- Elections update
- Planning guidance on temporary campsites
- Serving food and drink in outdoor areas
- Support with COVID-19 legislation webinars
- Cornwall's case trackers lift lid on rule-breaking
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- Respect, protect and enjoy Cornwall
- Licenced premises fined £1,000 for COVID breaches
- G7 questions and answers
- A30 virtual visitors' centre
- The Big Ask
- Important support
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Elections update
Final preparations are underway for the 2021 elections.
On Thursday, 6 May, elections will be held for Cornwall Council, town and parish councils, and the Devon and Cornwall Police Crime Commissioner.
Here’s an outline of the key events and timings:
Thursday, 6 May
Voting concludes at 10pm and all ballots will be verified overnight.
Friday, 7 May
Counting for the unitary election will take place throughout the day at the three count centres: Carn Brea Leisure Centre, Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, and Truro Cathedral. The results will be published here when available.
Saturday, 8 May
Town and parish elections for contested parishes will be counted throughout the day at the three count venues. The results will be published on Cornwall Council’s website on Monday 10 May.
Monday, 10 May
The count for the Police and Crime Commissioner election will take place in Wadebridge throughout the day. The results will be provided to the administration leading the PCC in Exeter.
The results for the unitary election and all town and parish council elections will be published on Cornwall Council’s website by the end of the day.
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Planning guidance on temporary campsites
The Government has increased the permitted developments rights for temporary campsites for 2021 from 28 to 56 days. This means in most cases a planning application will not have to be submitted to carry out this temporary development.
Cornwall Council has prepared planning guidance on temporary campsites to help local councils manage any queries that they receive regarding temporary campsites.
There’s more information on Cornwall Council’s Impact of COVID-19 on planning enforcement web page.
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Serving food and drink in outside areas
Cornwall Council’s COVID Enforcement team has been working closely with businesses providing advice and support to help them operate safely, and in accordance with the current restrictions.
Under the current COVID restrictions, hospitality venues can serve customers food and drink in outside areas. However, the Government has set strict criteria regarding shelters at these premises as they reopen.
To comply with the current national regulations, shelters, such as gazebos, booths and marquees must not have sides that enclose more than 50% of the structure.
It’s important that everyone follows the lockdown roadmap and Cornwall Council is taking a consistent approach in monitoring and following up complaints, to make sure businesses are adhering to the Government’s criteria.
The latest Government advice and guidance for businesses reopening outside areas safely on the GOV.UK website.
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Support with COVID-19 legislation webinars
Cornwall Council’s Business Regulatory Support team is running more free support webinar on COVID rules and regulations for businesses, town and parish councils, and voluntary and community groups in May and June.
The next session will be at 11am on Wednesday 5 May and will cover trading safely and getting ready for Step 3. You can sign up on Eventbrite.
You can also catch up with recordings of previous webinars online.
If you have any questions that you want to put to the team prior to the webinar, please email them to businessadvice@cornwall.gov.uk.
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Cornwall's case trackers lift lid on rule-breaking
The vast majority of people contacted by Cornwall Council’s COVID-19 case tracking team claim they are abiding by the self-isolation rules during the pandemic.
But there have been some notable exceptions, including a group of colleagues holding a dinner party and a high-level professional caught nipping out for a walk.
Two members of the team have lifted the lid on some of the more astonishing discoveries made while contacting people who tested positive for coronavirus.
They hope that by sharing their experiences more people will understand and follow the rules.
Anyone who experiences any of the three main symptoms of COVID-19 – a new cough, fever or change in smell or taste – should visit the GOV.UK website or call 119. You must self-isolate for 10 days from the moment you experience symptoms. This means not leaving your home for any reason.
For more on the rules, available support and getting tested, visit Cornwall Council’s coronavirus web pages or the GOV.UK website.
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Respect, protect and enjoy Cornwall
Cornwall Council is urging residents and visitors to ‘Respect, protect and enjoy’ Cornwall as lockdown rules ease.
Everyone is being encouraged to enjoy Cornwall in a safe and responsible way, looking after themselves, one another, and the environment. That includes respecting those who work in shops and hospitality, who may need to remind people to protect other customers, staff and themselves by wearing a face covering, washing hands and maintaining social distancing.
Residents and visitors are also being urged to respect our communities and environment by not littering, by picking up after their dogs, and by avoiding crowded areas where it’s difficult to socially distance.
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Licensed premises fined £1,000 for COVID breaches
Cornwall Council has fined a licensed premises £1,000 after six people were caught drinking alcohol inside and ignoring social distancing rules.
When questioned by officers from Devon and Cornwall Police, who attended the premises, the men said they had been carrying out some maintenance work and had been disposing of out of date alcohol in preparation for reopening.
However, the group decided to consume the alcohol rather than throwing it away, therefore breaching COVID regulations.
The incident occurred on 9 April. Under the restrictions in force at the time, licensed premises were closed and could not allow individuals to consume alcohol on the premises.
After liaising with the police, Cornwall Council issued the business a fixed penalty notice which carries a £1,000 fine. The business has 14 days to appeal the notice.
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G7 questions and answers
Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Council, the Cabinet Office and Great Western Railway were part of a Facebook live event answering G7 summit related questions last week.
If you missed the session, you can still catch up with a recording of the event.
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A30 virtual visitors' centre
There’s a new way to find out what’s happening with the construction of the new dual carriageway on the A30 between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross with a virtual visitors’ centre and a live chatbot.
With Highways England’s virtual visitors’ centre, you can:
- See what the new road will look like when it’s finished.
- Find out what’s happening next, including details of any changes to the existing road layouts.
- Learn about what’s being done to protect and enhance the local environment, both during construction and afterwards.
- Talk to the project team from 21-28 April between 1pm and 5.30pm, via the live chatbot feature and ask any questions you may have. Outside these times you can reach the project team by emailing A30ChivertontoCarlandCross@highwaysengland.co.uk.
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The Big Ask
Please tell people in your area about The Big Ask survey, which is asking children across England to set out their priorities for improving childhood post-COVID,
The survey results will help the Children’s Commissioner identify the barriers preventing children from reaching their potential, put forward solutions and set ambitious goals for the country to achieve.
Anyone who works with children or young people will find lots of resources to help encourage them to take part in the survey on the Children’s Commissioner website, along with more information about The Big Ask.
The survey closes on 19 May.
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Important support
For vaccine questions, please email nhskernowccg.ciosc19vaccine@nhs.net or visit the NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group’s website.
Please send all other coronavirus related enquiries or issues to Cornwall Council’s dedicated email address covid19@cornwall.gov.uk. Residents can also ring 0300 1231 118 for any COVID-19 related queries.
You can see the latest COVID-19 data for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Cornwall Council’s website.
Cornwall Council has a dedicated telephone line 0300 1234 334 specifically for residents who are in the clinically extremely vulnerable group.
Find out more about Cornwall Association of Local Councils at www.cornwallalc.org.uk or email enquiries@cornwallalc.org.uk.
Anyone who needs help can request a volunteer by ringing Volunteer Cornwall on 01872 266988 or emailing requestforhelp@volunteercornwall.org.uk.
Community volunteers can register with Volunteer Cornwall on their website or by emailing mid@volunteercornwall.org.uk. Volunteer Cornwall will match people who ring up needing help with the community volunteers in their local area – or, if they have more complex needs, with specialist services.
Support for those living with domestic abuse is available from Safer Futures. People can make a referral online, email saferfutures@firstlight.org.uk or ring 0300 777 4777. There is also refuge and support via the Cornwall Refuge Trust website and their 24 hour helpline 01872 225629.
There’s information about support for those facing hardship or redundancy, including help with food, benefits and council tax, on the Do you need a helping hand? page on Cornwall Council’s website.
Find out more about the support available for businesses here: Support for businesses and Growth Hub.
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