The Government has announced who will be able to access free Covid tests once the universal testing offer for the general public stops on 1 April 2022. Free tests will continue to be provided to people who are at risk of serious illness from COVID-19, and eligible for treatments, to use if they develop symptoms. … Continue reading
Surrey County Council is today proposing a new focus and funding boost to tackle an impending mental health crisis. The COVID pandemic has served to intensify the existing pressures on mental health services – making it harder for people to get the support they need. As part of the county’s No One Left Behind agenda, … Continue reading
The UK Health Security agency is leading the investigation into one confirmed case of the Omicron variant in Spelthorne. Surrey County Council and the Borough Council are working closely with UKHSA to ensure that all contact tracing and appropriate Public Health actions, such as increased testing, take place. Ruth Hutchinson, Surrey’s Director of Public Health … Continue reading
Surrey County Council has been allocated an additional £5.3million funding to continue to support Surrey’s most vulnerable households over the winter months. This is part of the Government’s new Household Support Grant. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) announced a new grant of £500 million to be allocated across the UK, running from October 2021 through to March 2022. The grant enables the … Continue reading
Surrey County Council’s Cabinet met this week and the important announcements are summarised below: Covid response Cabinet discussed a report outlining how the council and the Local Resilience Forum responded – and are still responding – to the COVID pandemic. The report looked at the key lessons learned, and how the council can continue to … Continue reading
Surrey County Council’s Cabinet met this week and made a number of important announcements regarding the council’s future plans. These are summarised below: Strategy Cabinet outlined the council’s main strategy as Surrey comes out of the COVID pandemic, and emphasised the four key strategic objectives: Growing a sustainable economy Tackling health inequality Enabling a greener future … Continue reading
Area one is focused around Banstead, Walton-on-the-Hill and Tattenham corner Area two is Reigate town centre Visit the postcode checker for quick reference to see affected areas Extensive surveillance of COVID-19 has identified that case rates in the borough of Reigate & Banstead have been increasing for the past few weeks. This is especially evident … Continue reading
A wide-ranging review of Surrey’s mental health system is to pave the way for a series of improvements to the way that services work together to help residents in need of support. The Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System – a partnership between local NHS services, the county council and others – set up a taskforce … Continue reading
Surrey County Council has been granted further funding from the Government’s Local Covid Support Grant. With many families struggling financially as they come out of lockdown, the Government’s Local Covid Support Grant is there to provide financial support to those most in need. Surrey County Council has received £0.5m from the grant, in recognition of … Continue reading
Update (21 May) – Parkrun has announced a 3 week delay to the restart, with an ambition of events starting on 26 June. Surrey councils will continue to support this aim. Local authorities across Surrey are supporting the return of Parkrun events in the county next month. Parkruns are community running events typically held in … Continue reading
Children’s services at Surrey County Council have been on a “significant improvement journey” and “senior leaders have responded swiftly to the challenges of COVID-19”, according to a letter published by Ofsted following a focused visit in March. The letter states that “a stable senior leadership team and the recently appointed director of children’s services have … Continue reading
Today, 21st April 2021, a new walk-in symptom-free testing site is opening in Guildford, adding to test sites and pharmacies providing symptom-free testing across the county. Twice-weekly symptom-free testing is a key part of the Government’s roadmap, helping to stop the virus spreading as restrictions ease. It also means that Surrey residents can keep their … Continue reading
From Friday, 9th April, all adults in Surrey will be able to collect symptom-free test kits from dedicated collection sites across Surrey. This follows last week’s announcement that Surrey’s symptom-free test sites are now open to everyone over the age of 16. Twice-weekly symptom-free testing is a key part of the Government’s roadmap, helping to … Continue reading
From today, Thursday the 1st of April, anyone over the age of 16 in Surrey can book in for a free rapid test at any of the 26 symptom-free test sites across the county. Alongside vaccination, symptom-free testing is one of the most important parts of the Government’s lockdown exit strategy. Widening the eligibility of … Continue reading
From Friday 2 April, a wider range of materials will be accepted at Bagshot, Cranleigh, Dorking and Warlingham community recycling centres (CRCs). These sites will now accept non-recyclable black bag and bulky wastes in addition to a full range of recyclable wastes. The reintroduction of these materials is aimed at relieving pressure on other CRCs … Continue reading