Dear members
This week’s surge in local covid cases is a serious cause for concern. Alarmingly, case numbers in our area have more than doubled from 61.9 to 142.6 cases per 100,000 people, which now puts our infection levels above the average for all English regions.
Rest assured though, our hospital admissions have remained steady and not only is the situation being carefully monitored, but prompt action is being taken to contain this surge. Once hotspot areas are identified, in a matter of hours mobile testing units are being deployed and home testing kits distributed.
We do however all need to remain vigilant, so let’s not drop our guard and keep-up the safe practices that we know work. Taking the time to have a regular test is a great way of us to get local infection levels back under control. Please take advantage of the free testing options available; by home delivery, at a local test centre or collection from a participating pharmacy.
Getting vaccinated is now the best way of preventing the risk of serious illness and hospital admission. Drop-in vaccination centres are being set-up, making it as easy as possible for everyone to get their first jab. Overall, our vaccination rates remain high, and great work is being done to encourage every adult to now come forward. Walk-in clinics are operating this weekend, so if you’ve not yet been vaccinated and you’d like to be, then it couldn’t be easier to just turn-up and get the vital protection you need to stay safe.
Progress with the local Recovery Plan continues this week at:
- Leamington Spa Old Town, where ambitious regeneration plans for the Creative Quarter took a giant leap forward, with planning approval granted for the conversion of landmark buildings in and around Spencer Yard. Work will start later this year to transform the Grade II listed United Reformed Church, the former Nursery and Dole Office into exciting and vibrant new workspaces for our digital and creative sectors.
- Town Centres, where colleagues in the Projects and Economic Development team have been supporting these businesses by administering the government’s ‘Welcome Back Fund’. The recent installation of public realm changes will make our town visits safer as we learn to live with covid, while also providing more attractive and welcoming spaces for us all to enjoy.
- Heathcote, where construction is beginning on the new local centre, to provide not only a convenience store and essential ‘chippy’, but also a dentist, children’s nursery and care home. The new hub will be a place for the Heathcote community to come together, creating much-needed new jobs and vital local services. What’s even better is that the centre has been carefully designed to encourage sustainable access, with good provision for cyclists and pedestrians alike.
We’re delighted that EcoFest 2021 is set to return to our beautiful Pump Room Gardens. Celebrating everything ‘Eco’, this must attend festival is worthy of a diary entry for Saturday 4 September, offering a scintillating array of taster sessions, fun activities, as well as a delicious choice of local, sustainable food plus a variety of musical entertainment, live from our refurbished bandstand.
And finally, we hope you’ve found our Weekly Updates of interest and helpful as we’ve navigated the pandemic together. With lockdown measures hopefully coming to end on 19 July, we felt it would be a good moment to seek your views on whether we should continue. We’d be very grateful for a few minutes of your time responding to our brief survey, here.
Keep smiling and stay safe.
Andrew Day
Leader
