Just in case you have missed the latest news:

Spelthorne, and the rest of Surrey as well as London, will be placed into Tier 2, once the national restrictions come to an end on 2 December.

Until Wednesday 2 December, you must:

1. stay at home, except for specific purposes.
2. avoid meeting people you do not live with, except for specific purposes.
3. certain businesses and venues must close.

After the restrictions come to an end, the new rules for Spelthorne will be:

• no mixing of households indoors, apart from support bubbles and a maximum of six outdoors
• bars and pubs must close, unless operating as restaurants. Alcohol can only be served with substantial meals. Last orders at 10pm and must be closed by 11pm
• retail can be open
• entertainment centres, e.g, cinemas, can be open
• personal care, e.g. hairdressers can be open
• we should reduce the number of journeys where possible and avoid travel to tier 3 areas
• overnight stays are permitted with a household or support bubble
• hotels can be open
• if we can work from home, we should do so
• schools, colleges, universities can remain open as well as registered childcare
• we can attend places of worship but cannot interact with anyone outside our household or support bubble
• 15 people can attend weddings, civil partnerships, wedding receptions and wakes; 30 for funerals
• classes and organised adult sport can take place outdoors, but not indoors if there is any interaction with people from different households Organised activities for elite athletes, under-18s and disabled people can continue.
• indoor leisure centres are open

Would you like to become a local Covid Champion? If so, see previous story below.

What is a Covid Champion?

A Covid Champion is a local volunteer who will help residents to stay up to date with the latest advice about COVID-19 to provide a consistency of message to all Spelthorne residents.

Champions will be the first to receive the latest updates and guidance about how to stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic and share the information with families, friends, communities, and workplaces. Champions will help people in Spelthorne to get clear and trustworthy information on how to stay safe and reduce the risk of getting and spreading the infection.

Champions will become part of the Spelthorne Covid Champion Network, providing the opportunity to share issues and ideas with one another and with the council, so we can all listen and adjust to help people stay as safe as possible. Being a Champion is a great way to make a positive impact on your community.

Who are we looking for?

Spelthorne Borough Council are looking to add to our Covid champions network, particularly from community leaders, residents' association members and faith group leaders. We are particularly keen to recruit people who are in direct contact with residents who are in the highest risk groups from COVID-19. This includes older adults, BAME residents and residents living in areas of deprivation.

To enquire further please email; covidchampions@spelthorne.gov.uk

Download the  Covid Champions Weekly Briefing [355.5KB]

Further to the article posted on this site on 10th November....

Proposals for the algorithm used to calculate how many homes should be built in each area will be revised following a political backlash, the government has confirmed #UKhousing
In August, ministers launched a consultation on a new suggested formula for its “standard method” for working out housing need across local authorities.

At the same time, white paper proposals set out the government's long-term ambition to make these figures a binding housebuilding target for councils as part of sweeping reforms to the planning system.

Some senior Conservative MPs slammed the plans, including former prime minister Theresa May, who branded them "mechanistic" and "ill-conceived".

Ms May and others claimed that the new formula would place greater emphasis on development in London and the South East, putting pressure on these regions and undermining ministers’ vision of “levelling up” the Midlands and the North.

Local Government Association analysis found it would mean a 161% rise in housing delivery in the capital and a 66% decrease in Newcastle.

Reports emerged over last weekend claiming that the government will revise its plans for the new algorithm following the revolt.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has now confirmed  that the reports are accurate and that it will seek to “rebalance” the formula.

It is expected that the revised formula will shift more weight to development in the Midlands and the North, as well as urban areas where demand for office and retail space has dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick told the House of Commons on Monday: “We are seeing the most substantial change to our city centres and town centres since the Second World War, and that does give us pause for reflection.

“We now need to consider what the opportunities will be for the repurposing of offices as residential and for turning retail into mixed use, and that will, I think, lead us to a different approach to distributing housing numbers across the country.”

Mr Jenrick added that he will make a statement on the revised plans “in the weeks ahead”.
The government has a target to build 300,000 homes a year in England by the mid-2020s.

In 2018/19, the last year for which there are robust figures, around 241,000 homes were delivered following significant increases over the previous three years.

However, development has dropped significantly since the onset of the coronavirus crisis.

The following notice has been published by Sunbury Health Centre:

While we don’t expect a COVID-19 vaccine to be widely available until 2021, the Government has asked the NHS to be ready to deliver a vaccination programme for England from December, so that those who need it most will be able to access vaccinations as soon as they are available.

A prioritisation list has been produced in order for the vaccine to be delivered to groups who will need it first. The NHS will contact you when you are eligible to receive the vaccine and provide you with information about location and date.

Given the current requirements for social distancing, and the number of people who need to be vaccinated, you may be asked to attend a vaccination site. This may be your GP surgery or another location, such as another NHS building or designated vaccination site.

Where will people be vaccinated?

The NHS has well-established routes for delivering vaccinations across the country, for example the annual flu jab and routine immunisations for children and pregnant women, and plans for COVID-19 vaccination will build on these.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have recently published updated advice on the priority groups to receive COVID-19 vaccine, advising that vaccines should first be given to care home residents and staff, followed by people aged over 80 and health and social care workers, before being rolled out to the rest of the population in order of age and risk.

As we are expecting the JCVI advice will remain that care home residents and staff and older people will be among the first who should receive it, the NHS will establish roving vaccine delivery services in people’s homes or care homes, working with local councils and social care providers.

When eligibility is extended to wider groups, given the current requirements for social distancing and the number of people covered, this will be supplemented by specific ‘mass’ COVID-19 vaccination sites, which could be within existing NHS estates or temporary standalone services.

What are the priority groups?

Older adults’ resident in a care home and care home workers
All those 80 years of age and over and health and social care workers
All those 75 years of age and over
All those 70 years of age and over
All those 65 years of age and over
High-risk adults under 65 years of age
Moderate-risk adults under 65 years of age
All those 60 years of age and over
All those 55 years of age and over
All those 50 years of age and over
Rest of the population (priority to be determined)

How will I know when I will be able to get vaccinated?

For most patients they will receive a letter – either from their GP, the national service, or both – including details of how to book their appointments and options for where they can be vaccinated.

When will I be able to receive the vaccine?

While there are a number of different vaccines being developed and trialed, we don’t yet know which will be approved for use or when this might happen for each.
A vaccine will not be approved and licensed until it is proven to be safe and effective.

While we don’t expect a COVID-19 vaccine to be widely available until 2021, the NHS is making preparations now so that we are ready as soon as a vaccine is approved and becomes available.

Spelthorne Borough Council has called for a review of the activities at Surrey County Council’s Eco Park in Shepperton following a rise in concerns from residents.

The Chair of Spelthorne’s Overview & Scrutiny Meeting has agreed to hold an Extraordinary meeting to discuss the mounting number of complaints from residents worried about unacceptable noise levels and air pollution from the Eco Park.

The Council has said that it takes the matter extremely seriously and is keen to hear about the problems that residents have been experiencing and to thoroughly explore the issues. The meeting will hear from residents, Spelthorne Council’s Environmental Health team, Surrey County Council and operators of the site.

Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Community Wellbeing, Cllr Maureen Attewell, said: “The number of complaints we have received recently about Surrey Eco Park is very worrying and we want to formerly look into the matter so we can get a good understanding of what problems the site may be causing residents and draw up plans to address them in conjunction with Surrey County Council.”

The meeting date will be published soon on the Council’s website and social media channels.

Residents can sign up for air pollution warnings by visiting https://airalert.info/Splash.aspx

Spelthorne Council has announced that it intends to revise the housing needs figure for its new Local Plan, following heavy criticism of the Government's formula for calculating the number of new homes needed in local authorities.

Spelthorne Council wrote to the Secretary of State for Homes, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, in November 2019 and met with senior officials to express deep concerns over the very high number of homes needed for the Local Plan and the impact on communities and Green Belt.

The decision to use a lower figure has come from a recent Government consultation that proposes a revised method for calculating housing need that would see Spelthorne's need figure reduced from 606 homes per year to 489. Whilst there are no guarantees that this new methodology will be adopted once the Government has concluded the consultation, it represents the most likely figure at this stage and enables further work to continue on the Local Plan rather than waiting months for a decision to be made.

The lower figure means that many of the sites proposed to be allocated for housing will no longer be needed and the Council will be considering which to take out. Following its own consultation on 'Preferred Options' for the Local Plan that took place between November 2019 and January 2020, it is clear that residents have significant concerns over the amount of housing needed , the need for infrastructure to support this growth, and the development of Green Belt sites. By using the lower figure, it is hoped that we can deliver the best Local Plan for residents that still meets our pressing need for homes, affordable housing, employment sites and the infrastructure to support them. There will be a further public consultation on the Local Plan before it is submitted for examination by an independent inspector.

Deputy Leader of the Council and Chair of the Local Plan Task Group, Cllr Jim McIlroy, said: "This is great news for Spelthorne. We promised residents we will not only listen to their views on the Local Plan but also act upon their feedback. The Task Group working on this is made up of councillors from every single ward in the Borough and shows true cross-party engagement. We have been pushing for our housing number to come down and we finally have a clear signal from the Government that we won't be facing the massive scale of development that would change the face of Spelthorne forever."

The following email has been received from a Shepperton resident who makes a strong case for objecting to the Footpath Temporary Diversion Order at Watersplash Farm. His observations are particularly relevant in the light of the current pandemic and the protection of amenity for walkers. It should be noted that time is short as objections must be submitted on or before this coming Friday, 13th November:

2. If many letters of objection are received then a public enquiry may be required.
3. If there is significant public objection the inspectorate may not grant the application to divert the footpath, in which case there would need to be at the very least a significant delay and reworking to the gravel extraction plans to allow public access along the existing route, possibly even a complete re-submission of the extraction plans.
4. Even the possible abandonment of the gravel extraction plan if the changes prove too costly or impractical.

"The diverted path will travel adjacent to the main gravel extraction processing plant which to quote SCC’s own neighbour information note consists of: “A crusher house (5m wide,10m wide, 12m high); a washing and primary grading (screening) house ... In the open within the processing plant site would be conveyors, sand tower infrastructure and mineral stockpiles.

neighbouring houses there will be significant light pollution and no darkness in the area. Generally not in keeping with a public open space.

The following is an appeal to our Association from the Chairman of the RAC and we are pleased to circulate it here. The RAC is a valuable community asset and we should do all we can to ensure it remains viable into the future.

"COVID-19 is on track to cost the Riverside Arts Centre over £20,000 by the end of 2020. Although trying to reduce all expenditure whilst closed, it's impossible to remove all maintenance, insurance, and running costs.
Run entirely by volunteers, the RAC typically runs just over costs so that it can provide a space for the arts and the community without breaking the bank. Any 'profit' is reinvested in its facilities to make it even better for our community. This year has caused us to break considerably into our reserves.

"Consequently I have launched a “gofundme page“ HERE

"Please distribute this message as widely as possible by whatever means, as any donation will help make an impact in keeping Riverside running in the way we've been used to and allow us to continue to serve our community.

"Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us."

James Ford Bannister
Chairman
Riverside Arts Centre

Dave O’Higgins’ tenor and soprano sax sounds are highly personal and recognisable, with a clear sense of melodic development and adventure.

A popular performer with the public, with an excellent sense of pacing and presentation, he has a wide palette from Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Joe Henderson through to Stanley Turrentine and Michael Brecker. He has relentlessly pursued artistic and sonic exploration and development with a deep respect for the tradition of the music.

Dave has worked with some of the world’s finest musicans, including: Joey Calderazzo, Joe Locke, Dave Kikowski, Eric Alexander, Grant Stewart, Max Ionata, Phil Dwyer, Adam Nussbaum, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Jimmy Smith, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Kurt Elling, Wayne Shorter, Eddie Gomez, Billy Childs, Abdullah Ibrahim, Chico Chagas, Stephane Grappelli, Michel Legrand. He has released 20 CDs as leader to date. He also wrote and produced the last Matt Bianco album, “Gravity”.

Also on his CV: Frank Sinatra (the last London appearance - a week at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992) and a tour and album with Ray Charles (Strong Love Affair).

For full details of venue, times and personnel, click here to view the poster

LOSRA received the following information from Surrey Trading Standards:

Are you looking for a reputable trader? Traders4u.co.uk offers a list of local businesses who have each given a commitment to trading fairly. Each business has been vetted by Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards before being approved as a member of the scheme.

From roofers to range cookers, Traders4u is open to any type of business. Our aim is to help you to choose who you do business with by helping you to find reputable local businesses before parting with your money. The scheme forms one element of our strategy to reduce the number of local residents who are scammed or targeted by rogue traders. We hope that by supporting businesses who are committed to providing great customer service and operating legally, we will help to reduce the business opportunities for less reputable traders.

Top tips to avoid getting tricked out of your money:

• Be sceptical, don't be afraid to hang up, bin it, delete it or shut the door

• Take your time, don't be rushed

• Know who you're dealing with, if you need help talk to someone you know or get in touch with trading standards

• If you are online, be aware of fake news and use trusted sources such as gov.uk or NHS.uk

• Be aware of advice online - only seek medical advice from qualified doctors

• Protect your financial information, especially from people you don't know and particularly in light of the recent government announcement

• Do NOT give money, your bank card or PIN to a stranger

• Never engage with someone or let anyone you're not expecting or don't recognise, into your home, unless you are able to verify their authenticity and who they are.

Now, more than ever, it's important to protect ourselves and others against scams, be aware, know who to trust and remember that not everyone out there is trustworthy.

To find a local business that has been vetted, please see https://trusted.traders4u.co.uk/find-a-business