Lichfield District Council has sent us advice on the 28 day national lockdown for the UK. Please see below guidance regarding which businesses must close and those that can legally stay open.

We are hoping to have details of the business grants available to businesses very soon, we are still awaiting government guidance for this.

Please also check the gov.uk website for updates.

Businesses and venues which must close

To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close or restrict how they provide goods and services. These include:

• Non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services

   

• Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and drink for takeaway (before 10pm; and not including alcohol), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery

   

• Accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites. Except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where they cannot return home, for homeless people, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes

   

• Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts, golf courses, fitness and dance studios, climbing walls, archery, driving, and shooting ranges

   

• Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, soft play centres and areas, circuses, funfairs, zoos and other animal attractions, water parks, theme parks. Indoor attractions at botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open

   

• Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. It is also prohibited to provide these services in other peoples’ homes

   

• Community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities as set out below Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services - for example for people who do not have it at home - and for click-and-collect

   

• Places of worship, apart from for the purposes of independent prayer, and service broadcasting and funerals

   

These businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities, including:

• education and training (including for schools to use sports and leisure facilities where that it part of their normal provision)

   

• childcare purposes and supervised activities for children

   

• blood donation and food banks

   

• to provide medical treatment

   

• for elite sports persons (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), professional dancers and choreographers (in fitness and dance studios)

   

• for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)

   

• for the purposes of professional film and TV filming

   

Businesses and venues which can remain open

Other businesses are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 Secure guidelines. This includes those providing essential goods or services, including:

• Essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, hardware stores, building merchants and off-licences.

   

• Petrol Stations, car repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses.

   

• Banks, building societies, post offices, loan providers and money transfer businesses

   

• Funeral directors

   

• Launderettes and dry cleaners

   

• Medical and dental services

   

• Vets and pet shops

   

• Agricultural supplies shops

   

• Storage and distribution facilities

   

• Car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas.

   

• Outdoor playgrounds

Public Services

The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:

• the NHS and medical services like GPs and dentists. We are supporting the NHS to safely carry out urgent and non-urgent services and it is vital anyone who thinks they need any kind of medical care comes forward and seeks help

   

• Jobcentre Plus sites

   

• Courts and probation services

   

• Civil Registrations Offices

   

• Passport and Visa Services

   

• Services provided to victims

   

• Waste or Recycling Centres

Residents are urged to claim a discount on their energy bills

Thousands of people across Lichfield District on low household incomes could benefit from a £140 rebate by claiming their Warm Home Discount.  

The Warm Home Discount scheme offers a £140 energy bill discount to low income households across the UK.

Provided by energy suppliers, many schemes are now open and operate on a first-come-first served basis.

The discount is available to people on a low income, who receive certain means-tested benefits. However, as in previous years, the qualifying criteria varies slightly between energy suppliers.

Local residents are now being urged to contact Lichfield District Council’s Warmer Homes, Greener District advice line on 0800 677 1543 for more information and help to apply.

Councillor Angela Lax, Cabinet Member responsible for Housing, said:“With all the financial strain the coronavirus outbreak has put many households under, it’s really important that eligible households claim their discount to help with their heating bills over the winter.

“Our Warmer Homes, Greener District advisors can discuss qualifying criteria and make applications on behalf of our eligible residents over the phone. So, if you think you might be entitled to a Warm Home Discount please contact our advice line without delay.”

The council is especially encouraging households with particular health conditions that need extra heat at home, or where fixed low incomes mean affording bills in the colder months can be a real struggle, to apply for their discount.   

“Once suppliers reach their target number of applications, they often close schemes abruptly. It really does pay off to apply as soon as you can,” added Cllr Lax.

If you think you may be eligible or for more information, please contact Warmer Homes, Greener District for free on 0800 677 1543.

The Warm Home Discount is separate from, and will not affect, any Cold Weather Payments or Winter Fuel Payments.

The Parish Council has been informed that the Post Office service at the Village Hall, 10-12 on Tuesdays, will continue during lockdown as this is an essential service. Please use masks, sanitisers and social distancing when visiting.

The playground will remain open, please sanitise hands before and after visiting, parents please supervise your children and no more than 6 should use the playground at any time.

The taxi for our residents who do not drive will not run until further notice as too few people wish to use it at this time.

Please contact Clare, Becky or Irene if you need assistance as during the first lockdown.

Lichfield District Council is a valuable source of advice on business grants, and other payments.

Staffordshire Highways have confirmed that the planned closure of the bridge from October to January will not take place.

Initial works will be done with traffic light controls, although some shorter term closures may be required next Spring.

Details of diversions and dates will be published in due course.

Tree surgeons will be at work in The Avenue from Monday 2nd November, trimming back overhanging branches, and this work may go for on for a few weeks.

Friary Grange to re-open for swimming 

The swimming pool at Friary Grange Leisure Centre will re-open on Saturday 24 October following its closure in March due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In-line with current guidelines, and lessons learned from re-opening Burntwood Leisure Centre, the Friary Grange pool will open for pre-booked lane swimming and be available for club and group sessions.

The re-opening follows shortly after the start of essential repair work promised by Lichfield District Council to help keep Friary Grange operational until a new leisure facility is constructed. The repair work is scheduled to continue until March 2021

Gym facilities and the dance studio will re-open from 2 November, following the completion of work in an area shared with Friary School that can only take place at half-term. Class sizes and gym numbers will be reduced to make sure they are run in a safe and compliant way.

The repairs programme includes significant work on the roof and ceiling over the swimming pool, which will mean the closure of the whole leisure centre from 29 November until 4 January.

To book swimming pool sessions, visit www.freedom-leisure.co.uk/centres/friarygrange.

To keep up to date with the works at Friary Grange Leisure Centre, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/FGLCfuture.

Telephone canvassers to push local voter registration

A team of canvassers will be calling local residents this autumn to help Lichfield District Council complete its electoral register and encourage voter registration.

Over the summer Lichfield District Council started its annual canvass to compile a new and updated electoral register, which will be published on 1 December 2020. This included sending letters to all 46,543 households across the district.

To make sure no one is missed off the electoral register, the council sent reminders out to households that had not responded to the initial letter.

Where a response has still not been received, telephone canvassers will be calling properties over a two-week period from Monday 26 October, to encourage people to confirm the information needed.

Responding to the canvass is not the same as registering to vote but, if a response has been requested, it must be completed as it tells the council which eligible voters live in properties within Lichfield District.

The information also enables the council to send a separate invitation to register to anyone who is eligible to vote but not yet registered. Any new residents who are eligible to vote can also go online to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. 

Diane Tilley, Electoral Registration Officer for Lichfield District, said: “Using telephone canvassers will allow us to reach the properties that have still not responded to our annual canvass and to encourage voter registration for anyone who has not registered at their current address. 

“It is particularly important to remember, if you want to have your say at election time and help choose the people that make decisions that affect your everyday life, you must be registered to vote.

“The 6th of May 2021 is going to be a bumper election day with Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner elections and Staffordshire County Council elections taking place on the same day, alongside a small number of by–elections and a neighbourhood plan referendum that were delayed due to Covid-19, so it is extra important this year to make sure you are registered.

“With concerns around coronavirus, we are also encouraging people to choose to change their vote to a postal vote, although this remains a personal choice.”

For more information, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/elections or call Lichfield District Council’s elections team on 01543 308125.

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