’s board. https://www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/latest-news/news/2021/7/26/chamber-international-head-joins-board/
Westminster news and Parliamentary business
Today I have written for ConservativeHome on the importance of renegotiating our extradition treaty with the United States. https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/07/andrew-mitchell-it-is-past-time-the-government-renegotiated-our-extradition-treaty-with-the-united-states.html
Although Parliament is in recess for the next few weeks, work with my All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) continues. This week I held a virtual meeting of the APPG on War crimes.
This week Ministers have announced a new detailed plan to help tackle crime: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1006825/Crime-Plan-accessible-version_2.pdf
On Wednesday the Government announced our new National Disability Strategy – which includes 100 immediate commitments including improving the accessibility of homes, investing £300 million to support young people with special educational needs and disabilities in schools, piloting an online work passport to help smooth the transition into employment, and consulting on introducing disability workforce reporting for large businesses. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-disability-strategy/forewords-about-this-strategy-action-across-the-uk-executive-summary-acknowledgements
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has published proposals to trial automatic switching for customers on expensive default energy tariffs to provide easy access to cheaper deals. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-of-families-to-benefit-as-government-acts-to-drive-down-energy-bills
Thousands of families are to receive better support when adopting children through a new strategy to tackle the postcode lottery and break down barriers to creating permanent, stable and loving homes. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/families-across-england-to-receive-better-support-to-adopt
Opportunities and Events
The Production Exchange are working on the forthcoming Cinderella production at our Town Hall and are looking to cast members of the young ensemble. The team will be in the Royal Town on September 5 for auditions at the Town Hall: https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/theatre-and-comedy/2021/07/27/audition-call-ahead-of-sutton-coldfields-cinderella-pantomime/
Local designers, manufacturers and tradespeople are invited to enter a competition via a procurement process to supply bespoke presentation items for the 2022 Commonwealth Games– traditionally offered to Heads of State, dignitaries, representatives from sporting federations and businesses. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/916/design_competition_for_commonwealth_games_presentation_items_launched
Critical Mass is a creative, ambitious dance and movement project which is aiming to recruit up to 300 young people aged 16-30 from across the West Midlands to perform in some of our biggest cultural events of 2022 including the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games. https://criticalmass22.org.uk/
Some food businesses will be affected by forthcoming changes to the rules on how certain foods are labelled for allergens. On 1 October, the law on allergen labelling for foods prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) will change. Any food business selling PPDS foods will have to include full ingredients on the product label with allergenic ingredients emphasised within that list. A hub has been created to offer advice: http://food.gov.uk/business-guidance/introduction-to-allergen-labelling-changes-ppds and the Food Standards Agency will be hosting a Webinar on Wednesday: https://ppdsbusiness.fsaevents.co.uk/home
For those of us with green fingers or aspiring to be gardeners, the Government’s new campaign aimed at inspiring the nation to get planting is running all summer: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-urged-to-plant-for-our-planet-in-a-new-campaign-launched-today
AgeUK have updated their website with tips for older people feeling anxious following the easing of the restrictions https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/coronavirus/coronavirus-guidance/tips-for-looking-after-yourself-as-lockdown-restrictions-ease/
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