Covid 19 & Vaccinations
An additional 338 cases of Covid 19 have been registered in Sutton Coldfield for the week of 25th September- 1st October compared to an updated figure of 321 for the week of 18th - 24th September based on data from Birmingham City Council’s public health division.
In the 7 days up to 1st October, there were 2,716 cases in Birmingham (equivalent to a case rate of 237.9 cases/100k population), a decrease compared to 2,925 cases (equivalent to 256.2/100k population) in the previous week.
Over the 7 days leading up to 1st October of 24,742 PCR pillar 2 tests 2,480 (10.0%) were positive in Birmingham, lower than the rates for the West Midlands region and England as a whole.
Birmingham is 12th in the region for pillar 2 PCR tests. 46,819 LFD pillar 2 tests were also carried out.
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 for those aged 16 and over. Please check the latest availability via: www.birminghamandsolihullcovidvaccine.nhs.uk/walk-in over 16s can also continue to book in advance online as normal including bringing forward your second dose if your appointment is more than 8 weeks from your first vaccine: www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination.
From 11th October, the international travel red list will reduce to 7 countries and proof of vaccination will be recognised from 37 new countries and territories. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/travel-update-47-countries-and-territories-removed-from-red-list
Royal Sutton Coldfield updates
Today the Leader of our Town Council Simon Ward and I have had several meetings about local planning and our town redevelopment plans, including with M&G Real Estate who currently own and manage the Gracechurch Centre and Bordeaux estates who are redeveloping Central Place.
I also met Henrietta Brealey, Chief Executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and Mike Bushell the Sutton Coldfield Town Centre BID Manager.
The Care Quality Commission has rated University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust as “requires improvement” following an inspection in June which identified concerns about the safety and responsiveness of services. The inspection covered urgent and emergency care at Good Hope, Heartlands and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It also assessed medical care at Good Hope, surgery at Queen Elizabeth and the trust’s cancer services. At the time of the inspection, the emergency department at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital was under significant pressure, with extremely high numbers of patients attending. Inspectors found patients waiting to be seen in the department were not always monitored effectively, and safety checks on equipment were not always completed. Following the inspection, the trust’s overall rating moves from “good” to “requires improvement” and its rating for being well-led moves from “outstanding” to “good”. The trust’s ratings for whether care was safe and responsive to people’s needs move from “good” to “requires improvement”. It remains rated “good” for whether its services are effective and caring.
Prof David Rosser, the Chief Executive of the Trust has confirmed that work to transform and support their emergency departments is already underway, with a dedicated project team tasked with implementing initiatives to improve access and timeliness of treatment for patients. They are also investing in patient bed capacity across all their hospital sites and looking at embracing further digital solutions, to support emergency and urgent pathways and provide a better interface between regional health providers.
Better news locally from Dr Rahul Dubb and the Town Hall vaccination team led by Sutton Coldfield Group Practice. They are running their most ambitious Covid and flu vaccination programme yet from the Town Hall, with boosters and flu vaccinations offered at the same time where appropriate and subject to local supply. It is important to note that appointments must be prebooked and eligible patients will be offered slots through their own surgery. I popped over to the Town Hall at lunch today and saw the 100,000th jab completed by the team- quite a remarkable achievement! A huge thank you to the drs, practice team, volunteers, town hall staff and our town council for all their support ensuring that we have met such a significant milestone.
This afternoon I visited our Cottage Hospital and met Richard Kirby, the Chief Executive of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to discuss the redevelopment of the hospital which has been delayed as a result of the pandemic.
The Wyndley Leisure Centre improvement works are underway with the first stage commencing this week and lasting until late December. The second phase is expected to commence in April and complete in early May. During the construction works, there will be a requirement to temporarily close the hockey and football pitches and athletics track for set periods of time. The pitches will be likely to remain closed between October and late December, and the track between April and early May. A planning application is also being submitted to Birmingham City Council to seek approval to upgrade the existing floodlighting for the hockey and football pitches.
Birmingham City Council’s appointed EV Charge Point Network Development Partner ESB Energy will commence work on Electric Vehicle Charge Points at Manor Road, Sutton Trinity from Monday. Work will take place from Monday – Friday between 8am and 6pm and should conclude by 6pm on October 26th. The project involves the installation of a new Electric Vehicle Rapid Charging bay, the repositioning and remarking of the existing limited waiting bay, and the upgrading and repositioning of the existing Electric Vehicle Fast Charging bays.
The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded £9,686 to local community group the Square Peg Foundation CIC which is based in the Royal Town. The funding will be used to deliver a support and advice service for parents who have children living with disabilities. The project aims to advocate for parents’ needs in a supportive environment.
Westminster news and Parliamentary business
I spent last weekend and the first part of this week in Manchester for the Conservative Party conference. Highlights for me included speaking at a number of events including a BrightBlue session chaired by the brilliant Ayesha Hazarika, a STOPAIDS and Malaria No More reception, an event with Conservative Friends of International Development, and speaking at a fringe with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax. I also had a chance to visit the Mines Advisory Group’s Manchester office.
During the conference I visited the main hall and spoke to a number of charities including the British Heart Foundation, Marie Curie, Cancer Research UK and Guide Dogs. I enjoyed meeting so many third sector organisations and to be back at a bustling party conference once again.
On Monday evening I joined Iain Dale for his LBC Cross Question show which you can watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2i-ImJBgS4 we discussed a range of issues including the murder of Sarah Everard. Birmingham Live has also covered my calls for a full public inquiry into the Metropolitan Police: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/mp-andrew-mitchell-calls-public-21753747
To mark World Alzheimer’s Month I recently joined the Alzheimer’s Research UK team in Parliament to show my support for funding dementia research. In the UK nearly 1 million people are living with dementia, and it is vital that we increase investment in dementia research. I know how important this issue is for many across our Royal Town.
The Government has launched a landmark review of leadership in the NHS and social care to help drive efficiency and innovation so that everyone can access the world-class care they deserve. The most far-reaching review of health and care leadership in 40 years will be led by retired Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger.
On Monday the Government announced a £500 million expansion to our Plan for Jobs. Over a year ago we launched our Plan For Jobs – an ambitious plan to help people back into work, earn more and gain the right skills to succeed as we recover from the pandemic. Unemployment has fallen for seven consecutive months, we are forecasted to have the fastest growth in the G7 and job vacancies are at record highs – but there is more to do and that is why Ministers have outlined plans to extend many of the schemes in our Plan for Jobs including the Kickstart scheme, the JETS scheme and our Youth Offer as well as introducing new measures to help as many people as possible as our economic recovery continues.
On Wednesday the Prime Minister announced that teachers in the early years of their careers will be able to get a salary boost of up to £3,000 tax-free to teach maths, physics, chemistry and computing to help support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects in the schools and areas that need them most. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/salary-boosts-for-new-maths-science-and-computing-teachers
This Kinship Care Week I would like to send thanks to all the grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends who have stepped in to raise children who can’t live at home. Kinship carers do an amazing job. The charity Family Rights Group,runs a free, independent and confidential advice service which is a valuable resource for families – parents and kinship carers - when they are involved with children’s services or need their help. https://frg.org.uk/get-help-and-advice/
Opportunities and Events
The Autumn Exhibition of the Sutton Coldfield Society of Artists will take place in the Crush Hall at the Town Hall from 9am – 5pm from Saturday 23rd October until Sunday 31st October (closing at 4.00pm on the last day). This will be their first “live” exhibition since the lockdown restrictions were first introduced last year.
Midlands based construction company, RMF Group has launched a monthly Jobs Club, in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority to engage local communities and share various training and career opportunities within the construction sector. The first club meeting was held yesterday but there will be another one on 4th November: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-midlands-combined-jobs-club-4-november-tickets-175445210347?aff=erelpanelorg
October is Black History Month, a whole programme of events is taking place across Birmingham: https://birminghamblackhistorymonth.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BHM_2021_BROCHURE_press_compressed.pdf
The West Midlands Combined Authority Business Basics First small business mentoring programme is offering a series of free workshops for Black and Ethnic Minority SME businesses in the West Midlands, from 19th October to 7th December. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/small-business-mentoring-programme-tickets-168716821555
Studio You, a free Netflix-style PE resource for teachers, has been launched to inspire teenage girls to get active through fun PE lesson experiences. The video-on-demand platform, funded by Sport England, focuses on girls’ enjoyment during PE, instead of competition. It’s powered by This Girl Can, Sport England’s campaign to help women and girls be active. https://www.studio-you.co.uk/
Vodafone UK and Barnardo’s have issued a new plea to the public and businesses across the UK to donate unwanted smartphones and tablets to ‘The Great British Tech Appeal’ to help refugees arriving from Afghanistan. Vodafone will add six months’ free data, calls and texts and work with Barnardo’s to get devices to Afghan young people and their families who’ve recently arrived in the UK. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/help-and-information/tech-appeal
Given the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council’s prioritisation of “Sutton in Bloom” and the priority on brightening up our local environment and sup
The Government has launched a landmark review of leadership in the NHS and social care to help drive efficiency and innovation so that everyone can access the world-class care they deserve. The most far-reaching review of health and care leadership in 40 years will be led by retired Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger.
On Monday the Government announced a £500 million expansion to our Plan for Jobs. Over a year ago we launched our Plan For Jobs – an ambitious plan to help people back into work, earn more and gain the right skills to succeed as we recover from the pandemic. Unemployment has fallen for seven consecutive months, we are forecasted to have the fastest growth in the G7 and job vacancies are at record highs – but there is more to do and that is why Ministers have outlined plans to extend many of the schemes in our Plan for Jobs including the Kickstart scheme, the JETS scheme and our Youth Offer as well as introducing new measures to help as many people as possible as our economic recovery continues.
On Wednesday the Prime Minister announced that teachers in the early years of their careers will be able to get a salary boost of up to £3,000 tax-free to teach maths, physics, chemistry and computing to help support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects in the schools and areas that need them most. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/salary-boosts-for-new-maths-science-and-computing-teachers
This Kinship Care Week I would like to send thanks to all the grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends who have stepped in to raise children who can’t live at home. Kinship carers do an amazing job. The charity Family Rights Group,runs a free, independent and confidential advice service which is a valuable resource for families – parents and kinship carers - when they are involved with children’s services or need their help. https://frg.org.uk/get-help-and-advice/
Opportunities and Events
The Autumn Exhibition of the Sutton Coldfield Society of Artists will take place in the Crush Hall at the Town Hall from 9am – 5pm from Saturday 23rd October until Sunday 31st October (closing at 4.00pm on the last day). This will be their first “live” exhibition since the lockdown restrictions were first introduced last year.
Midlands based construction company, RMF Group has launched a monthly Jobs Club, in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority to engage local communities and share various training and career opportunities within the construction sector. The first club meeting was held yesterday but there will be another one on 4th November: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-midlands-combined-jobs-club-4-november-tickets-175445210347?aff=erelpanelorg
October is Black History Month, a whole programme of events is taking place across Birmingham: https://birminghamblackhistorymonth.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BHM_2021_BROCHURE_press_compressed.pdf
The West Midlands Combined Authority Business Basics First small business mentoring programme is offering a series of free workshops for Black and Ethnic Minority SME businesses in the West Midlands, from 19th October to 7th December. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/small-business-mentoring-programme-tickets-168716821555
Studio You, a free Netflix-style PE resource for teachers, has been launched to inspire teenage girls to get active through fun PE lesson experiences. The video-on-demand platform, funded by Sport England, focuses on girls’ enjoyment during PE, instead of competition. It’s powered by This Girl Can, Sport England’s campaign to help women and girls be active. https://www.studio-you.co.uk/
Vodafone UK and Barnardo’s have issued a new plea to the public and businesses across the UK to donate unwanted smartphones and tablets to ‘The Great British Tech Appeal’ to help refugees arriving from Afghanistan. Vodafone will add six months’ free data, calls and texts and work with Barnardo’s to get devices to Afghan young people and their families who’ve recently arrived in the UK. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/help-and-information/tech-appeal
Given the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council’s prioritisation of “Sutton in Bloom” and the priority on brightening up our local environment and supporting the Town’s allotments, if you work with plants or have an interest in gardening and allotmenteering then the Great British Garden Festival could be of interest https://greatbritishgardenfestival.org.uk/
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As your MP I am here to help. If you feel I can assist with any concerns, please do not hesitate to get in contact by emailing me on andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk
My weekly updates are available via email: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/bhE9MGy/AndrewMitchellNewsletter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewmitchellmp and my website: https://www.andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk/news. Please feel free to share with anyone who might like to receive a copy.
porting the Town’s allotments, if you work with plants or have an interest in gardening and allotmenteering then the Great British Garden Festival could be of interest https://greatbritishgardenfestival.org.uk/
--
As your MP I am here to help. If you feel I can assist with any concerns, please do not hesitate to get in contact by emailing me on andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk
My weekly updates are available via email: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/bhE9MGy/AndrewMitchellNewsletter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewmitchellmp and my website: https://www.andrew-mitchell-mp.co.uk/news. Please feel free to share with anyone who might like to receive a copy.