www.preetkaurgill.com [1]

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YOUR LATEST CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

DEAR ,

LAST NIGHT THE COUNTRY CAME TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN TO SHOW ITS APPRECIATION
FOR OUR CARERS, NHS STAFF AND ALL THE OTHER FRONT-LINE WORKERS WHO ARE
PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE IN KEEPING US SAFE IN THIS TIME OF CRISIS. I WANT
TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WHO ARE SELFLESSLY PUTTING YOUR LIVES ON
THE LINE. WHETHER YOU ARE A DOCTOR OR A DENTIST, A CLEANER OR A CARER, A
SOCIAL WORKER OR A SHOPWORKER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VALUED PUBLIC SERVICE AND
FOR KEEPING OUR COUNTRY GOING AND ITS PEOPLE SAFE.

YESTERDAY ALSO SAW THE HEALTH SECRETARY, MATT HANCOCK, COME OUT AND PROVIDE
SOME CANDIDNESS THAT HAS SO FAR BEEN LACKING FROM THE GOVERNMENT’S
RESPONSE TO THIS CRISIS. WE KNOW THAT WE ARE LAGGING BEHIND OTHER COUNTRIES
WITH ACCESS TO TESTING, PPE, AND VENTILATORS. SUGAR-COATING THE TRUTH WITH
SOUNDBITES WILL NOT SAVE LIVES, BUT OPEN AND HONEST COMMUNICATION WILL.

IT IS VITAL THAT MPS CONTINUE TO HOLD THE GOVERNMENT TO ACCOUNT NOW MORE
THAN EVER. THAT IS WHY BIRMINGHAM MPS HAVE JOINED FORCES WITH THE LEADER OF
BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL TO FORM A GROUP TO HELP CO-ORDINATE OUR LOCAL
EFFORTS IN RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. THE GROUP, CALLED RADAR,
WILL ENSURE THAT LOCAL ISSUES ARE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE
GOVERNMENT AND PROVIDE REGULAR, VALUABLE FEEDBACK FROM THE WEST MIDLANDS
POLICE, LOCAL HOSPITALS, BUSINESSES, TRADE UNIONS, FOODBANKS AND OTHER
LOCAL GROUPS AND BODIES.   

MANY CONSTITUENTS AND BUSINESSES HAVE CONTACTED ME TO ASK WHAT SUPPORT THEY
CAN ACCESS, SO I HAVE COLLATED SOME OF THE MAIN GUIDANCE RELEASED BY THE
GOVERNMENT OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WHICH YOU CAN VIEW ON MY WEBSITE
HERE
WWW.PREETKAURGILL.COM/CONTENT/PREET-SHARES-IMPORTANT-CORONAVIRUS-INFORMATION
[5]. THE SITUATION IS EVER-CHANGING AND WITH THAT COMES NEW GUIDANCE, SO I
WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK THE LATEST ADVICE ON THE
GOVERNMENT’S DEDICATED WEBSITE REGULARLY HERE WWW.GOV.UK/CORONAVIRUS
[6] AND FOR THE LATEST HEALTH ADVICE ON THE NHS’ WEBSITE
HERE WWW.NHS.UK/CONDITIONS/CORONAVIRUS-COVID-19 [7].

SINCE PUBLISHING THIS ADVICE, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED NEW MEASURES TO
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES AS WELL AS THOSE STRUGGLING TO PAY THEIR COUNCIL
TAX. I AM THEREFORE INCLUDING FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THESE MEASURES, AND
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION, BELOW:

SMALL BUSINESS RATES GRANTS

IN RESPONSE TO THE CORONAVIRUS THE GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED THERE WILL BE
SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, AND BUSINESSES IN THE RETAIL, HOSPITALITY AND
LEISURE SECTORS. THE RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY GRANT SCHEME PROVIDES
BUSINESSES IN THE RETAIL, HOSPITALITY AND LEISURE SECTORS WITH A CASH GRANT
OF UP TO £25,000 PER PROPERTY.

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL WILL WRITE TO THOSE BUSINESSES WHO ARE ELIGIBLE.
BIRMINGHAM HAS NOW RECEIVED £232M WORTH OF FUNDING TO PAY GRANTS TO
BUSINESSES. YOU ARE ELIGIBLE IF:

* YOUR BUSINESS IS BASED IN ENGLAND
* YOUR BUSINESS IS IN THE RETAIL, HOSPITALITY OR LEISURE SECTOR
* YOUR BUSINESS HAS A RATEABLE VALUE OF UNDER £51,000

COUNCIL TAX HARDSHIP FUND

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL WILL REDUCE THE BILLS OF ALL WORKING-AGE RECIPIENTS
OF COUNCIL TAX SUPPORT BY £150, OR BY A LESSER AMOUNT IF THAT IS ALL THAT
REMAINS TO BE PAID FOR THE YEAR. IT DOES NOT EXPECT TAXPAYERS TO HAVE TO
APPLY FOR THIS REDUCTION AS BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL HAS ENOUGH INFORMATION
TO MAKE THIS REDUCTION ON THEIR BEHALF.

EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS

IF YOU ARE WORKING FROM HOME, HAVE RECENTLY BEEN FURLOUGHED, OR HAVE ANY
OTHER EMPLOYMENT QUESTIONS, THEN YOU CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH ACAS – A
TRUSTED IMPARTIAL RESOURCE WHO CAN EXPLAIN THE FACTS ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYMENT
RIGHTS. FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.ACAS.ORG.UK/CORONAVIRUS [8].

SCAMS

ALTHOUGH, THIS CRISIS HAS BROUGHT OUT THE VERY BEST IN MOST PEOPLE, IT HAS
BROUGHT OUT THE VERY WORST IN OTHERS. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE
WHO ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CURRENT SITUATION TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF
UNSUSPECTING AND, OFTEN, VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS. BIRMINGHAM LIVE HAS
PROVIDED A DETAILED WRITE UP OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN SCAMS, AND YOU CAN
FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THEM HERE
WWW.BIRMINGHAMMAIL.CO.UK/NEWS/MIDLANDS-NEWS/EIGHT-CORONAVIRUS-SCAMS-CONNING-PEOPLE-18019455
[9].

FOODBANKS

QUINTON AND OLDBURY FOODBANK, BASED AT ST. BONIFACE CHURCH, PROVIDES A
MUCH-NEEDED LIFELINE TO VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. WITH PEOPLE
SUFFERING INCREASING FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC;
ITS CONTINUED WORK IS GOING TO BE EVEN MORE VITAL IN THE COMING WEEKS AND
MONTHS. HOWEVER, QUINTON AND OLDBURY FOODBANK IS RUNNING VERY LOW ON
DONATIONS AND NEED YOUR HELP. ANYTHING YOU CAN SPARE WILL BE GREATLY
APPRECIATED, AND DONATIONS CAN BE DROPPED AT ST BONIFACE CHURCH, QUINTON
ROAD WEST ,B32 2QD BETWEEN 10.30 AND 12.00 ON WEDNESDAYS.

LOCAL SUPPORT

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH BVSC TO BRING TOGETHER
EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD SUPPORT GROUPS, VOLUNTARY GROUPS AND OTHER SERVICES
TO CO-ORDINATE SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT LOCALLY. IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF
SUPPORT, PLEASE VISIT BVSC HERE TO FIND OUT WHAT SUPPORT IS
AVAILABLE WWW.BVSC.ORG/ACCESSING-SUPPORT-YOUR-NEIGHBOURHOOD [10], AND IF
YOU ARE A GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL WHO CAN OFFER SUPPORT IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD,
PLEASE VISIT WWW.BVSC.ORG/OFFER-LOCAL-SUPPORT [11] FOR INFORMATION ON WHO
TO CONTACT.

AS EVER, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN
HELP WITH, YOU CAN FIND MY CONTACT DETAILS BELOW. PLEASE STAY SAFE AND
LOOK AFTER ONE ANOTHER.

PREET KAUR GILL

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR BIRMINGHAM EDGBASTON

STANDING UP FOR BARTLEY GREEN, EDGBASTON, HARBORNE AND QUINTON

LIGHTWOOD HOUSE, ADKINS LANE, B67 5DP (WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE FRONT
ENTRANCE PRESS THE BUZZER LABELLED 'HOUSE MANAGER'; IF THAT
DOESN'T WORK YOU CAN CALL 0121 429 6722)

UNSUBSCRIBE [12]

WWW.PREETKAURGILL.COM

0121 392 8426

[email protected]

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© 2019 PRINTED FROM AN EMAIL SENT BY PREET KAUR GILL. PROMOTED BY A.J WEBB
ON BEHALF OF PREET KAUR GILL, BOTH AT 56 WENTWORTH ROAD, B17 9TA.

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