Dear friend,
 

As this is going to many thousands of people and we are dealing with hundreds of queries ourselves, please bear in mind if you send a response to this email that we will only realistically be able to focus on those emails where we can practically assist with an urgent issue at a local level. Rest assured,  I will certainly read those which are a commentary on the situation, but Government departments are not currently replying to MP queries on national issues, and I don’t have the capacity to reply as personally as I normally do.

At this very difficult time for our nation, my staff and I have been dealing with several hundred emails a day as best we can. Clearly if not in Westminster, a Letter from Westminster doesn’t work right now, and obviously I am falling in line with Government guidelines as I hope everyone else is. But that doesn’t stop the effort, and I reckon we are working harder than we ever done before to try to answer the many, many queries we are finding are coming in. 

I therefore wanted to share with you some good sources of authoritative information that you may find helpful.

The Government has published helpful and definitive guidance detailing how the vulnerable – and not just the elderly – can be safely helped. It can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-how-to-help-safely--2/coronavirus-how-to-help-safely. I, for one, very much welcome this as I have had numerous emails from those concerned about relatives and friends, but nervous at visiting them. I hope you will find the expanded guidance helpful, and in my view, common sense should always be applied.

The volume of guidance on the Government coronavirus is now very significant, but it has to be hunted through, and I keep finding new things every day. In my view, whilst Government is trying to be judicious in what it advises, social media can set hares running, and police are still learning what the parameters of their powers are. Undoubtedly ministers have to listen to what is working and not working, but I can’t help thinking that our public service broadcasters also have a role to play in educating the public as to the contents of the guidance. There is one document alone - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do – which sets out answers to many of the literally hundreds of email queries I am getting right now, but doesn’t seem to have got much publicity.

I know many of you have pets, and I have had numerous email queries about them, and the Canine & Feline Sector Group which brings all animal charities together. They have really good visual advice at http://www.cfsg.org.uk/coronavirus/_layouts/15/start.aspx#/.

Anyone who is vulnerable can be registered via https://www.wyre.gov.uk/together or https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Campaigns/Coronavirus/Corona-Kindness.aspx. This is also where people can register to volunteer also.

I have attached below a list of local businesses below who are doing home deliveries.

Please do stay safe, and look after each other.

Best wishes,

Paul Maynard MP
Conservative - Blackpool North & Cleveleys
07885 651 705