Plus... Keeping up to speed on the electric transport developments in Nottingham | Public meetings | Queen?s Speech ...and more
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Covid variant in Nottingham is a reminder we?re not out of the woods yet
A message from City Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Sally Longford:
sally longford
I chaired the meeting of the Outbreak Control Engagement Board [ [link removed] ] earlier today and naturally there was discussion about the presence of a coronavirus ?Variant of Concern? in the city. A number of cases have been identified by Public Health England here and elsewhere around the country, and we are working with them and NHS partners to respond.
Our best defence against this and other variants remains the same ? following the rules on hands, face, space and fresh air, along with continuing to do regular, twice-weekly tests for Covid-19. Targeted testing is also being carried out where cases have emerged, currently focused on shared buildings in the city centre and Radford. This allows us to quickly identify any other cases and monitor and control the potential spread of the virus.
We need everybody?s help with this and I thank those who have worked with our teams to get tested so far. If you are asked to come forward for test, please do so at the earliest opportunity. I would like to thank everyone who so far has come forward to take a test. Find out more here [ [link removed] ].
It?s a reminder that although we reach the next milestone on the roadmap on Monday restoring more freedoms to our lives, we aren?t out of the woods yet and still need to take a cautious and sensible approach.
For all the ways you can access a Covid-19 test when you don?t have symptoms please visit?www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/asymptomatictesting [ [link removed] ]
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*Keeping up to speed on the electric transport developments in Nottingham *
carbon neutral 2028 logo
In recognition of our pioneering approach to tackling emissions and improving air quality through greener vehicles we were awarded Go Ultra Low City status in 2016. Since then we have come a long way and electric vehicles are a key part of our plans to achieve Carbon Neutral Nottingham by 2028.
Through the Go Ultra Low programme, we?re proud to have introduced the UK?s first shared bus and ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV) lane, installed hundreds of charge points across the city and beyond, and helped businesses go green by offering electric vehicle trials.
Although the Go Ultra Low funding ended last year, our work has only accelerated. More than 30 per cent of our own fleet is now electric, including the world?s first electric bin lorries, and we?ve opened Nottingham Electric Vehicle Services (NEVS) to the public. We?re also continuing to deliver schemes to help local businesses adopt cleaner vehicles through our e-cargo bike trials and Electric Van Experience ? see this video [ [link removed] ] from Shop Zero Nottingham. Later this year we?ll be trialling taxis that can charge without a cable!
We?ve recently relaunched our ?Plug In? newsletter ? a must-read for those interested in keeping up to speed on the electric transport developments in Nottingham. You can sign up here [ [link removed] ].
You can hear more from me on this on Notts TV where I?m discussing the city?s progress in improving EV infrastructure in Nottingham [ [link removed] ]
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*Public meetings *
Nottingham skyline
We have been successfully holding our public meetings, such as Full Council and Planning Committee, online via Zoom for the last year during the pandemic. Unfortunately, despite lobbying from local council leaders including myself, the Government has not extended the regulations, which enabled these meetings to be held remotely since the start of the pandemic.
This pandemic has not brought many upsides, but taking public meetings online to comply with Covid restrictions actually brought many benefits. We have seen public attendance increase substantially and holding meetings this way does not put our officers and councillors at any unnecessary risk. It is very disappointing that the Government did not activate the necessary levers to allow this to continue to happen.
For now we are returning to meetings in person where legislations dictates we do this, but there are some council committees, such as the Outbreak Control Engagement Board which I chair, that were established under separate legislation which means that they can continue to be held remotely on Zoom.
You can find out more about our public meetings here Calendar of meetings [ [link removed] ] and details on how to attend.
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*Reflections on yesterday?s Queen?s Speech*
Houses of Parliament
Yesterday the Government announced a number of key bits of legislation in the Queen?s Speech which will have an impact on Nottingham. The announcements around making children safer online, the intention to ban conversion therapy and a renewed focus on education and training for older teenagers and adults are all welcome and I look forward to hearing the all-important detail. And of course I will be taking great interest in the Environment Bill given Nottingham?s aspirations to be the first carbon neutral city by 2028.
I am very disappointed, though, that the Government did not announce any plans on social care, despite the Prime Minister saying ?on entering Downing Street in 2019 that ?we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all.? The pandemic has shown how important social care is for people with care workers doing an amazing job, but the growing demand alongside chronic underfunding is pushing the sector further into crisis.
The Government announcement about Voter photo ID which will make it harder for people to vote was very disheartening. As I said as full council, voter fraud just isn?t an issue in this country and we certainly have enough pressing issues to deal with right now.
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*Eid Mubarak!*
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Many local people will be preparing to mark a second Eid under Covid restrictions and I?d like to thank members of Nottingham's Muslim communities who, like the vast majority of Nottingham people, have been so attentive to the Government's safety guidance.
Thank you to all of the individuals, households and communities who will continue to follow the guidance over this special period. Like you, I am looking forward to the time when we can gather en masse and celebrate special times altogether again.
Eid Mubarak! To everyone celebrating in Nottingham, I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and blessed Eid-al-Fitr
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Coronavirus FAQs
Please click?here [ [link removed] ]?for some of the answers to questions we?ve been asked about what you should do, and what we are doing, to respond to Coronavirus.
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