Vicky Hancock

Discretionary Grants Fund set to benefit local businesses

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To date, around £55.2m has been paid out to more than 4,700 businesses in the county in government grant funding support in response to the impact of Covid-19, however not all businesses have been eligible for these grants.

The government has now introduced an additional discretionary grants fund which will help provide assistance to some of the businesses that have not had access to other support schemes. The discretionary grants fund managed by Herefordshire Council will award grants reflecting the size of business, level of fixed property costs and scale of impact experienced.

The amount of funding the council has received is limited at £3.2m, so there is a set of eligibility criteria which each applicant will need to meet.

Businesses eligible to receive this new funding must be a small or micro business, charity, or social enterprises with a turnover of not more than £10.2m and fewer than 50 staff.

Applicants must be either a small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces; market traders with fixed building costs who do not have their own business rates assessment; bed & breakfasts which pay council tax instead of business rates or charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief.

Cllr Ellie Chowns, Cabinet Member for Environment, Economy and Skills, said: “The Covid-19 crisis has hit many Herefordshire businesses very hard, and I know this has been a deeply worrying time for them. We know that there are many who have not been eligible for central government grant funding to date, so I am very pleased that this new grant is now available. It will provide much-needed assistance to some of the businesses that have ‘fallen through the cracks’ of existing support schemes.

“Unfortunately the funding we have been given is very limited – not enough to plug all the gaps. In distributing this funding we are trying to help as many businesses as possible, while continuing to press government for further funding to support the local economy and help us build back better.”

Applications must be received by 23:59, Sunday 28 June 2020.

Drivers granted 7 month photocard licence extension

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To make it easier for drivers who need to update their photocard licence with a new photo at the end of the 10 years validity, photocard driving licences that expire between 1 February 2020 and 31 August 2020 will be automatically extended for 7 months from the expiry date.

Drivers do not need to take any action as the extension will be automatic and they will be sent a renewal reminder before their 7 month extension ends.

If a driver has already applied online to renew their photocard, this will be processed as normal. If they have already sent a paper application to renew their photocard there will be delays in processing, but the 7 month extension will apply in the meantime.

This extension applies to the photocard renewal date. It does not apply where a driver’s entitlement to drive is due to expire if they wish to continue to hold a valid licence – they need to renew this in the normal way.

Guidelines for essential visits to household recycling centres

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Guidelines for essential visits to household recycling centres

The following household recycling centres are open:

Open hours 7 days per week from 8am to 6pm.

The other household recycling centres in Kington, Bromyard, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye will remain closed for the time being.

We are looking into the possibilities for the re-opening of further household recycling centres as we are keen to reduce the current pressure on our waste collection service and provide more local facilities but this will depend on whether additional resources can be allocated to do this.

Our priority has been to re-open the two largest, best equipped and most well used household recycling centres in the county. The contractor has concentrated all its available resource to do this, utilising staff from across all of the sites so that social distancing measures, traffic management, increased cleaning and safety can be maintained at those sites that are open.

Do not visit unless it is essential

  • Essential means you must only visit if waste or recycling cannot be stored at home safely or disposed of safely by other means.
    By this we mean the waste cannot be stored without causing risk of injury, health or harm. There is no other reason the journey will be considered a legitimate purpose for travel. If you can temporarily store your waste or recycling in a way that does not pose a risk to yours or others safety or human health, then you must do so.
  • Do not visit the site if you or a member of your household are unwell, as you should be following the Government guidance on self-isolation. This means you should not visit if you are:
    • Extremely vulnerable and are remaining at home for shielding purposes
    • Symptomatic with coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • In a 14-day household isolation
  • Please check whether council collections of garden or bulky wastes are available to you before travelling to a recycling centre. If available, you should make use of council collection services rather than travelling to a household waste recycling centre.
  • After visiting the recycling centre, please remember not to touch your face and to wash your hands for 20 seconds on arrival at your destination.
  • Head to the Recycle Now website for more information on recycling during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Social distancing measures will be in place at each site

  • Only a limited number of residents will be allowed on site at any one time.
  • A ‘supermarket style’ system will be implemented, with a ‘one out, one in’ access policy.
  • No assistance will be provided on site so only load items you can unload yourself.
  • No walking in of waste is allowed.
  • No bicycle access is allowed.​
  • Alternate parking spaces / bays will be blocked off.
  • Access to each skip will be by one resident at a time.

Restrictions to some services

  • Only household waste will be accepted – no traders
  • No soil improver / compost sales.
  • No re-use /charity drop off points.
  • No asbestos disposal.

If you do need to visit, please be patient – we expect sites to be busy

Both sites will be open seven days a week. Help to avoid queues and long waiting times by not rushing to sites immediately in the first few days. Staff will be on hand to ensure all guidelines are followed.

  • Keep to the 2 metre distancing rules at all times
  • Ideally come alone and wear gloves and suitable footwear (no open toe sandals)
  • Stay in your vehicle while queuing to aid with social distancing and wait to be directed to a parking bay by staff.
  • Please be patient. Remember that going to HRCs will be different from the way the system operated before lockdown, and that it will be a while before social distancing restrictions are lifted.
  • Transit-type vans and trailers will need a 2020/21 CVT permit to enter the site.
  • If you have a CVT Permit please display to site staff and then place into the container.
  • Last entry to the sites will be 5.45pm as the sites shut at 6pm.

Please act responsibly towards other visitors and staff

  • Severn Waste Services will not tolerate any form of abusive behaviour towards its staff and will take action against offenders.
  • If you do not comply with social distancing guidance, you will be asked to leave the site and the site may have to close temporarily.

Consider other ways of managing your waste

If you are able to manage your waste differently or at home please do so. Some simple measures that will help include:

  • Cut and drop – don’t collect grass cuttings unless you intend to use them for home composting, simply cut the grass without the collector on.
  • Create a compost heap –  if you have room. If not, use a low cost home composter to keep the garden tidy.
  • Please check whether council collections of garden, bulky, or other wastes are available before travelling to a household recycling centre. If available, please use the services rather than making a visit.
  • DIY waste – store your DIY waste responsibly until restrictions are lifted.
  • Consider contacting a registered skip hire company or wait until the recycling centres are operating as normal.
  • New appliances. Request that the supplier takes back the old appliance wherever possible.
  • General waste – Plan your meals to reduce waste. Check your fridge is the correct temperature and store perishable food in the freezer wherever possible.
  • Do not burn your waste – burning most wastes is illegal. Store any waste that cannot be collected safely until restrictions are lifted.

Hereford and Leominster household recycling centres reopen 9 May

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Restrictions will remain in place to ensure safety of public and staff.

Herefordshire Council will reopen Hereford and Leominster Household Recycling Centres for essential use only from Saturday 9 May.They will be open from 8.00am to 6.00pm every day

The other Household Recycling Centres in Kington, Bromyard, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye will remain closed for the time being, until available staffing resource will permit these sites to reopen as well.

Government guidance will be followed to ensure our sites can safely operate, and strict social distancing measures will be in place to protect both the public and staff. Only limited numbers of vehicles will be permitted entry at any time so long queues and delays are likely.

The government’s view is that household recycling centres play a critical role in the local management of waste, so making a journey to one is considered a “reasonable excuse” if a resident has difficulty safely storing unavoidable waste.

Journeys to HWRCs must only be undertaken if your waste or recycling cannot be stored at home without causing risk of injury, health or harm, and cannot be disposed of safely by other means. If you can temporarily store your waste or recycling in a way that does not pose a risk to yours or others safety or human health, then you must do so.

Social distancing measures mean staff cannot provide assistance, so please make sure you are able to unload your waste unaided. If you are able, take additional measures to protect yourself and others such as using gloves and have sanitary wipes to use in your vehicle.

Covid-19 testing now available for key workers and their families

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If you’re an essential worker who is self-isolating, you can now apply for you and your household to get tested in Herefordshire for Covid-19 coronavirus.

The drive-through testing is available at Merton Meadow car park in Hereford and tests can be booked on the government website. The test is only for people who have symptoms of coronavirus – whether that’s you, or someone you live with. It involves taking a swab sample from your nose and throat. The test will tell whether you currently have coronavirus. After the test, while you wait for your results, you (and anyone you live with) must continue to self-isolate. Read NHS advice about how long to self-isolate.

If your test result turns out to be negative, you can safely return to work, as long as:

  • you are well enough
  • you have not had a high temperature for 48 hours
  • anyone you live with also tests negative

If you test positive, or someone you live with tests positive, you cannot return to work. You will need to continue to self-isolate.

If your condition gets worse, or you do not get better after 7 days, use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service. Only call 111 if you cannot get help online. For a medical emergency dial 999.

Herefordshire emergency response lead, Superintendent Sue Thomas said:

“It’s good to see that tests for Covid-19 are now available locally for key workers in Herefordshire, with military support. The tests will provide reassurance and guidance to those experiencing coronavirus symptoms. More widely, we are starting to see the effect of social distancing on the spread of coronavirus, and I would ask that residents continue to stay home to protect lives.”

An Army spokesperson said:
“The Armed Forces are helping to support the Government’s efforts to increase testing. This includes creating a network of Mobile Testing Units which will travel the country to reach essential workers at sites where there is a demand for testing.
“These units, operated by personnel from all three services, are deploying across the UK with soldiers taking swabs from key workers, including NHS and care home staff. A mobile testing unit is currently in Hereford at Merton Meadow car park.
“The units have been designed to clinical requirements by Army engineers and can be easily set up in under 20 minutes. The new mobile units will work alongside the drive-through test sites to rapidly increase the number of tests completed each day.”