Neighbourhood Watch, Summer Burglary Prevention Advice

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We know that the lockdown means lots of people are holidaying at home this year.

Hopefully the weather will be great and you can enjoy barbeques, bike rides, day trips, picnics and even a dip in the paddling pool.

We have a few tips for you to prevent burglary so please take a moment to read them. We don’t want anything to ruin your staycation!
One third of burglars enter houses by open windows and doors so if you are in the back garden, lock the windows and doors at the front of the house.

  • Remember to lock all windows and doors before going out for a day trip
  • If you’re lucky enough to be going away somewhere – ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your house, cancel any regular deliveries and lock up before you leave.
  • If you’re gardening don’t forget to padlock your shed after use, many burglars look in sheds for items to help them break into houses.
  • If you have a few spare minutes tour our virtual crime scene for extra help and advice

Have a great holiday at home!

Latest Message from Solihull Council’s leader

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Stay alert, control the virus, save lives – and keep social distancing

The next few days will see yet more steps on our road to recovery. Tentative they may be, but we are gradually unravelling the lockdown in a managed way, bringing more shops and businesses back to life.  I hope the weekend shows we can get back to eating and drinking in our bars and restaurants in a safe and responsible manner.

4 July is already being called ‘Super Saturday’ in the media, but, please, please, it’s not an excuse for a return to a ‘traditional’ Saturday night out. As Leicester has shown, we still need to be cautious and alert to the virus.  People will have to manage their expectations.  Our pubs and restaurants will not be as we knew them.

While many of us are enjoying more freedoms, those that are shielding, because of their medical condition, are still being encouraged to stay at home.

For now, the guidance remains the same – stay at home and only go outside to exercise or to spend time outdoors with a member of your household, or with one other person from another household if you live alone.   The guidance will change from Monday 6 July and you will be able to meet in groups of up to six people from outside your household, outdoors with social distancing.

Alongside all this, we will continue to make wellbeing calls, check on people and make sure they’re getting medicine deliveries.  The government will continue to provide free food and household essentials boxes until the end of July.

Full national and local information can be found here.

I’ve mentioned before that we wanted you to return your library books and now you can start ordering new ones.  From Monday 6 July, staff from Solihull Library Service will start issuing books through a new ‘Click and Collect’ scheme at The Core.  Forms are available online for people to select books that they can then collect from Monday onwards.

A similar scheme will be available at Chelmsley Wood Library and Shirley Library from 20 July onwards. You can select books to collect from these libraries from Monday 13 July.

The service will be available in 30 minutes slots with users submitting requests for books via an online booking system on the Library Service web pages. Anyone who can’t use the online form can place an order by phoning 0121 704 8001. The Home Library Service will also restart on 6 July.  Further details can be found here.

Something else that I’m sure parents will welcome is the re-opening of our playgrounds and outdoor gym equipment from Monday 6 July.  We will be following the national guidance and currently staff are inspecting all equipment to ensure it is safe and clean.

I expect there will be lots of very excited children who have been waiting patiently for months, but please remember to observe social distancing when using them. We will be asking you to use hand sanitiser before using the equipment, not to eat food in the play areas, to use the bins proved and if possible wipe equipment down after use. Aside from being unsightly and unpleasant for other users, rubbish can spread the virus.

#ThankYouTogether On Sunday 5 July at 5pm we can all take part in the biggest, loudest and final clap for carers and key workers.

Afterwards, people will be encouraged to stay outside to show their thanks/appreciation to their neighbours or reach out to someone who is lonely, isolated or shielding, to let them know they are supported.  On the evening of the 4 July, you can also put a light in your window (if using candles please be careful!) in a moment of remembrance.  This was suggested by together, a new coalition that aims to build a kinder, closer and more connected society in the aftermath of Covid-19.

As we take steps on the road to recovery, let’s not forget those that have helped us through the lockdown.

And on the same theme, my thanks to the parks team, who have created a floral tribute and “thank you” to keyworkers in Malvern Park.  It links to our Rainbow of Hope (Malvern Gates) and Tree of Hope competition the Love Solihull team have been running.

The ‘Positivity Rocks’ were started by the St Alphege School Federation, although people from across the borough joined in with some from Wythall and Balsall Common as well, and have been placed around the rainbow for everyone to see and enjoy.

When they were installed passers-by commented that they had brought a smile to their faces during lockdown and that it was lovely to see the artistic talents of local children.

I know Malvern Park, and all of our parks and open spaces, have been a lifeline for many people’s health and wellbeing during this time.  I hope they continue to offer a place to unwind and relax, and that more of you come to appreciate them too.

Take care. I wish you all good Health, Happiness and Harmony

Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, 2 July 2020

 

Latest message from Solihull Council’s leader

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Stay alert, control the virus, save lives – and keep social distancing

Today we are publishing our local Covid-19 Outbreak Control Implementation Plan. In light of yesterday’s government announcement about the first full local lockdown in Leicester, it is more important than ever that we have a plan in place to guide us through any potential outbreaks.

Our plan sets out what we, and our local partners, will do to identify and contain any Covid-19 outbreaks within the borough and protect your health. It describes how we will manage and prevent the spread of Covid-19 locally, and aims to keep you and your community safe during the current phase of the pandemic, as well as support the return to social and economic recovery. You can read about it on the Council website here.

As part of the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Beacon, the plan sees us working with the NHS, Public Health England and alongside the West Midlands Combined Authority.

We will be reaching out to communities, community leaders and our local partners to reinforce the messages about preventing the spread of the virus in the first instance.  Similarly, if we do get an outbreak, we really will need to work with people who understand their community and can help us contain the outbreak. I will share more news about this work as it progresses.

As part of this, we want to get the message out loud and clear that anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19 must self-isolate, get tested straight away and help to stop the spread of the virus by letting NHS Test and Trace know of any contacts they’ve had who might therefore be at risk of getting the virus. Equally, if you have been in contact with a case and are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, you must follow their advice and self-isolate if told to do so. We need everyone to do this to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities and to stop the virus spreading rapidly as it has done in parts of the country this week.

Strange though it may seem, while we are having ‘virtual’ council meetings and have had to postpone this year’s local elections, I want to remind everyone that they need to register to vote for elections in 2021 if they have recently moved, or just turned 18.

Don’t lose your voice, make sure your electoral registration details are up to date. We will still be undertaking the usual annual canvass this year, to identify any residents who are not registered, so they can register and have their say when we come to the polls next year.

So keep your eyes peeled for messages from Solihull Council, so we can make sure we have the right details on the electoral register, for every address in the borough. Remember, if you are not registered to vote, you won’t have a voice at the polls next year. If you want to register, the easiest way is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or Solihull Council will send you information explaining how to do this in the post.

Another weekend has passed and, alongside some rest and relaxation, I do hope you managed to get out to your local shops? There’s a well-known phrase that particularly applies to our independent retailers and service providers at the moment – that is “use it or lose it”.  Without our support they face an uncertain future.

If we want to retain our local communities we must think local and support local. You will miss your local shops, butcher and hairdressers if they have to close down, so go on, support your local businesses.

Last week the final emergency food and fresh produce parcels were delivered to our Shielding residents. Over ten weeks, staff from the Council, Solihull Community Housing and West Midlands Fire Service packed and delivered 6,826 food parcels and 377 emergency parcels to people with underlying severe health conditions who were asked to stay at home.

As supermarkets have increased deliveries and restrictions are being eased, this work has now come to an end. However, the team has made sure that the residents they have been supporting are organised to get shopping delivered, and have reassured them that help is still available. Alongside this, the Council will continue to make wellbeing calls, checks and medicine deliveries, and the government will provide food boxes until the end of July.

Finally, I have had letters from our two MPs, Saqib Bhatti, MP for Meriden constituency, and Julian Knight, MP for Solihull constituency, expressing their thanks for the work of the Council in supporting residents throughout this crisis. This is much appreciated and I am very grateful to them in turn for their support to us through this difficult period.

Take care

Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, 30 June 2020

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Government advice on visiting public places

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You can spend time outdoors, including for exercise, as often as you wish. At all times, you should follow the guidance on group sizes and the guidance on staying safe outside your home – see the 12 points below.

If you can, you should avoid using public transport, and aim to walk, cycle, or drive instead. It is not possible to social distance during car journeys and transmission of coronavirus can definitely occur in this context. So avoid travelling with someone from outside your household or, your support bubble unless you can practise social distancing. If you need to use public transport to complete your journey you should follow the guidelines in place, and must wear a face covering.

You should plan ahead to ensure that, where you are visiting places like National Parks, beaches or other visitor attractions, you have checked that they are open and appropriately prepared for visitors. It is important to avoid large crowds where it may not be possible to socially distance.

When travelling to outdoor spaces, it is important that people respect the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and do not travel to different parts of the UK where their intended activities there would be prohibited by legislation passed by the relevant devolved administration.

  1. Keep your distance from people outside your household
  2. Avoid being face-to-face with people if they are outside your household [or support bubble]
  3. Keep your hands and face as clean as possible
  4. Keep indoor places well ventilated
  5. Avoid crowded spaces
  6. Work from home if you can
  7. If you have to travel (for example, to work or school), think about how and when you travel
  8. Wear face coverings on public transport
  9. Avoid shouting or singing close to people outside your household or support bubble
  10. Reduce the number of people you spend time with in a work setting
  11. Wash your clothes regularly
  12. When at work or in business or public premises, follow the advice on site

Government guidance from 4th July…

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Covid-19 restrictions will be eased from 4 July, this will mean:

  • You can meet in groups of up to two households (your support bubble counts as one household) in any location – public or private, indoors or outdoors. You do not always have to meet with the same household – you can meet with different households at different times. However, it remains the case – even inside someone’s home – that you should socially distance from anyone not in your household or bubble. This change also does not affect the support you receive from your carers.
  • When you are outside you can continue to meet in groups of up to six people from different households, following social distancing guidelines
  • Those who have been able to form a support bubble (i.e. those in single adult households) can continue to have close contact as if they live with the other people in the bubble, but you should not change who you have formed a support bubble with
  • Additional businesses and venues, including restaurants, pubs, cinemas, visitor attractions, hotels, and campsites will be able to open – but we will continue to keep closed certain premises where the risks of transmission may be higher
  • Other public places, such as libraries, community centres, places of worship, outdoor playgrounds and outdoor gyms will be able to open
  • You can stay overnight away from your home with your own household or support bubble, or with members of one other household (where you need to keep social distancing)
    it will be against the law to gather in groups larger than 30 people, except for a limited set of circumstances to be set out in law and unless all members of the group are exclusively from two households. Police will have the power to break up groups larger than 30, apart from these exceptions.

Moving forward, from 4 July, people will be trusted to continue acting responsibly by following this and related guidance, subject to an upper legal limit on gatherings (as described above). The overwhelming majority of the British public have complied with the regulations, and the wider guidance on how to keep themselves and their friends and family as safe as possible. Taking this into account, we trust people to continue acting responsibly, and to follow the guidance on what they should and should not do.

These changes will reopen much of society and the economy, but it is essential that everyone in the country goes about their lives in a manner which reduces the risk of transmission, whether they are at work, leisure, or using public services. When you leave your home, you should follow the guidelines on staying safe outside your home. You should continue to avoid close contact and remain socially distant from anyone you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble – even inside other people’s homes.

You should wash your hands regularly. This will help to protect you and anyone you come into contact with and is critical to keeping everyone safe.

Next online council meeting, Wednesday 24th June

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Join us for the next parish council meeting online via Zoom. The agenda is available here

Topic: Castle Bromwich PC Council Meeting
Time: Jun 24, 2020 06:30 PM London

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“Please bring your library books back!”

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“Please bring your library books back!”
Hello,

We’re writing to let you know that we will soon be able to issue library books through a new Click and Collect scheme, but we need your help.

In order to give library staff sufficient time to quarantine books and prepare them for safe reissue, please can you return any library books that you have out on loan to any of Solihull’s libraries from 10am to 1pm on Thursday 25 June.

On Monday 6 July staff at Solihull Library Service will start issuing books through a new Click and Collect scheme at The Core. This will be followed by similar schemes at Chelmsley Wood Library and Shirley Library two weeks later on 20 July. The service will be available in 30 minutes slots with users submitting requests for books via an online booking system on the Library Service web pages.

Forms will be available online from Monday 29 June for collections from The Core and from Monday 13 July for Chelmsley Wood and Shirley Libraries. Anyone unable to use the online form can place an order by phoning 0121 704 8001. The Home Library Service will also restart on 6 July.

Please don’t visit our libraries yet other than to drop off your books for safe reissue.

Many thanks,

Solihull Library Service

 

Beware Coronavirus scams

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Criminals are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to try and get their hands on your money and personal information. To date, Action Fraud has received reports from 2,378 victims of Coronavirus-related scams, with the total losses reaching over £7 million.

How you can protect yourself from Coronavirus-related scams:
There are some simple steps you can take that will protect you from the most common Coronavirus-related scams. Here’s what we need to do:

1 – Watch out for scam messages
Your bank, or other official organisations, won’t ask you to share personal information over email or text. If you receive an email you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@phishing.gov.uk

2 – Shopping online
If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, for example, by checking to see if others have used the site and what their experience was. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, other payment providers may not provide the same protection.

3 – Unsolicited calls and browser pop-ups offering tech support
Never install any software, or grant remote access to your computer, as a result of a cold call. Remember, legitimate organisations would never contact you out of the blue to ask for financial details such as your PIN or full banking password.

NHS Test and Trace scams:

The NHS Test and Trace service plays an important role in the fight against coronavirus and it’s vital the public have confidence and trust in the service. However, we understand the concerns people have about the opportunity for criminals to commit scams.

What you need to know:
Contact tracers will only call you from the number 0300 013 5000. Anyone who does not wish to talk over the phone can request the NHS Test and Trace service to send an email or text instead, inviting them to log into the web-based service.

All text or emails sent by NHS Test and Trace will ask people to sign into the contact tracing website and will provide you with a unique reference number. We would advise people to type the web address https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk directly into their browser, followed by the unique reference number given to you, rather than clicking on any link provided in the message.

The NHS Test and Trace service will never:

  • ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to them (for example, those starting 09 or 087)
  • ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product or any kind
  • ask for any details about your bank account
  • ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
  • ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone
  • ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else
  • ask you to access any website that does not belong to the government or NHS

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, please report it to Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you live in Scotland, please report directly to Police Scotland by calling 101.​​​​​​​
Message Provided By
Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)

Football’s back – be cyber aware!

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The Premier League Is back but don’t ruin the game by allowing criminals access to your Streaming Accounts… Please check out the advice here and secure your accounts today.

Message from Leader of Solihull Council

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Stay alert, control the virus, save lives – and keep social distancing

Yesterday saw our secondary schools re-open to pupils in years 10 and 12.

Like our primary schools, they have been busy carrying out risk assessments and putting their plans in place over recent weeks. The government has advised that because these pupils have important exams next summer, they should have some face-to-face contact with their teachers, before the summer holiday, whilst also continuing to study at home with work provided by the schools.

Yesterday was also the first opportunity for many of us to return to our town centres to shop for non-essential goods. In the main, it seems people have been observing the social distancing rules.  I am sure it will take us a while to get used to the new way of shopping, but it has been good to see retailers making their shops as welcoming and safe as possible, and more people wearing masks, and personally I hope many more will do so.

This step in the relaxation of lockdown is so important to our recovery; we need our retail centres to help start the economy moving again.  As part of the Council’s Economic Recovery Plan, we are providing as much support as we can to local businesses and retailers.

Our pubs, cafes and restaurants have been closed for over 13 weeks, although some have been offering a takeaway or delivery service.  We await more specific guidelines on how they will be able to safely re-open and help us get back to enjoying drinks and food in what we hope will be vibrant town centres.

On another matter, we have to remember that the climate crisis has not gone away.  Climate change continues to be one of the biggest threats to our environment and society. The pandemic has been hugely disruptive and challenging.  But it has given us a moment to pause and reflect on what kind of future we want for the West Midlands and what ‘prosperity’ means.

Working with others across the West Midlands region, we have now developed a blueprint – ‘WM2041: A Programme for Implementing an Environmental Recovery’.  This plan for a green recovery builds on our existing commitment #WM2041 to make the West Midlands carbon neutral by 2041. It was discussed at the West Midlands Combined Authority Board held on 5 June.

It sets out how the West Midlands can rebuild its economy, in a way that drives green and inclusive growth.  It is important that all the region’s diverse communities and its environment can benefit from the post-Covid-19 recovery, not just economically, but also socially and with an improved environment.

I mentioned in a previous message our participation in a sub-regional Beacon programme with Coventry, Warwickshire and West Midlands Combined Authority – part of the Government’s new £300 million Test and Trace plan. Working together we will have a sub-regional Outbreak Control Plan in place by 30 June.  This will help us to both prevent and control infection as well as target those vulnerable people and high-risk settings.

I can report that our approach is already operational. We will link closely to the regional testing programme, to use local and national data (from the new Joint Biosecurity Centre) to swiftly test and contact trace, and put in place local outbreak management measures, to contain outbreaks at the earliest stage.

We already have in place a multi-agency Solihull Health Protection Board which will be responsible for our own borough Outbreak Control Plan.  This will allow us to respond to any outbreaks in a way that meets our specific local needs.

Another big step towards a new normal will be the first ‘virtual’ Full Council on 7 July 2020.  Council meetings have been held by video conferencing – indeed some of us have to spend a great deal of our time at meetings in this way.   Cabinet decision sessions have also continued, but this will be our first attempt at bringing the whole Council together to discuss, debate and vote on matters, as we normally do.

I know this is new territory for many of my fellow councillors.   I will miss being in the Council Chamber, but we need our democracy to meet the challenge of the coronavirus and use technology to create a virtual Council Chamber.

I’m sure many residents will be pleased to hear that all our libraries will be open for book returns from 10am – 1pm on this coming Saturday 20 and Thursday 25 June.  This service is only about dropping off books and residents must observe social distancing; regrettably, there will be no opportunity for contact with library staff.  This is part of our preparations for rolling out a ‘click and collect’ service starting on 6 July. More information here.

Finally I’d like to pay tribute to one of our younger residents, Sophie, a six-year-old pupil at Peterbrook School. When the coronavirus lockdown started, her family set up portal systems to keep in contact with their extended family, and used some of this time to write some stories.

The family met at 4pm every day to think of some titles; then Sophie and her grandad would meet at 6.45pm to write them. They are selling the book that they have written to raise funds for the NHS: you can buy it here.

Well done Sophie for using the lockdown time to be creative.  She has turned a difficult period into a positive experience and inspired by Captain Tom Moore, is raising funds for the NHS.

Stay alert, help control the virus, save lives – we don’t want a second spike!

Please take care

Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, 16 June 2020