Liverpool City Region COVID-19 Updates

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Small firms call for:- "most pro-business Budget ever" as UK suffers worst recession on record

NO room for complacency as economy shows green shoots despite recession, says Michael Sandys, FSB Area Leader for Liverpool City Region The Federation of Small Businesses is calling for the:- "most pro-business, pro-self-employed Budget ever" this autumn to protect and drive the growth of struggling small firms hit by the Coronavirus pandemic and Brexit uncertainty. The call follows the latest retail figures from the ONS indicating rising sales across the UK, despite data showing that the UK has officially entered a recession, and that its trade deficit widened to ₤8.6 billion in Q2 of this year.

Michael Sandys, FSB Area Leader for Liverpool City Region, said:- "We need the most pro-business, pro-self-employed Budget ever this autumn, one that lowers the costs of innovating and bringing great goods and services to market and avoids tax rises. Many small firms have been only open for a matter of weeks, but the support that was on hand such as the job retention scheme, incentives like Eat Out to Help Out and access to funds via local authority grants are all going to be closing or wound down over the next few weeks or months, which means that the struggles for small businesses show no end in sight. We are in the midst of the deepest recession on record, and we need the Government to take a proactive approach to how it will support business right across the country. After months of measures to ensure job and business survival, the next stage is about how we can grow once again to aid business and job creation. The green shoots of the economy are visible, but we cannot see these and become complacent, for some firms it will take many months and potentially years to fully recover from this crisis."

Among the measures in its submission to government, FSB is calling for a cut to employer national insurance contributions, backing for the New Enterprise Allowance and Start Up Loans Programme, ambitious investment in our infrastructure networks; not least broadband; more small firms being taken out of the regressive business rates system and the end of a worsening ₤23 billion late payment crisis.

Michael Sandys added:- "More than a million firms have now taken on bounce back loans to see them through this incredibly challenging period. They now need a guarantee that they won't have to start paying them back until they're making a profit. Such an assurance will encourage them to invest and expand today, rather than hoarding cash for fear of what's coming down the line. In 4 months the UK will transition to its new relationship with the EU, but we still have no idea what that relationship will look like. When EU-UK talks having now resumed, we need to see negotiators on all side accelerating their efforts to agree a pro-business deal in acknowledgement of the fact that time is of the essence. It's been encouraging to see UK efforts to strike new trade deals. It's critical that any new UK free trade agreements include a dedicated small business chapter spelling out exactly how each deal will protect and promote the interests of the UK's 5.8 million small businesses."

Sefton Council asked to approve purchase of 100,000 bins for glass recycaling

SEFTON'S Council's Cabinet will be asked to approve the procurement of new wheelie bins for glass recycling, at their meeting on Thursday, 3 September 2020. With the Government requiring some items of recycling waste to be collected separately as part of its new Environment Bill, Sefton Council is planning new, separate glass collections. This is due to the weight of glass collected, which is around 7,000 tonnes annually. Collecting glass separately produces much higher quality material which can be used for closed loop recycling, and used for re-melt rather than aggregate, making it infinitely recyclable into new glass jars and bottles. The quality of the other materials (paper, cardboard and tin cans) collected in brown bins will also be much higher delivering better quality material for recycling, this is vital in improving recycling in the UK, allowing it to be reprocessed in local facilities.

Purchasing 100,000 new, blue wheelie bins will be required to achieve this plan. The cost of this and the updating of the cleansing vehicle fleet will be offset by ₤400,000 of recycling income generated annually over 10 years from the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, as a result of Sefton Council removing glass from its general recycling collections. Peter Moore, Sefton Council's Head of Highways and Public Protection, said:- "This change to collecting glass recycling items would make a positive contribution to Sefton's Climate Change Strategy as well as to the Region's environmental impact. I realise it would mean we are asking residents to separate out their glass items from other recycling but residents across the Borough have been supportive of recycling and our climate change agenda, particularly as it as a way of us keeping down costs too."

In its Environment Bill, which could become law in late 2020, the Government is asking for 1 'core' item of recycling to be collected separately. Having reviewed the core items, due to weight of the product, the ease with which it can be separated and the potential for generating income, Sefton proposed removing glass from the current brown bin collection. If approved the bins would be procured through a competitive process for delivery in February and March 2021. Separate glass recycling collections would start in March and April 2021. Mr Moore added:- "This fits well with other actions we are taking to improve waste storage, collection and recycling. This Autumn we will be providing wheeled bins to approximately 5000 houses that currently rely on black bin bag collections. and, in early 2021 European style, communal bins to approximately 5000 others where a wheeled bin isn't practical."

Peter Moore also thanked Sefton Council's cleansing teams whom he said had made a:- 'sterling effort' to provide the Borough's residents with regular refuse collections throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. Sefton Council's Cabinet meeting will take place remotely in line with social distancing guidelines, at 10am, on Thursday, 3 September 2020. The agenda and papers can be found on the Council's website along with details of how people will be able to watch the meeting online.

Pizza Express restaurants in Formby and Southport to close

SOUTHPORT and Formby's Pizza Express are part of the 73 restaurant in it chain to be marked to be closed by firm. this will be yet another major blow to our local high streets on Merseyside. The closure notice by the chain comes as it struggles under heavy debts, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Pizza Express’ Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, Zoe Bowley has told the media that:- "Unfortunately, the impact of the global pandemic has meant that we have had to make some incredibly tough decisions to safeguard Pizza Express for the long term." She also adding that the decision was:- "protecting the jobs of over 9,000 other colleagues."

The full list of the UK Pizza Express restaurants that are closing down are as follows:-

Aberdeen, Belmont St	Aylesbury	Barnstaple, Three Tuns
Biggleswade	Billericay	Birmingham, Corporation St
Birmingham, Mailbox	Bournemouth, Post Office Road	Bramhall
Bristol, Berkeley Square	Bristol, Regent Street	Bromsgrove
Bruton Place, London	Charlotte Street, London	Chippenham
Dalton Park	Darlington	Dudley, Merry Hill
Earls Court, Earls Court Road, London	Edinburgh, Holyrood	Formby
Fulham Palace Road, London	Glasgow, Princes Square	Glossop
Gosforth	Grantham	Halifax
Hampstead, London	Hatch End	Hereford
Heswall	Ipswich, Lloyds Avenue	Leeds, Crown Street
Leeds, Horsforth	Ludlow	Lymington
Melton Mowbray	Midhurst	Milton Keynes, Hub
Moseley	New Brighton	Newcastle
Newport, Isle of Wight	Newport, South Wales	Northallerton
Nottingham, Goosegate	O2 Finchley, London	Orpington
Oxford, Oxford Castle	Poole	Port Solent
Ramsgate	Reading, St Mary’s Butts	Scarborough
Sheffield, Devonshire Street	Sheffield, The Moor	Shirley
Southport, Old Bank	Staines	Stoke
Stafford	Stourbridge	Sudbury
Torquay	Uxbridge	Wakefield
Walsall	Wapping	Wardour Street, London
Weston-super-Mare	Whiteley Village	Whitstable
Wrexhamt

According to the business’s latest Annual Report, the chain has currently over 470 Pizza Express restaurants within the UK and the rest are overseas. After the closures there will be just under 400 restaurants across the UK.

Total UK cases COVID-19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region

THE total number of UK Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK, has risen by:- 1,184 cases and the total number now stands at:- 327,798, that includes tests carried out by commercial partners which are not included in the 4 National totals.

The number of COVID-19 associated UK fatalities added to the total, was sadly reported to be:- 16 according to the Department of Health. The total number of deaths of people who have had a positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS laboratory is:- 41,449.

The number of COVID-19 patients currently in UK Hospitals:- 834. The current number of COVID-19 patients currently in mechanical ventilation beds in UK Hospitals:- 72. Daily number of COVID-19 patients admitted to UK Hospitals:- 97.

In England, there are a total of:- 283,280 confirmed cases. North West - total of:- 51,708 confirmed cases:-.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases within the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-:-

► Liverpool, 2,797 confirmed cases.

► Halton, 733 confirmed cases.

► Knowsley, 1,069 confirmed cases.

► Sefton, 1,658 confirmed cases.

► St. Helens, 1,269 confirmed cases

► Wirral, 2,126 confirmed cases.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases within Local Authorities around the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-

► Blackburn with Darwen, 1,776 confirmed cases.

► Blackpool, 1,092 confirmed cases.

► Bolton, 2,231 confirmed cases.

► Bury, 1,544 confirmed cases.

► Cheshire East, 2,355 confirmed cases.

► Cheshire West and Chester, 2,124 confirmed cases.

► Lancashire, 7,997 confirmed cases.

► Manchester, 4,098 confirmed cases.

► Oldham, 2,793 confirmed cases.

► Preston, 1,403 confirmed cases.

► Rochdale, 2,171 confirmed cases.

► Salford, 1,732 confirmed cases.

► Stockport, 1,958 confirmed cases.

► Tameside, 1,865 confirmed cases.

► Trafford, 1,620 confirmed cases.

► Warrington, 1,399 confirmed cases

► Wigan, 2,294 confirmed cases

Daily reported COVID deaths are now measured across the UK as deaths that occurred within 28 days of the 1st laboratory confirmed positive COVID test.

Areas within England which are currently in Lockdown or have Enhanced Restrictions imposed on them:-

West Yorkshire...

► Bradford
► Calderdale
► Kirklees

Lancashire...

► Blackburn
► Burnley
► Hyndburn
► Pendle

Greater Manchester...

► City of Manchester
► Trafford
► Stockport
► Oldham
► Bury
► Bolton
► Tameside
► Rochdale
► Salford

Targeted action to control Covid19 cases through further intervention in:-

► Oldham
► Blackburn
► Parts of Pendle

Daily and cumulative numbers of COVID-19 patients admitted to Hospital. Data are not updated every day by all 4 nations and the figures are not comparable as Wales include suspected COVID-19 patients while the other nations include only confirmed cases.

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