- Latest on elections
- Business grants
- G7 questions and answers
- Sign up for G7 updates
- COVID vaccinations
- Free COVID home test kits
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- Next steps out of lockdown
- Countryside Code
- Business support webinars
- Mental Health Awareness Week
- Important support
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Latest on elections
Voting for the Cornwall Council, town and parish councils, and the Devon and Cornwall Police Crime Commissioner 2021 elections closed at 10pm on 6 May.
Here’s an outline of what happens next:
Friday, 7 May
Counting for the unitary election takes place throughout the day at the three count centres: Carn Brea Leisure Centre, Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, and Truro Cathedral.
Saturday, 8 May
Town and parish elections for contested parishes will be counted throughout the day at the three count venues.
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.
Election results
he results for all three elections will be published on the Elections and referendums page on Cornwall Council’s website.
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Business grants
Businesses in Cornwall are to receive further grant payments to aid their recovery from COVID restrictions.
Additional Restrictions Grants
Cornwall Council has been allocated a further £4,427,419 by the Government to fund the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) Scheme and is in the process of making top-up payments to businesses that received 50 per cent of their claim earlier this year.
Businesses will now receive a total of 90 per cent of the maximum award or the amount they requested, whichever is the lower. For example, a business which could have received £10,000 and received £5,000, will now receive a further £4,000, taking its total grant to £9,000.
The £4.4million fund only allows the Council to make top-up payments to businesses that received money earlier this year – not to establish a new round of grants.
Restart Grants
Meanwhile, the vast majority of Cornish businesses eligible for the Government’s Restart Grant should have now received their payments.
The Restart Grant is a one-off grant to support eligible rate-paying businesses in reopening safely as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
£102million has so far been distributed to more than 13,500 businesses.
For more information on grants, see Cornwall Council’s Business rates and coronavirus web page.
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G7 questions and answers
On 28 April, Cornwall Council hosted a live event on Facebook about the G7 summit. The Council was joined by colleagues from Devon and Cornwall Police and the Cabinet Office to answer questions about the summit. If you missed the live event, you can watch a recording on Cornwall Council’s Facebook page.
There will be another Facebook live event for questions about the summit on Wednesday 12 May at 6pm. You’ll be able to watch it live on Cornwall Council’s Facebook page or catch up with a recording of the session afterwards.
You don’t need a Facebook account to watch the live event or the recordings.
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Sign up for G7 updates
Devon and Cornwall Police are encouraging residents and businesses in and around St Ives, Carbis Bay and Falmouth to sign up to the Devon and Cornwall Alert community messaging system for regular G7 updates and to find out what’s happening in their local area.
Devon and Cornwall Alert messages are sent out free of charge via email, voicemail or text message.
People can find out more and register for FREE at alerts.dc.police.uk.
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COVID vaccinations
If you’re aged 40 or over, or if you turn 40 before 1 July 2021, you can now book your COVID vaccine.
Every vaccination gives us hope. When it’s your turn, join the millions already vaccinated to protect yourself and others. Find out more about the COVID-19 vaccination on the NHS website.
Please share this information with people in your area via your social media channels.
Public Health England has also launched some new promotional posters and digital media with messages on May bank holiday, rule of six, keeping your distance and minimising travel and the COVID-19 vaccine that you can download and use if you wish.
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Free COVID home test kits
Please help to spread the word to people in your area that COVID home test kits are now available for everyone for free. Regular home testing can help provide reassurance for you and your family and help stop the spread of COVID-19 locally.
Visit Cornwall Council’s website to see how to get your test kit.
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Next steps out of lockdown
More restrictions are expected to be lifted from Monday 17 May in line with Step 3 of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown.
Here’s a summary of how the rules should change, as long as the four tests are met:
- People should be able to meet up with others indoors, but the Rule of Six or two households will apply.
- Domestic overnight stays should be allowed, as long as they follow the Rule of Six or two households. This means hotels, hostels, B&Bs and campsites with shared facilities could open.
- Up to 30 people should be able to meet outdoors.
- Indoor hospitality should reopen. Venues shouldn’t have to serve a substantial meal with alcoholic drinks, and there shouldn’t be a curfew.
- Indoor entertainment and attractions like cinemas and children’s play areas should be able to open, and indoor sports and exercise classes should restart.
- Up to 30 people should be able to attend weddings, receptions, wakes, bar mitzvahs and christenings.
- The legal limit on the number of mourners at funerals should be removed. Instead venues should determine how many people they can safely accommodate with social distancing.
- Some larger indoor and outdoor events should be allowed. The Government is carrying out pilots to see how this could work.
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Countryside Code
With more locals and visitors spending time outdoors, it’s important for us all to respect others, stay safe and protect our environment.
Please help raise awareness of the recently updated Countryside Code. You can download the Countryside Code leaflet and display it on your parish noticeboard and also share it on social media.
If you have any questions about the Countryside Code, you can contact Ross Durkin, Vice-Chair of Cornwall Countryside Access Forum, at rossdurkin@gmail.com.
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Business support 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 sessions will be:
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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Mental Health Awareness Week
People in Cornwall are being reminded of the positive impact the natural world can have on mental wellbeing as part of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May).
Nature is the theme of this year’s event, which is spearheaded by the national Mental Health Foundation charity and aims to encourage more people to connect with the outdoors.
It’s being supported locally by Cornwall Council’s Public Health Team, NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group and Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CFT), as well as other agencies and charities. All have a range of support and advice services that can help anyone who finds themselves struggling. You can find out more by visiting Cornwall Council’s Mental Health web page.
There are also Public Health England Every Mind Matters posters and social media materials you can download and use if you’d like to share tips on improving mental health with people in your area.
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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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