Home Community and neighbourhood Latest advice and service updates

Latest advice and service updates

Information here will be updated regularly

Statement from Leader of South Kesteven District Council, Cllr Kelham Cooke

The Prime Minister has announced the first easing of the country's Coronavirus lockdown and outlined the Government's road map for further lifting of restrictions over the coming months.

Speaking to the nation he said the starting point for his conditional plan to reopen society was getting people back to work and allowing unlimited outdoor exercise.

He stressed that it was not the time to lift the lockdown in its entirety because of the risk of a second peak, but that small steps could be taken dependent on sustained falls in infections and deaths. Below are the three phases outlined by the Prime Minister.

Phase 1

Unlimited outdoor exercise. You can sit in the sun in your local park, drive to other destinations and even play sports but only with members of your own household.

Those who cannot work from home are being actively encouraged to go back to work after Wednesday, such as those in construction or manufacturing industries, and if possible to do so by car or even better by walking or cycling.

People are advised to wear face coverings on public transport and in shops where it is not possible to social distance. You may meet one person outside of your household provided it is outdoors.

Phase 2

A phased reopening in June of non-essential shops and a staged return of nurseries and primary school pupils beginning with reception, year 1 and year 6.

Sports and cultural events could be held behind closed doors for broadcast, and venues could start facilitating small weddings.

Phase 3

Some of the hospitality sector could start to re-open in July as well as other remaining non-essential businesses, where it is safe, including hairdressers, beauty salons, leisure facilities and cinemas.

It is vitally important that everyone continues to follow Government guidance and observe the rules on social distancing.

We have accomplished a great deal since the lockdown began on 23 March. By working together, we continue to achieve our three priorities of: protecting the health of our staff, our members, and our residents; maintaining our critical services; and supporting our local businesses.

We have done this by working together at a community level, following Government guidance. As the Prime Minister has said, we must move to the next phase slowly, carefully and conditionally, taking small steps to reopen society and reopen the economy.

The Government's conditional plan is dependent upon keeping the rate of infection below 1. This will be constantly monitored, and we will continue to work with our partners locally, regionally and nationally to ensure that we respond rapidly to any changes.

I am genuinely humbled and grateful for the amazing support from our staff, members, community groups, and the army of volunteers who continue to ensure that our most vulnerable are protected and looked after. Because of your efforts, we will come through this with courage and co-operation, and be all the stronger for it.

Keep well and stay safe.

Cllr Kelham Cooke

SKDC has launched a COVID-19 community information hub open 8am-7pm seven days a week, answering requests for help or info from people who are vulnerable or need assistance due to age or ill-health. Call 01476 406177 or 01476 406358 or email SKCommunityHub@southkesteven.gov.uk
New social distancing - staying alert and safe
Click through for Government Guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19.
If you provide goods or services to SKDC

Current Service Status:

Arts Centres and Bourne Corn Exchange

Business Rates

Bus Stations

Car Parks

Cemeteries and Crematoria

Communities and Events

Council and Committee Meetings

Council Tax and Benefits

Customer Services

East Midlands Building Control (EMBC)

Electoral Registration

Environmental Health and Neighbourhoods

Services operating to reduced standards:

Urgent complaints will be investigated, but with restrictions on visits to homes / premises

Public toilets are now open:

Toilets in Abbey Gardens, Wyndham Park Visitor Centre and Dysart Park Buildings, Grantham, are open 9am-4pm seven days a week. Those in Red Lion Square, Stamford, are open 9am-4pm Monday to Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and 7am-4pm on Fridays.

Facilities in Bourne Community Access Point are open 9am-4pm seven days a week, South Street, Bourne, from 9am-4pm seven days a week and in Market Deeping from 9am-4pm Monday to Saturday.

Public safety risk assessments have been carried out prior to the toilets reopening. They will be regularly cleaned, and hand sanitiser will be provided, while signs will be on display to remind users to maintain good hygiene and observe social distancing guidelines.

We now also have available Advice for restarting a business

EXTENDED CONSTRUCTION HOURS

Following the announcement by the government on 13 May 2020 regarding a relaxing of working hours on construction sites to enable greater productivity following the COVID restrictions, South Kesteven supports this approach but would remind developers of the need to balance extended working hours whilst continuing to consider the impact on local residents, some of whom may be working prolonged hours as key workers in the fight against Coronavirus.

If your planning permission contains restrictions on construction working hours, you must make a request to our Planning Team who will consider your request in consultation with our Environmental Health Colleagues and issue a response to you before you begin to operate the extended hours. Please forward any requests to: planningenforcement@southkesteven.gov.uk .

It may also be helpful to Inform local residents, through your websites or by letter drop, of the Government's relaxation and your intended working hours. You may also want to consider offering a complaint helpline should be people feel they are being excessively disturbed. Please remember that the relaxation of working hours does not exempt enforcement action by this authority where a Statutory Nuisance has been established.

Freedom of Information and Subject Access requests

Food Hygiene and Health and Safety

Most services operating to normal standards

Services operating to reduced standards:

Food hygiene and health and safety complaints will be investigated with some restriction on home/premises visits

Government guidance for food businesses
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-food-businesses

We now also have available Advice for restarting a business

Message to Restaurants, Cafes and Drinking Establishments

Restaurants, cafes and drinking establishments (Use Class A3, A4, mixed A3 and A4 and Class AA) can now sell takeaway food for a limited period of 12 months.
It is subject to a condition that the owner notifies the Local Planning Authority if the building and any land within its curtilage is being use, or will be used, for the provision of takeaway food at any time during the relevant period.
The provision of takeaway food includes the provision of hot or cold food that has been prepared for consumers for collection or delivery to be consumed off the premises.
Notification should be made in writing or by email to planning@southkesteven.gov.uk

Guidance for food business deliveries

Covid 19, also known as Coronavirus, has led to some food businesses and others transporting food and offering home delivery services of both hot and cold food and drinks.

To help you to comply with food hygiene regulations and ensure foods and food handlers are safe, we are asking that you follow this guidance:

Protect food from contamination

Keep all food suitably packaged and protected against contamination.
Keep ready-to-eat foods covered. Depending on the type of food, you could use lidded containers, cellophane/aluminium foil tightly wrapped over the plate/bowl of food or bags.
Use food grade disposable containers.
Any raw food (including unwashed, unpeeled fruit/veg) must be completely separated from ready-to-eat food.
Vehicles used for deliveries must be maintained in good condition and clean.
If packaged foods are delivered in outer containers (insulated boxes/trays/boxes, etc) these must be cleaned and disinfected between deliveries.
Any returned containers must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to re-use. Upon collection returned items should be placed in a dedicated tray/box for transport back to the business premises.

Allergens and Labelling

You must provide accurate allergen information for customers. List ingredients and highlight ones containing any of the 14 regulated allergens (nuts, peanuts, eggs, milk, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, cereals containing gluten, celery, lupin, mustard, sesame seeds, soya).
Provide a name/description of each dish.
Provide cooking and storage instructions for each dish.
Provide a use by or best before date for each dish.

Temperature Control

Hot food must be checked to ensure it reaches safe temperatures on cooking/reheating (above 750C) and be hot (above 630C) at time of despatch. This food must be delivered in insulated containers to maintain temperatures and should reach the customer as soon as possible, ideally within 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours.
High risk cold foods must be below 80C (ideally below 50C) at time of despatch and should be delivered as soon as possible, ideally within 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours. The use of insulated containers is advisable.

Personal Hygiene

After each delivery staff must thoroughly sanitise their hands on return to their vehicle and thoroughly clean them with soap and hot water immediately on return to the originating business premises.
Staff must observe high standards of personal hygiene at all times and avoid touching their faces.
Staff should not enter customers' properties and should keep as far away from customers as is possible when handing over the food. Remember, customers could be self-isolating.
Where possible payment should be made when placing the order. If this is not possible staff must sanitise their hands after handling money or other items.

Do I need to notify the Environmental Health department?

Food businesses already registered with us do not need to notify the council's environmental health department but pleaseensure your food safety systems reflect any changes.
If you are not registered as a food business and plan to start selling food (whether for profit or not) on a regular basis (e.g. once a month or more often) you must register 28 days before starting. Register online at www.southkesteven.gov.uk/startup
If you intend to give food away to friends and family, registration as a food business is not necessary but you still need to follow good hygiene practices .
If you plan to prepare or handle food of animal origin, such as meat and dairy products, and supply to other premises, even those within your ownership, as a significant part of your overall business, you may need prior approval instead of registration - contact us for more information .

If you have any queries, please go to http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/ or contact South Kesteven District Council, Environmental Health Services, email: healthy@southkesteven.gov.uk telephone: 01476 406080.

Further food safety guidance can be found on the Food Standards Agency website at https://www.food.gov.uk/

Further Covid 19 (or Coronavirus) information is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance

Grounds Maintenance

Housing (Private Sector)

Housing (Repairs and Homelessness)

Leisure Facilities

Licensing

Markets

Out of Hours / CCTV

Parks

Planning Services

If you are intending to submit a new application, we would encourage you to use the Planning Portal's comprehensive online submission and payment service. Please see our website here for how to apply through the Planning Portal: http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=8169

Applications made directly to the Council by email or post, together with cheque payments, could take much longer to process.

Services operating to normal standards:

Planning Applications, Street Naming and Numbering, Land Charges and Planning Support will continue to be provided as normal.
Planning Committee meetings have resumed.
Processing Applications for temporary changes of use to allow takeaway services during COVID period.
Coordinating requests to extend construction hours on building sites.

Services operating to reduced standards:

Submission and payment for planning applications electronically via the Planning Portal are encouraged. Email and paper applications may take longer to process.
All planning applications are being determined but with restrictions on site visits.
The duty planner service is replaced with telephone appointments.
Urgent enforcement complaints will be investigated but with restrictions on site visits.
Non-statutory site notices are replaced by wider neighbour notification by letter.

Services withdrawn until further notice:

Member training and site visits
Placing non-statutory site notices at application sites
non-emergency site visits for enforcement cases are currently on hold

EXTENDED CONSTRUCTION HOURS

Message to Restaurants, Cafes and Drinking Establishments

Rents (Housing)

Street Cleaning

Support for Business

Waste and Recycling

All SKDC services operating to normal standards

Waste matters

Coronavirus impact on your waste collection service

Given the pace of the coronavirus national emergency, we are reacting on a daily basis to the way we do things and it is understandable that residents have questions about how this affects their waste and recycling collections.

At present there is no change in the way we collect and empty your bins and we are working hard to do what we can to maintain this essential public service. We continue to operate our rounds as we have always done, taking every care to ensure our customers' and our crews' safety and welfare.

This could change, however, and we will ensure that we update you as soon as possible. If government guidance changes or we don't have enough crew for a specific round, we will make you aware of that as this may mean that we need your support to enable us to collect the bins at a different time or day. Whilst we will seek to redeploy staff from elsewhere in the council first, there may come a time when we have insufficient staff, through their own illness or the need to self-isolate, to fulfil all our collections and duties.

Our collection crews take every precaution they can and wear protective gloves when collecting your bins, so we are asking you to wash your hands before relocating your bin, wipe down the handle and wash your hands after moving it.

We have taken note of comments on social media about three crew members being in the cab of a refuse lorry. We assure you we are closely monitoring the national guidance and taking sensible precautions to ensure their welfare. Our arrangements are being informed by the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum and include promoting hand washing, high levels of personal hygiene, the wearing of personal protective gloves and clothing and being highly vigilant in respect of the monitoring of COVID-19 symptoms.

The collection of black bin household waste is our priority, but it may be that we must divert colleagues away from other tasks to achieve this.

If this happens we will do everything we can to make customers aware of any impact, through our website, social media channels and the media.

Side Waste (additional bags)

We have been asked whether we will be taking side waste at this time.

We appreciate that with more people being at home for longer, residents may see additional accumulation of extra waste and recycling. But in order to ensure the service continues to run as smoothly and efficiently as possible, we are unable to take any side waste with your black bin at this time.

We ask that you try and maximise capacity in your bins at home by crushing down packaging as small as possible and using a home composting bin (if you have one) to dispose of as much vegetable and garden waste as possible.

Recycling

Please remember to only recycle the items allowed in your silver bin:
http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=9021

Help us protect our staff so we can continue our service for you

Please help us continue our service and protect our staff by following the guidance below for households displaying coronavirus symptoms:

any personal waste (such as used tissues and disposable cleaning cloths) from households should be stored securely within rubbish bags
these bags should be placed into another bag, tied securely and kept separate from other waste
this should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your black bin

It is extremely important that tissues are NOT put in recycling bins or wastepaper bins.

By taking these actions you will help the refuse teams remain safe and continue to provide the normal level of waste collection services for as long as possible.

Garden waste should, as usual, not be put in your general waste bin/bags. It should be put in your garden waste bin or taken to a HWRC, when they reopen.