Police and environment agency staff have moved in to stop further damage being done to a protected river, after what one witness described as one of the most egregious acts of ecological vandalism in 25 years.
A mile-long stretch of the River Lugg outside Kingsland, near Leominster in Herefordshire, has been flattened by a bulldozer. Trees have been felled, the river straightened and the river bed damaged.
Guy Linley-Adams, a lawyer for the charity Salmon and Trout Conservation, who lives nearby, witnessed the destruction to the river, which is protected as an SSSI, site of special scientific interest.
He called for prosecution of those responsible. “This is one of the most egregious acts of ecological vandalism that I have seen in 25 years of working on rivers in the UK,” he said. “I have been on site and I am shaking with anger at what has been done to my local river.
“There can be no excuse if the perpetrator is not now prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. His financial assets should also be taken to pay to restore the river, a restoration that will take decades.”
Damage at the River Lugg. Photograph: Herefordshire Wildlife Trust/PA
Environment Agency staff, West Mercia police, officials from Natural England and the Forestry Commission moved in to stop further damage on Friday.
Dave Throup, the area environment manager for the Environment Agency (EA), said: “We are treating this very seriously along with Natural England and the Forestry Commission, who have taken immediate action in an attempt to prevent any further works at the site. We are mounting a wide-ranging investigation with Natural England, the Forestry Commission and other partners. We are unable to comment further at this stage.”
Throup tweeted: “Fourteen specialist officers from the Environment Agency, Natural England, Forestry Commission, West Mercia police and Herefordshire council now on site gathering information and evidence.”
Critics said more should have been done to halt the destruction last week, on 26 November when the EA was first alerted to activity taking place on the river bank. It is understood the event was designated a category 1 incident; an event which has a serious, extensive or persistent impact on the environment.
But it was not until significant damage had been done that the EA and other officials used their powers of entry to stop the destruction, which environmentalists said would take decades to repair.
The river is protected as it is an important habitat for salmon, otters, lamprey, dragonfly and crayfish. The protection also covers the way the river meanders through the countryside. But after several days of activity, the river banks have been flattened, gravel has been scraped from the riverbed, and the gentle curve of the river has been straightened.
Helen Stace, the chief executive of the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, said: “A large stretch of one of the UK’s most important rivers, the Lugg, has been devastated with dire consequences for wildlife and water quality downstream. This is a tragedy.
“This is a crime against the environment. Swift action needs to be taken and we want to see the authorities investigate the matter swiftly. We expect this case to be dealt with in a serious and robust manner and any resulting prosecution should act as a deterrent to prevent anyone committing this type of crime ever again. We will also be calling for restoration of the river to its natural channel.”
TV gardener Monty Don, who lives in near Leominster, told local newspaper the Hereford Times: “It breaks my heart but is all too typical of the ignorance, arrogance and sheer wanton destruction of those privileged to care for our countryside.”
A close friend of the prime minister and his fiancee was given an official position at the Home Office without the role being publicly advertised, a freedom of information request has revealed.
Nimco Ali, who is reportedly godmother to the son of Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson, was appointed adviser on tackling violence against women and girls in October.
Information released under the Freedom of Information Act to The Critic magazine revealed that she was hired via a “direct appointment process”, without open competition or advertisement for the job.
It appears the role may have been created for Ali, with no mention of it before her appointment. She is paid £350 a day and works two days a month.
Ali is a prominent campaigner against female genital mutilation (FGM), which she was subjected to at the age of seven.
She arrived in Britain as a four-year-old refugee from Somalia and went on to co-found the non-profit Daughters of Eve, and later the Five Foundation – a global campaign to end FGM. She was made an OBE in 2019 in recognition of her work.
Following her appointment to the advisory position, she said more needed to be done to combat violence against women.
Although she stood as a candidate for the Women’s Equality party in 2017, Ali has campaigned for the Conservatives in recent years, becoming a close friend of Carrie Symonds and a vocal supporter of Boris Johnson.
The government said Ali had been appointed to help create a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls that is due to be released in 2021.
The strategy is designed to ensure that victims of gender-based violence receive better support and perpetrators are more effectively targeted. It is also intended to improve the government’s handling of “new and emerging forms of violence”, including upskirting and revenge porn.
A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that she had been hired “via a direct appointment” to lead a short-term project, and said the Cabinet Office Public Appointments Policy team had agreed her appointment.
“Nimco Ali has a strong track record of campaigning on violence against women and girls’ issues, raising awareness and educating people about female genital mutilation,” the spokesperson said. “She brings a huge amount of experience and passion to this role, providing independent advice to help inform government policy and challenge the status quo.
“Direct appointments with no competition are standard for short-term advisory roles and follow an established process.”
Lympstone resident Joel Teague has launched Co Charger, a new platform enabling those who do have electric car chargers, whether motorists, businesses or community buildings to share them with neighbours who don’t.
‘Five years ago a neighbour in Lympstone convinced me, a card-carrying petrolhead to get an electric car,’ explains Joel. ‘The car arrived but my charger was delayed and I found myself giving that same neighbour a few quid to use their charger once a week until mine arrived. It led to a lightbulb moment where I thought of all the people blocked from getting an electric vehicle because they live in a flat or terraced house and don’t have anywhere to charge. It prompted me to launch Co Charger, a ‘matchmaking’ app connecting hosts with a charger with neighbours who want somewhere to charge, helping to create cleaner, greener neighbourhoods and fight climate change. Most importantly, it also means that those who would love to have an electric car will finally be able to buy one – confident in the knowledge that they can charge reliably and economically with a local host.’
The app handles communications, bookings, reminders, calculations and payments. Hosts can set the price they’d like to charge for the service and have the option to make extra income.
Joel, who has lived in Devon for 12 years and used to be a project manager for the Met Office says, ‘Devon – and Exeter in particular was always the perfect place for Co Charger to be created. It has one of the highest levels of EV ownership in the UK plus a wonderful community culture and hunger for innovation. Co Charger was launched under lock down in April, but we have a great team based in the South West working and communicating online to develop and launch the business.’
The Co Charger app is free to download and there are no subscriptions. Hosts can be private individuals or any organisation with an electric charger, such as a community centre, church hall or doctors’ surgery. For more information check out Co Charger.
About Co Charger
Co Charger is developing a community that will help accelerate electric vehicle adoption. Through our app and collaborations we enable people who cannot charge a vehicle at home to do so within a short walking distance.
Co Charger is an environmentally and socially responsible company and aiming to become a B corporation certified organisation.
Co Charger is affiliated with the Co Cars family which also includes Co Bikes and Co Delivery. Together we are accelerating towards a shared, zero-emissions future.
Evidence of damage or defects have been found in 4,000 out of around 9,000 bridges and large culverts, according to Highways England data released under freedom of information laws.
Some 858 had at least one crucial section in a ‘very poor condition’ that could put them at risk of failure, The Times reported. The revelations follow the closure of Hammersmith Bridge after years of neglect.
The West London crossing – which is not owned or maintained by Highways England – is not expected to re-open to traffic until 2027, four years later than planned.
The fiasco has attracted international ridicule and fuelled concern over the state of Britain’s crumbling road infrastructure.
Two people look at Hammersmith Bridge last month after it was shut because of concerns it was structurally dangerous
Highways England released details of bridge defects after an 18-month battle with the UK’s data protection watchdog. They had tried to prevent details being revealed on the grounds it could help terrorists commit an attack.
Today, the organisation insisted that a rating of ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ does not mean that a structure is unsafe – rather that it is to record a visual inspection, such as the paint condition, to help plan for future maintenance.
By numbers: Highways England and its bridges
Highways England is responsible for maintaining:
8,857 bridges and large culverts (8,249 excluding non-road bridges)
2,276 small span structures (1,143 having span >=1.5m)
9,392 road bridges in total
‘Principle’ inspections in the past financial year:
1,223 on bridges and large culverts (1,136 excluding non-road bridges)
168 on small span structures (all having span >=1.5m)
‘General’ inspections in the past financial year:
2,742 on bridges and large culverts (2,551 excluding non-road bridgess)
688 on small span structures (347 having span >=1.5m)
Sub-standard and/or weight restricted bridges:
95 structures have interim measures such as weight or width restrictions to help them remain fit for service
They said the overall condition of structures has improved over the last five years and that £1.5billion has been earmarked for maintenance up to 2025 – £200million more than in 2015-2020.
However, critics said the findings are cause for concern.
Matt Rodda, the shadow roads minister, told The Times: ‘It is a major safety concern and real failing of this government that so much of the nation’s vital infrastructure is in such poor condition.
‘Bridges are a critical part of the functioning of any country and it is alarming that so many have fallen into disrepair in the UK.’
Highways England’s chief engineer Mike Wilson said: ‘Our roads connect the country and every day millions of people rely on our structures to get safely to their destination. All our structures are safe and regularly inspected.
‘A rating of ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ does not mean that a structure is unsafe; it is simply a way of recording a visual inspection, such as the condition of the paint, to allow us to consider the future maintenance requirements.
‘We carry out more than 10,000 inspections a year looking at a range of measures from the condition of the paint through to the integrity of the materials.
‘Considering all these assessments together helps us assess the overall maintenance needs and reduces the likelihood of emergency repairs, meaning the majority of our maintenance can be planned to minimise disruption.’
Officials insist inspections are in line with guidance in the official ‘Design Manual for Roads and Bridges’, which considers design, age and the maintenance needs.
Inspections carried out of structures look at defects in reinforced concrete, steelwork and other construction materials. Further investigations can then establish the extent and severity of any defects.
Hammersmith Bridge, which is not owned or maintained by Highways England, is not expected to re-open to traffic until 2027
Factors affecting the condition of a structure and its grading can include weathering, climate change, high rainfall, type of structure, materials, overloading, bridge strikes and accidents.
Full data on banding of all structures maintained by Highways England
Critical banding – based on the lowest condition score for the highest importance structural elements and components:
very good – 5,112
good – 5,483
fair – 3,012
poor – 4,331
very poor – 1,123
Average banding – based on the average condition of all the structural elements:
very good – 9,951
good – 6,983
fair – 1,970
poor – 207
very poor – 13
This data covers structures including bridges, culverts, retaining walls, masts and large signs.
Highways England said the overall condition of stock of structures shows that the overall condition has improved over the last five years.
They are spending £1.5billion on structures maintenance over the next five years, which is said to be £200million more than in the previous five years.
Officials said they completed a plan in March 2019 to clear all overdue inspections on highway structures – and some 82 per cent of structures are said to be in a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ condition.
In Hammersmith, the famous Victorian bridge could be re-opened in a year under council plans to build a double-decker crossing over the existing structure.
The cost of fixing Hammersmith Bridge has spiralled to £141million and it is now unlikely to reopen until 2027 – four years later than planned.
The closure of the landmark, which normally carries 16,000 people a day and 22,000 vehicles, has provoked international ridicule and caused misery for local residents.
Ministers are desperate for a solution to re-open the vital crossing amid fear its closure could hurt the Tories in next year’s London mayoral elections.
Hopes were raised last week after the bridge’s owners, the Labour-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council, submitted proposals for a temporary crossing.
The double-decked structure would see the creation of two raised decks built above the road: an upper level for cars and a lower level for pedestrians and cyclists.
Council officials have told Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that they could have the temporary crossing up and running within a year of a contractor being approved.
They say the raised deck would not put pressure on the existing structure and would allow for pedestals, anchors and chains to removed and repaired elsewhere.
Although local residents have welcomed the potential solution, it has provoked scepticism among engineers who fear the Grade II bridge could collapse at any moment.
One of the most well-known bridges managed by Highways Engand is the M48 Severn Bridge. Its structure rating is unknown
The Orwell Bridge, which was opened to road traffic in 1982 near Ipswich in Suffolk, is also managed by Highways England
The structure is so unstable that river traffic has been banned from passing underneath. The last time the Thames was closed was when the river iced up during the Great Freeze of 1814.
The bridge has been closed to traffic since April last year, when inspectors discovered dangerous ‘micro-fractures’ in the brittle cast iron pedestals.
In August, the bridge was closed off to pedestrians and cyclists after the heatwave triggered a rapid increase in the size of the fractures – putting the bridge at risk of sudden collapse.
The council’s proposal of a double deck crossing was drawn up by property tycoon Sir John Ritblat, the former boss of British Land, along with Foster + Partners and specialist bridge engineers COWI.
It is one of a number of solutions being considered by a Department for Transport taskforce. Another proposal, revealed in the Mail, involves the construction of a temporary road crossing running alongside the bridge.
Oak framed car port extension Sandy Hills Rydon Lane Woodbury Exeter EX5 1JZRef. No: 20/2626/FUL | Validated: Tue 24 Nov 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
Boris Johnson’s failure to authorise an inquiry into the controversial approval of a £1bn homes project by his housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, also played a role in the recent resignation of the prime minister’s ethics adviser.
Alex Allan quit his position last month after the prime minister overruled his advice and cleared the home secretary, Priti Patel, of bullying allegations.
Legal and Whitehall sources have revealed, however, that Allan was already concerned that the prime minister had not requested an inquiry to examine the controversy around Jenrick’s backing for a housing development by billionaire Richard Desmond that would help the Tory party donor avoid tax of £45m.
After sitting beside Desmond at a fundraising dinner, Jenrick overruled the local authority Tower Hamlets in east London and the government planning inspectorate to give permission for the development. Desmond donated £12,000 to the party a fortnight after permission was granted.
Johnson had sole authority to request an inquiry into Jenrick’s conduct when the revelations emerged over the summer, a process that would have been overseen by Allan. Jenrick has denied any wrongdoing or bias but admitted his decision had been “unlawful by reason of apparent bias”.
John Biggs, the Labour mayor of Tower Hamlets, said Allan’s apparent disquiet on several issues reflected what he called a “comprehensive ethical vacuum” at the heart of government.
He added: “This doesn’t remotely surprise me. The failure to act shows a more comprehensive ethical vacuum.”
Meanwhile, new polling shows the extent to which Johnson’s decision to overrule Allan’s advice and stand by Patel, despite a report that concluded her behaviour had breached the ministerial code, has harmed the government.
Nearly half (43%) of the British public say their confidence in the government decreased because of its handling of the bullying claims, according to the survey by Opinium with Compassion in Politics.
A fifth of Conservative supporters said that confidence in their own party had been reduced by the issue.
Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, said the Jenrick and Desmond saga exposed the situation whereby the prime minister has the absolute authority to launch misconduct investigations and also has the final say in their outcomes.
Thomas, who was a senior civil servant for 17 years, and was civil service head Jeremy Heywood’s private secretary from 2016 to 2018, added: “It’s important that allegations are investigated and it’s also important that there is an independent oversight. For the health of the system, [the issue] would benefit from a proper investigation without prejudice to the outcome.”
But how was it decided which tier was right for which area? One of the key factors is the rate of coronavirus cases among people over the age of 60.
The BBC has analysed the latest figures for areas with both the highest infection rates among the over-60s, and places where the virus is more common in older people than those younger.
Where are the hotspots?
In the week to 29 November Boston, in Lincolnshire, had the highest number of coronavirus cases among the over-60s, at about 564 per 100,000 people.
This was higher than the rate among people under 60, which was about 515 per 100,000 over the same period.
Among all cases, the area had the third highest infection rate in England. Lincolnshire moved into Tier 3 when the England-wide lockdown ended on Wednesday.
The county seeing the most areas with the highest infection rates in over-60s was Kent.
Swale, Gravesham, Thanet and Medway all had more than 300 cases per 100,000 among the over-60s, with Maidstone recording a rate of 247.
Most of the areas seeing the highest infection rates in older people have even higher rates in those under 60.
However, there have been some places where the opposite was true.
East Northamptonshire had the largest gap between its infection rates among older and younger people.
The rate in older people in the week to 28 November was about 207 cases per 100,000 people, nearly double the rate in under-60s of about 106.
How does the virus spread across age groups?
It is hard to say what causes the virus to spread from one age group to another, as causes can be unique to different parts of the country.
Officials said outbreaks in care homes could account for some spikes in older populations but community transmission has also played a large role.
The virus has been said to move from younger people to older more often. This could be partly explained by the high number of people over 60 receiving care from those in younger age groups.
However, public health teams said the current figures broadly reflected infections acquired as England entered the second national lockdown and could have been a result of last-minute excursions before venues such as pubs and non-essential shops closed.
Why is the government concerned about cases in older people?
The NHS has said although coronavirus can make anyone seriously ill, the risk would increase as patients were older.
Older people tend to have more underlying health conditions, or have received treatment that could make them vulnerable.
Officials have also voiced concerns about the potential impact on hospital capacity if cases rose among the over-60s.
Since the pandemic began many hospitals have had fewer beds available for patients, because of extra safety precautious taken to limit the spread of the virus. In many facilities treatment has been divided into Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 zones.
Higher numbers of cases among older people in particular would usually mean increased critical care admissions.
The knock-on effect of this would be to further reduce hospital capacity to treat non-Covid-19 patients, as hospitals adjusted to cope with the additional strain.
The government’s recent coronavirus impact assessment said if the NHS in a part of the country were to be overwhelmed – if an area had more patients that needed critical care than it had capacity for – this could result in deaths that may have been prevented, had there been fewer patients.
How has this affected the tiers system?
The government has said it looked at several criteria when deciding on what tiers to put each part of England in following the second national lockdown:
Total number of Covid-19 cases in an area
The number of cases among over-60s
The rate at which cases were rising or falling
The proportion of test results coming back positive
Pressure on the NHS
In its assessment of each area it outlined places where it was concerned about the number of infections among older people.
Of the 46 county and wider areas used to assign tiers, 23 were highlighted as having “high” or “very high” case rates in the over-60s.
It based its research on figures covering the two weeks up to 19 November.
Can I see older friends or relatives at Christmas?
Coronavirus restrictions are set to be eased around Christmas, allowing people in all tiers to mix with slightly wider circles of family and friends.
Academics have said seeing friends and family at Christmas may be a real benefit to the mental health of older people during an already difficult time.
But the UK government’s chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has warned people “have to have sense” this year and avoid hugging and kissing older relatives “if you want them to survive to be hugged again”.
“It’s not against the law, and that’s the whole point. You can do it within the rules that are there,” he said. “But it does not make sense because you could be carrying the virus.”
A petition calling upon East Devon District Council to undertake a community governance review of Honiton Town Council will officially be handed in next Tuesday (Dec 8).
It is hoped that the community governance review will dissolve the current council following numerous unsuccessful requests by Honiton residents for the remaining incumbents to resign.
It will then be possible for all candidates wishing to join, or re-join, the council to present their manifestos to the residents of Honiton, who can vote for the candidates they feel have the town’s best interests at heart.
There has been no contested election for the council since 2015 and some councillors have never stood for election.
With a newly elected town council, it will be possible to embrace new ways of working, engage with a larger cross section of our community and encourage new projects that will help create an environmentally sustainable future.
Honiton Forward, who are presenting the petition to EDDC authorities, are a group formed by members of the community who want to see Honiton thrive.
They wish to see properly laid to rest, the negativity that has thwarted the town council, which has been notorious for adversarial behaviour, secrecy, disrupted meetings and allegations of bullying for most of the last decade.
A significant proportion of the town, as demonstrated in over 1,400 signatures on the petition, are unhappy with how Honiton Town Council has and continues to conduct itself and want to see real change and a fresh start for the Honiton community.
Honiton Forward have stressed that their campaign is not specifically political. They believe that current councillors have let the community down and are seeking to bring about an election so that the people of the town can decide who they want representing them.
More on how the government is tackling the logistical problems.
Sarah Neville, Anna Gross and Helen Warrell in London December 2 2020 www.ft.com
Care homes and the over-80s will be in the vanguard of the UK’s coronavirus vaccination programme, after Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the first vaccine against Covid-19, firing the starting gun on one of the biggest and most consequential public health drives since the second world war.
The vaccine developed by BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, in partnership with US pharma giant Pfizer, can now be rolled out in the UK under an emergency use authorisation, but the need to keep it at ultra-low temperatures underlines the huge logistical challenge involved in reaching enough Britons to quell the spread of the virus.
Two other vaccines, one developed by Oxford university and AstraZeneca, and another from the US biotech Moderna, have also proved effective in late stage trials. Both are expected to win approval from regulators in the coming weeks.
“It’s the biggest vaccine programme in history and the logistics are enormous,” said Dr Nigel Watson, chief executive of the Wessex Local Medical Committees.
David Salisbury, until 2013 the senior official in charge of immunisation for the UK government, said the whole world was attempting something without precedent: to persuade large numbers of healthy adults to be vaccinated in order to halt transmission — and the “big unknown” was how the under-65s would respond.
Under current plans, vaccines will be distributed via three main routes. The largest is likely to be GP clinics around the UK, which will offer doses to the roughly 17m “high risk” people who usually receive an annual flu vaccination from their local practice.
Second, several hundred hospital trusts will be responsible for vaccinating healthcare staff and some inpatients. Finally, mass vaccination centres will be used to vaccinate the wider community at a range of venues including the London Excel centre, Epsom racecourse, Manchester tennis club, Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol and the Centre for Life science venue in Newcastle.
The armed forces have stepped in to provide support, sending 56 military personnel to help set up seven sites. Two military planners have also been dispatched to each NHS trust in the country to advise on vaccination logistics.
The NHS plans to take on thousands of extra staff to help with the programme. One person briefed on the process said the full-time equivalent of about 10,000 extra people were being recruited via a health service portal. The insider said successful candidates were likely to only need “first aid skills” rather than full-blown clinical expertise.
As well as paid staff, volunteers will be crucial to rolling out the vaccine. Lynn Thomas, medical director for St John Ambulance, a charity, said the organisation had been asked to supply 30,500 people to support up to 100 mass vaccination centres. About 10,000 of that group would be trained under NHS supervision to deliver the vaccine directly, with the remainder providing first aid and other support.
Under the government plans, vaccinations will first be made available to care home residents and staff, those aged over 80 and to frontline health workers. The first phase will then be extended to younger age groups eventually including all those over 50, and those aged between 16 and 64 with underlying health conditions.
But while age is the principal criterion for when and whether people will receive the vaccine, Wei Shen Lim, who chairs the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation or JCVI, added on Wednesday that decisions about how to allocate the vaccine in local areas should pay attention to “mitigating health inequalities”. Societal factors such as occupation, household size, deprivation and access to healthcare have all been shown to increase susceptibility to Covid-19, with members of some minority groups at greater risk of developing serious symptoms.
Some public health professionals have raised concerns that the logistics of distributing the Pfizer vaccine — which has to be stored at -70C, transported on dry ice, and used within 5 days of being removed from the ultra-cold freezer — may be too onerous for GPs and care homes.
Martin Marshall, chair of the royal college of GPs, said there was still considerable uncertainty around which vaccines doctors would be allowed to administer, and when. “At the moment we’re hearing it’s too complicated and there are too many risks,” he said, pointing to concerns that the vaccine might diminish in effectiveness after being taken out of ultra cold storage. “You risk wasting a lot and we can’t afford to waste any.
“The general feeling is, why would you take those risks when all you have to do is wait a bit longer and get a vaccine without the same requirements,” Prof Marshall added, alluding to the Oxford university and AstraZeneca vaccine, which is stored at between 2C and 8C and has a six-month shelf life.
Prof Lim at the JCVI acknowledged that the storage requirements for the vaccine could affect the ability to use it in care homes. The JCVI has said that every effort must be made to supply the shot to care home residents but “whether that is actually do-able is dependent on deployment and implementation”, he added.
Speaking alongside Prof Lim, Munir Pirmohamed, who chairs the Commission on Human Medicine Expert Working Group, said the fact that the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was stable for five days when refrigerated at between 2C and 8C would allow doses to be “transported to the relevant implementation sites”.
A further challenge for the UK government is that some people may press for the most protective vaccinations. Prof Salisbury, the former immunisation official, pointed to the 62 per cent efficacy shown in all-age trials of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, compared with about 95 per cent for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna versions. It was “unfortunate” that the vaccine the UK had bought in the largest quantities “appears to be from the lower efficacy product”, he said.
“If you protect 95 per cent of those vaccinated, that’s great. If you only protect less than two-thirds of those you vaccinate that’s not so good. You are protecting a third fewer people and therefore the challenge to interrupt transmission with a lower efficacy vaccine is even higher,” Prof Salisbury added.
Children who currently get free school meals and their families can redeem the vouchers in major supermarkets over the school holidays. Arrangements are being made for families who cannot get to a supermarket. Eligible children in pre-school and young people in sixth form colleges will also receive the vouchers.
One million pounds is being spent on the scheme at Christmas, and a further million in the February half-term and at Easter. The government caved into providing cash to councils for food vouchers after a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.
Devon’s Cabinet member for communities, Roger Croad, said: “We are enlisting the help of our schools in publicising this to families and alerting us to anyone they feel might miss out and I am very grateful to them for their help and support.
“In addition to issuing the vouchers to families directly, we’ll also be providing them to our Early Help teams, children’s centres, food networks and district councils who will be able to help vulnerable families who may not be eligible for free school meals.”
Mr Croad said the county council was working with local council partners in Team Devon to ensure vulnerable families do not slip through the net.
In addition, the council is working with the Devon Community Foundation to set up food networks across the county with at least one in every district. Food networks will include community kitchens, charities, cafes and pubs who will be asked to provide food for those in need.
Mr Croad said: “We have seen an overwhelming response from communities and voluntary and community organisations already this year.
“An investment in these emerging networks and the great organisations within them will provide timely and much-needed funding and co-ordination.”
Mr Croad said Devon had received just over £2 million from the Government to fund the operation. He said 80 per cent of that was being spent on food with funding also available to support household costs such as heating, cooking and lighting for the most vulnerable families.
The county had already committed £1.7 million towards combating hardship, particularly for those families who had been worst affected by the pandemic, and this fund was being administered by Devon’s district councils.
He praised officers who had worked swiftly with partners to bring the programme together and he said he was hoping most vouchers would be issued by the second week of December. Parents and carers of children currently receiving free school meals will be sent letters and emails from 7 December) with information about how to access their vouchers.
Many families in Devon have seen their financial circumstances change due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. People who didn’t previously qualify for free school meals but whose income has recently reduced or stopped, can apply online through the Devon County Council website which can also be used to check eligibility. The council’s education helpline is on 0345 155 1019.
Durham police have confirmed for the first time they are assessing a dossier from a former senior prosecutor that says Dominic Cummings should face charges over his account of his movements during lockdown.
For months Durham constabulary has refused to investigate the prime minister’s former chief aide beyond the three-day inquiry it conducted in May. But on Friday it said officers were examining new evidence submitted in a 225-page dossier more than a month ago.
The documents, compiled by lawyers for the former north-west chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, allege that Cummings perverted the course of justice in relation to his Downing Street rose garden statement about his journeys to the north-east of England in March and April.
The Met police, which also received the dossier and was urged to investigate, told Afzal’s lawyers that the issues raised were matters for Durham constabulary – “notably the allegation of perverting the course of justice”.
Durham police has not ruled out charging Cummings for perverting the course of justice. A spokesman for Durham constabulary said: “A report was submitted to Durham constabulary at the end of October and we are continuing to consider its contents.” It is understood that a senior investigating officer has been appointed.
This marks a change in approach from the force, which had said nothing publicly about Cummings since a 391-word press release issued on 28 May following a three-day investigation in to Cummings’s movements.
That statement said Cummings may have breached lockdown rules by travelling to Barnard Castle on 12 April, but the force decided to take no further action and it made no finding on his decision to leave London for Durham.
At the time the force also said there was “insufficient evidence” that Cummings travelled to Durham a second time on 19 April, as initially one witness told the Guardian and the Mirror. In his rose garden statement Cummings claimed he had evidence that proved he was in London that day. Boris Johnson told MPs that he had seen that evidence, but No 10 has refused repeated requests to release it.
In August the Guardian and the Mirror revealed that four people had claimed seeing someone they believed to be Cummings in woods near Durham on the morning of 19 April. They included Dave and Clare Edwards, who gave statements to the police about the sighting at the same time Cummings was giving his rose garden statement.
The submissions from Afzal’s lawyers said Cummings’ account appeared to have influenced Durham constabulary’s initial investigation. It included statements from witnesses, including the Edwardses, which questioned the conclusions of Durham police about Cummings’ movements. It also included statements from at least three people in Barnard Castle, which raised doubts about Cummings’ claim that he was only there for 15 minutes and strayed no more than 15 metres from his car.
The dossier also accuses Cummings and his wife, Mary Wakefield, of multiple offences under the coronavirus regulations for leaving their primary home in London and their second home in Durham without, it says, a reasonable excuse.
Afzal said: “It appears that, to their credit, Durham police have taken seriously the evidence and allegations contained within our report, including the very serious allegation that he perverted the course of justice. We remain concerned that nobody should be above the law and police and prosecutors should follow wherever the evidence takes them.”
Last month Cummings resigned as Boris Johnson’s chief aide, following an internal Downing Street feud about his influence.
In a letter sent out across England’s primary care networks, NHS England and NHS Improvement warned the “scale and complexity” of the immunisation programme would make it “one of the greatest challenges the NHS has ever faced”.
The letter was signed by Dr Nikita Kanani, medical director for primary care at NHS England and NHS Improvement, and Ed Waller, director of primary care. “It is crucial we start to activate local vaccination services to allow priority patient cohorts to start accessing the vaccine,” it said.
The vaccination sites must be ready to administer 975 doses of the vaccine to priority patients within three and a half days of delivery on 14 December.
Speed is of the essence with the vaccine, as it is usually stored at -70C and will only remain stable at fridge temperatures of between 2C-8C for a limited period. There are 975 doses in each of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine packs, which has posed a logistical problem of how they can be broken up and distributed to other key sites, such as care homes.
The first people to receive the vaccine in the centres will be those aged 80 and over, as long as their other risk factors, “clinical or otherwise”, have been taken into account.
NHS England and NHS Improvement said the number of vaccination sites in each clinical commissioning group (CCG) area will vary according to the number of residents it has who are over 80. CCGs have been asked to consider inequalities and deprivation – some of the biggest Covid-19 risk factors – when choosing the sites.
Each centre will also be supplied with “IT equipment necessary to deliver the programme and a fridge”, the letter said.
It added: “We will be writing to sites identified as part of wave 1 on Monday, setting out full details of vaccine supply dates, delivery of other consumables and equipment to the site, and the process for assuring readiness before delivery of vaccines.”
It said staff at the vaccination sites would be provided with training, and be “given full support to mobilise within the timescale”.
The staff at the first sites to open are due to get login details for the IT system set up to deliver the vaccination programme “as soon as possible”.
CCGs were told they must “offer all possible assistance” to the vaccine sites as the programme gets under way, including helping them with logistics and setting up clinical waste arrangements.
They were also warned that while urgent care must be provided by GPs even when the vaccine is being delivered, the vaccination programme must be their top priority.
Senior company executives are among travellers set to be exempt from Covid-19 quarantine restrictions for international arrivals in England, meaning they will not have to self-isolate for up to a fortnight.
Recently signed elite sportspeople, performing arts professionals, TV production staff and journalists will also not have to abide by quarantine restrictions if arriving from a country outside of England’s travel corridor from 4am on Saturday.
Announcing the move on Twitter, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said “high-value business travellers” would be exempt from quarantine rules in an effort to boost the economy, “subject to specific criteria being met”.
It is understood that the exemption will apply to senior company executives, such as directors or their equivalents, either returning or travelling to England who can deliver “significant” economic benefit. They will only qualify for the exemption if their work requires them to be there in person.
Currently, travellers coming from non-exempt nations have to quarantine for two weeks, but as of 15 December people will be able to pay for a private coronavirus test to reduce their isolation time to as little as five days, as long as they return a negative result. The new “test to release” regime comes after months of lobbying by the struggling airline industry.
Senior executives classed as bringing “significant” economic benefit are understood to include those whose work creates or preserves 50 or more jobs for either an existing UK-based business or a new UK business within one year of their arrival.
Shapps tweeted: “New Business Traveller exemption: From 4am on Sat 5th Dec high-value business travellers … will no longer need to self-isolate when returning to ENGLAND from a country NOT in a travel corridor, allowing more travel to support the economy and jobs. Conditions apply.”
He added: “From 4am on Sat 5th Dec certain performing arts professionals … TV production staff … journalists and recently signed elite sportspersons will also be exempt, subject to specific criteria being met.”
Giving additional detail, the Department for Transport published information on the government’s website stating that from 4am on Saturday “individuals undertaking specific business activity which would deliver a significant benefit to the UK economy – including activity that creates or preserves 50+ UK jobs – will no longer need to self-isolate when travelling or returning from non-exempt countries. Individuals will only be exempt when undertaking the specific business activity and will only be able to meet with others as required by that specific activity.”
It added: “Exemptions will also come into force at the same time for domestic and international performing arts professionals, TV production staff, journalists and recently signed elite sportspersons, ensuring that industries which require specific, high-talent individuals who rely on international connections can continue to complete their work.”
The DfT said Public Health England “do not anticipate these changes will raise the risk of domestic transmission, due to the protocols being put in place around these exemptions, however all exemptions will remain under review.”
All travellers would still be required to show and complete a passenger locator form when arriving, the DfT added.
An empty 1970s shopping centre in Nottingham could be transformed into wetlands, pocket woodlands and a wildflower meadow as part of a post-pandemic urban rewilding project.
The debate about Broadmarsh shopping centre, considered an eyesore by many, has rumbled on for years. This year it was undergoing a £86m revamp by real estate investment trust Intu when the firm went into administration.
The number of empty shops on UK high streets has risen to its highest level in six years, and as retail giants such as Debenhams and Arcadia Group falter, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has come up with a new model of inner city regeneration: urban rewilding.
The trust wants to bulldoze the already half-demolished Broadmarsh building and turn it into 2.5 hectares (6 acres) of scruffy green space at an estimated cost of £3-4m. The designs were created with Influence Landscape Architects and could set a precedent for what to do with the growing amount of vacant retail space in other cities. “It’s unbelievable to hear that stores like Debenhams are in the position they are in – they’re stalwarts of the city, but it does put out an opportunity,” said Sara Boland, managing director of Influence.
The Broadmarsh post-Covid rewilding scheme would fit in with Nottingham’s ambition to become the UK’s first carbon-neutral city. Photograph: The Wildlife Trusts
Ponds surrounded by reeds, crocus meadows and wet grasslands would attract butterflies, dragonflies and a range of birds including reed warblers and black redstarts, according to the Wildlife Trust, which is calling on people to back its green vision. It will put its plans to Nottingham city council in the coming weeks as the authority canvasses views on what Broadmarsh could become as part of a 10-week consultation process.
The proposed scheme would run counter to the conventional idea of urban parks and instead hark back to what Broadmarsh would have looked like in centuries gone by. “Often open spaces in cities can be manicured and a bit formal,” said Boland. “The idea of this was to have more rewilding, restoring, protecting – this kind of connectivity, so the zones we then developed were about foraging, pond dipping and protecting species.”
Nineteenth-century maps helped architects get a clear picture of what this part of Nottinghamshire once looked like – a fertile garden area covered in fruit trees. Old street names include Pear Street and Peach Street; those fruits would be grown in the park to reflect its heritage. Crisscrossing the park would be walkways based on centuries-old street layouts.
Nottingham Wildlife Trust has long wanted to create green corridors in this area of the city to connect it to Sherwood Forest to the north. It has put up nest boxes on many buildings close to Broadmarsh to encourage black redstarts, which used to live in the city but are now rarely seen.
“We’ve actually spent quite a bit of time over the past 20 or 30 years looking at various redevelopment proposals for this part of the city and for the Broadmarsh centre. We’ve submitted ideas for roof gardens and new avenues, all sorts of greener features,” said Erin McDaid, head of communications and marketing at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. “We feel this could be a real opportunity for the city to stand out from the crowd as cities across the UK look to recover their economies and find a new direction for urban centres.”
The Broadmarsh centre was opened in 1975, in an area of the city designed with drivers in mind. Now times are changing, said Nottingham resident Ewan Cameron. “I don’t think people really want [a shopping centre]. It’s kind of a 90s style of thinking … Broadmarsh felt like a place that people used to walk through, but there was no sense of community, no sense of life.
“Anyone coming into Nottingham on the train would have to pass by it before they reached the city centre, and it was just this horrible, ugly building with no windows. It was very unwelcoming,” he said. When Intu went into administration five months ago, Cameron started a petition to turn the unloved shopping centre into green space. It struck a chord with many people, and already has 10,000 signatures.
The Broadmarsh centre was in the process of being demolished but work had to stop when the company developing the site went into administration. Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian
Last year Nottingham city council won the Guardian’s public service award for its ambitious policies to become the UK’s first carbon-neutral city. The city met its 2020 target to reduce carbon emissions by 26% four years early and the energy consumption of council buildings has fallen by 39%. A green development would show the city’s commitment to securing 30% of land for nature by 2030, the Wildlife Trust says.
David Mellen, Nottingham city council leader, said the conversation about the Broadmarsh site had captured people’s imagination. He said: “It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine a significant space right in the heart of one of the country’s core cities and build a new vision for urban areas following the coronavirus pandemic that is people centred and green but also leads to jobs and housing, improving quality of life.”
Cameron said he was “blown away” by the new designs. “It’s a chance for people to rethink how cities work and how we can design cities to make people’s lives better, rather than a place to shop,” he said.
“I hope the council will genuinely listen to people and I hope they haven’t made their mind up already and this isn’t a box-ticking exercise.”
Anderson, who has led Liverpool for a decade, was one of five men arrested across Merseyside on Friday in an investigation into building and development contracts in the city. He is being interviewed by police on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.
Merseyside police have not named any of the men arrested, but the Guardian has been told by several sources that the 62-year-old mayor is one of those being held.
A Liverpool city council spokeswoman said: “Liverpool city council is cooperating with Merseyside police in relation to its ongoing investigation. We do not comment on matters relating to individuals.”
The others arrested are: a 72-year-old man from Aigburth, on suspicion of witness intimidation; a 33-year-old man from West Derby, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation; a 46-year-old man from Ainsdale, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation; and a 25-year-old man from Ormskirk, on suspicion of witness intimidation.
Sources said Anderson had been suspended from the Labour party in light of his arrest. A former social worker and publican, he has led the city since 2010 and has been mayor since 2012. He has been a councillor in Liverpool for 22 years and leader of the Labour group since 2003.
He ran unsuccessfully to be the mayor of the Liverpool city region, a post won by the former Labour MP Steve Rotheram, and to be an MP for Liverpool Walton in 2017. Last year he secured the Labour party selection to run to be mayor of the city for a third term in May’s delayed elections.
Anderson’s eldest brother, Bill, died in October after contracting coronavirus. The mayor has spent most of 2020 shielding at home due to underlying health conditions.
The government has quietly cut £1 billion from the rail infrastructure investment budget, effectively cancelling improvement schemes across the country.
The austerity comes after the Chancellor promised “record” infrastructure investment, and casts doubt on Tory claims to be “levelling up”.
The rail industry warned that the austerity meant it was now “unclear what schemes will be going ahead and what will not be”.
Network Rail’s budget for 2019-24 had been set at £10.4bn but it has now fallen to just £9.4 billion, rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris announced this week.
The government did not mention the cuts in the spending review documentation unveiled by Rishi Sunak earlier this month.
The reductions come at a time of record low interest rates on government borrowing, meaning investment is cheaper than ever.
But some small-state Conservatives are concerned about the level of spending and investment during the coronavirus crisis and want the government to reduce its spending.
Despite reducing public investment in the network, since the start of the pandemic government has spent £3.5 billion in day-to-day support for private train operating companies to keep the trains running.
The cuts, which was only revealed in a reply to a parliamentary written question, will affect smaller local schemes and are unlikely to land on projects like HS2 or Northern Powerhouse Rail, which are government priorities.
Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “Recent confirmation, following the Spending Review, that rail enhancements investment will reduce by more than £1 billion over the current five year funding period, is very disappointing.
“Rail enhancements are essential in ensuring our rail network is fit for the future, improving reliability, connectivity, customer experience and helping to reduce carbon emissions.
“Taking our foot off the pedal now on rail investment will not help for when passengers return following the Coronavirus pandemic.
“The rail industry still doesn’t have sight of what rail enhancement projects are coming up – we were told earlier this year that there are more than 80 projects in the Government’s Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, yet with the news today that there is over £1 billion less in the funding pot, it is unclear what schemes will be going ahead and what will not be.”
In a written answer to a parliamentary question about Network Rail’s budget, Mr Heaton Harris, the rail minister, said: “Network Rail’s operations, maintenance and renewals budgets have not been changed as a result of Spending Review 2020 and workbanks will continue to be based on the five-year regulatory funding settlement for 2019-2024.
“The Spending Review settlement means that the comparable figure for the enhancements budget over the same period would now be £9.4bn. As part of SR2020 over £2 billion of funding has been confirmed in 2021-22 for rail services and builds on the estimated £12.8 billion of support for transport services that the government has already committed to provide in 2020-21
“The Spending Review Settlement includes over £58 billion of investment confirmed for road and rail transport between 2021-22 and 2024-25, delivering some of government’s largest capital portfolios and levelling up across the country. This includes record investment in strategic roads and rail.”
The number of new coronavirus cases confirmed across Devon and Cornwall has fallen in the previous seven days to the lowest weekly total since the start of October.
[And the MSOA with the biggest cluster of cases is……………………………………….Budleigh Salterton! Who would have thought it. Illicit bridge parties? -Owl]
By the way: (MSOA) Middle Layer Super Output Areas are a geographic hierarchy designed to improve the reporting of small area statistics in England and Wales. Owl is none the wiser.
A total of 1,047 new cases have been confirmed across the two counties – the lowest since the week ending October 2.
But while cases are falling in most areas, Exeter, the South Hams, and West Devon have seen very small rises – the latter two from very low levels of cases – while Torridge’s figures have risen up significantly, although skewed slightly by a high level of backdating.
Government statistics show that 1,047 new cases have been confirmed across the region in the past seven days in both pillar 1 data from tests carried out by the NHS and pillar 2 data from commercial partners, compared to 1,266 new cases confirmed last week.
Of the 1,047 new cases confirmed since November 27, 146 were in Cornwall, 149 in East Devon, 149 in Exeter, 51 in Mid Devon, 95 in North Devon, 165 in Plymouth, 38 in South Hams, 48 in Teignbridge, 67 in Torbay, 94 in Torridge, and 45 in West Devon.
This compares to the 1,266 new cases confirmed between November 21 and 27, of which 232 were in Cornwall, with 180 in East Devon, 141 in Exeter, 59 in Mid Devon, 104 in North Devon, 231 in Plymouth, 33 in South Hams, 73 in Teignbridge, 119 in Torbay, 51 in Torridge and 43 in West Devon.
Of the 1,047 new cases, 756 had a specimen date between November 27 and December 3, with 120 in Cornwall, 114 in East Devon, 104 in Exeter, 40 in Mid Devon, 53 in North Devon, 119 in Plymouth, 29 in South Hams, 43 in Teignbridge, 42 in Torbay, 52 in Torridge and 40 in West Devon.
By specimen date, cases are falling in Cornwall, East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, Plymouth, Teignbridge and Torbay, with Exeter, the South Hams and West Devon flat, but a rise in Torridge.
The number of people in hospital in the South West has fallen in the last seven days, now at 826 from 938 last Friday, and there are currently 60 patients in mechanical ventilation beds, down from 67 as of last Friday.
The number of patients in hospital across Devon and Cornwall following a positive Covid-19 test has fallen in the last week – as Exeter’s Nightingale Hospital has taken in its first patients.
NHS England figures show that as of Tuesday morning (December 1), there were 255 patients across Devon and Cornwall, in hospital after a positive Covid-19 test. This compares to 272 as of November 24.
Patient numbers within hospitals in Cornwall have decreased, as they have at the Royal Devon and Exeter, Derriford Hospital and Torbay Hospital – the latter for the third week running – but there has been a rise in patient numbers at the North Devon District Hospital.
And the Nightingale Hospital in Exeter has taken in its first patients, with 20 occupying beds as of Tuesday, having opened on Thursday, November 26.
The figures show there were 101 patients in the Royal Devon and Exeter (down from 128), 45 in Derriford Hospital in Plymouth (down from 53), 28 in Torbay Hospital (down from 35), 37 in North Devon District Hospital (up from 29), five at the Royal Cornwall Hospital (down from nine), six in Cornish Partnership Trust hospitals (unchanged), while 12 beds at Livewell SouthWest facilities in Plymouth (up from 11) and one bed at Devon Partnership Trust facilities (unchanged) were also occupied, as well as the 20 patients at the Nightingale.
And the number of patients in Mechanical Ventilation beds has fallen as well, dropping from 21 down from 19, with two patients in Torbay Hospital, five at the RD&E, and six North Devon District Hospital and at Derriford Hospital, with none in Cornwall.
The figures show the amount of patients in hospital following a positive COVID-19 test who are currently occupying a bed.
But not every patient would necessarily have been admitted to hospital due to COVID-19, with a number of patients either contracting the virus inside the hospital, or being admitted for unrelated reasons but subsequently testing positive asymptotically when given routine tests.
In the last week, there 22 deaths within hospitals in Devon and Cornwall within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 death, with 10 in Exeter, three in Torbay, eight in Plymouth, one in North Devon, and one in Cornwall.
And while NHS 111 data for Cornwall is slightly up on last week, Devon is down by 10 per cent, and the R-Rate for the South West fallen to 0.7-1.0 from 0.9-1.1
In terms of the latest MSOA cluster maps, that cover the period of specimen dates between November 23 and November 29, Budleigh Salterton (24) and Wonford and St Loye’s (29), are the only areas with a cluster of 20 or more, while Bude and Stratton (17), Pinhoe and Whipton North (16), Barnstaple Sticklepath (17), Barnstaple South (16), Bideford South and East (18) and Holsworthy, Bradworthy & Welcombe (17) have more than 15.
Bradninch, Silverton & Thorverton (7), Ford & Blockhouse Park (14), Woolwell & Lee Mill (9), Starcross & Exminster (10), Ellacombe (11), Tavistock (10) are the areas in the other districts with the highest cluster numbers.
But while cases have fallen in most age groups, they’ve risen in people aged over 80.
Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon (Designate), said: “While it’s really good news that overall cases are falling, the continued rise in cases in the over 80s is still a concern for us. It is therefore absolutely vital that we do our bit to continue to drive down rates in Devon.
“Please follow the Tier 2 guidance. Do not meet up indoors with anyone who is not in your household or in your bubble. And please remember at all times, keep your distance, wear your face coverings when you’re indoors in a public space, and please wash your hands regularly.”
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The COVID-19 cases are identified by taking specimens from people and sending these specimens to laboratories around the UK to be tested. If the test is positive, this is a referred to as a lab-confirmed case.
Confirmed positive cases are matched to ONS geographical area codes using the home postcode of the person tested.
Cases received from laboratories by 12.30am are included in the counts published that day. While there may have been new cases of coronavirus confirmed or people having tested positive, those test results either yet to reach PHE for adding to the dataset or were not received in time for the latest daily figures to be published.
NHS staff will no longer get the coronavirus vaccine first after a drastic rethink about who should be given priority, it emerged last night.
[Owl thinks the order of who gets the vaccine first in the highest priority group will remain very fluid in the early days as the tricky handling procedures are refined in the light of experience]
The new immunisation strategy is likely to disappoint and worry thousands of frontline staff – and comes amid urgent warnings from NHS chiefs that hospitals could be “overwhelmed” in January by a third wave of Covid-19 caused by mingling over Christmas.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “If we get a prolonged cold snap in January the NHS risks being overwhelmed. The Covid-19 restrictions should remain appropriately tough.
“Trust leaders are worried about the impact of looser regulations over Christmas.”
Frontline personnel were due to have the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine when the NHS starts its rollout, which is expected to be next Tuesday after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved it on Wednesday.
However, hospitals will instead begin by immunising care home staff, and hospital inpatients and outpatients aged over 80. The new UK-wide guidance on priority groups was issued by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI) amid uncertainty over when the rest of the 5m-strong initial batch of doses that ministers ordered will reach the UK.
NHS personnel will be able to take the vaccine into care homes to immunise residents later this month if, as expected, the MHRA agrees that the batches of 975 doses it comes in can be subdivided and the stability and safety of the drug be maintained.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the leader of the British Medical Association, said it backed care home residents getting the jab first. However, that means NHS staff will be left at higher risk of getting infected and potentially dying, he added.
“Doctors and other healthcare staff will recognise the need to vaccinate care home residents and older patients first, but will likely be frustrated at the government’s inconsistent messaging changing from yesterday to today.
“In the first wave, we saw far too many health and social care workers become incredibly sick with Covid – with many tragically dying – and therefore those working on the frontline need to be given the opportunity to get protected early,” he said.
NHS bosses have warned the 800,000 doses that comprise the UK’s first consignment from Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in Belgium may be “the only batch we receive for some time”, raising questions about how soon further supplies will arrive and how long frontline personnel and vulnerable groups will have to wait for their two jabs.
The change in priorities came as NHS Providers, which represents health service trusts in England, warned hospitals would struggle to maintain normal care in January if a fresh spike in infections after Christmas leads to beds again filling up with Covid patients, just as they are trying to manage their winter crisis.
NHS Providers and senior doctors made clear their anxiety that the government’s decision to allow up to three households to mix indoors in England between 23 and 27 December may prove ill-advised and backfire, because people will pass the infection on to vulnerable relatives. They pleaded with the public to exercise caution about how they socialise.
Dr Susan Crossland, the president of the Society for Acute Medicine, which represents hospital doctors, said they shared concerns “about the possibility of a Christmas wave of Covid in January, as well as the potent threat of this combined with ‘normal’ winter pressures exacerbated by cold weather”.
“In my opinion the relaxation of rules at Christmas is crass in the extreme. Combined with the bickering among politicians we have seen in recent days over the tiered system, it further weakens the importance of maintaining safety measures,” she said.
The NHS already being “on a knife-edge” due to intense demand and under-staffing means “it is the responsibility of everyone to limit contact and follow safety measures over the coming weeks and months to avoid mass stress burdening the NHS in the difficult winter months,” Crossland added.
One hospital boss said: “Normally people give their elderly relatives colds and flu and respiratory disease over Christmas and they end up in hospital in January. This year that’s more complicated. [There is a] very necessary relaxation over Christmas as people need a break, but recognise that there will potentially be an impact.” Their trust assumes January will be “really tough”, despite the vaccine’s imminent rollout, they added.
The World Health Organization on Thursday also advised that the threat of a “Christmas wave” emerging just after the new year should make people think twice before using the festive break from restrictions to attend gatherings with other people.
“We are looking, many of us, towards the holiday season, towards Christmas, whether it is called a third wave or a Christmas wave,” said Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe. “The question we have to ask ourselves if we are going to come together, or we are thinking about an activity during which transmission can happen, we have to ask the question, is it really necessary?
“Because if the restrictive measures are being eased and the basic public health measures are not adhered to, whatever the country in the region or globally, absolutely there will be again an increase because the vaccine will come too late for this winter.”
A government spokesperson said:“This Christmas, families and friends can meet up in a limited and cautious way thanks to a balanced and workable set of rules. We agreed these UK-wide measures based on scientific and clinical advice on how best to minimise the risks, and following Sage advice we have introduced strengthened local restrictions to protect the progress gained during national restrictions and continue to suppress the virus.”
Meanwhile, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, has raised the prospect of people needing annual vaccination against coronavirus, in the same way they get immunised against winter flu. It is important to have further Covid vaccines available in case revaccination is required, he told the BBC.
“It is really unknowable at this point. But it is very much something that I see now as one of the goals only just over the horizon to get my head around, what if – and if – we will at any point in the future need to think about revaccination,” he said.
This is Derek Johnston, the ‘step-grandfather’ whose death brought Health Secretary Matt Hancock close to tears when he paid an emotional tribute to him in Parliament on Tuesday.
Mr Hancock, 42, was wrapping up a highly-charged debate on the Covid lockdown tiers when he referred to Mr Johnston as his ‘step-grandfather, Derek’ who died last month of the virus.
In fact, Derek was not Mr Hancock’s step-grandfather and their relationship, MailOnline has discovered, was more complex than that.
Former construction worker Derek, 77, was the second husband of Mr Hancock’s stepfather, Bob Carter’s ex-wife, Marjorie.
Mr Carter married the Health Secretary’s mother Shirley in 1984 after she split from Mr Hancock’s father Michael when the MP was six years old.
Mr Carter had been married before to Marjorie Slater, but after their divorce, she married Derek Johnston in 1983.
The fractured and complex family background of the Cheshire-born MP has been thrust into the spotlight by the surprising intervention of Mr Hancock.
Mr Johnston (left and right), who died in Liverpool on November 18, was married to Marjorie Johnston, who is Mr Hancock’s stepfather Robert Carter’s first wife
The family tree shows how Mr Hancock and Mr Johnston are distantly related. The complex nature of his family background was highlighted by the surprising intervention of Mr Hancock
In his speech on Tuesday, Mr Hancock told the Commons: ‘We talk a lot of the outbreak in Liverpool, and how that great city has had a terrible outbreak and got it under control.
‘This means more to me than I can say, because last month my step-grandfather Derek caught Covid there and on 18 November he died.
‘In my family, as in so many others, we’ve lost a loving husband, a father, a grandfather to this awful disease.
‘So from the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you to everyone in Liverpool for getting this awful virus under control.
‘It’s down by four-fifths in Liverpool, that’s what we can do if we work together in a spirit of common humanity.
‘We’ve got to beat this, we’ve got to beat it together.’
Mr Johnston married Marjorie (above) in 1983 after she split from Mr Hancock’s step-father
Mr Hancock’s father Michael, 74, told MailOnline of Derek: ‘He was older me, he was in a home and he had Alzheimers – the usual story. It was just a few weeks ago.’
Asked if the family had managed to see Derek before he died, Michael said: ‘You know that it is like with his dreadful disease, it is very restricting.
‘It is not my side of the family.’
When pointed out that his son was upset talking about Derek’s death in the Commons, Michael added: ‘Matt wears his heart on his sleeve. He is affected by these things.’
Speaking from his home in Tarporley, Cheshire, he went on: ‘My son is the health secretary trying to do a job against a constant barrage of criticism and you cannot appreciate the amount of energy he has.
‘The amount of intellect he has, and he is far cleverer than me, that he puts all this into it.
‘And from my perspective all I see is people moaning all the time.’
Referring to Mr Hancock’s public mention of Derek, Michael said: ‘Presumably it is highlighting the fact that this disease is affecting everybody, nobody comes above it.’
Asked about Derek’s death, Mr Hancock’s mother Shirley said: ‘It’s very sad.’
When asked if her husband Bob was related to Derek, she added: ‘Yes, we’re all in a big family.’
Derek – who worked for construction giant Kier in the north-west for many years – suffered from dementia in later life.
On a tribute page on the ‘much loved’ website, he is fondly remembered by his widow Marjorie and described as ‘a much-loved, devoted husband, dad, brother, uncle, grandad and friend.
‘Derek will always be remembered for his kindness, his loyalty, generosity and his quirky sense of humour.’
In his speech, Mr Hancock told the Commons the outbreak in Liverpool ‘means more to me than I can say because last month my step-grandfather Derek caught Covid there and died’
Donations in his name are invited for the Willowbrook Hospice in St Helens, and four days ago, Bob Carter made a donation, with the Health Secretary and his wife Martha also pledging a sum on Tuesday, the day of his speech in the Commons.
Matthew John David Hancock was born on October 2, 1978 in Chester to businessman Michael Hancock and then wife Shirley Hills.
But by 1982, his father had left Shirley, Matthew and his elder sister Emily to marry Vera Atkin in Chester, who already had a daughter, Katherine from a previous relationship.
The following year, Vera gave birth to Matthew’s half-brother Christopher Hancock, now aged 37.
In October 1984, Mr Hancock’s mother married company director Robert Carter, and the pair went on to found Border Business Systems, an early software company in the north-west.
Later, Mr Hancock, who attended the prestigious £16,500-a-year King’s School, Chester, and won a first in PPE from Exeter Oxford, and a Masters in Economics at Cambridge, would work briefly for the firm.
Border Business Systems is said to have pioneered the ‘address management’ technology which allows people to enter their postcode and choose from a list of addresses.
From 2000 to 2005, father-of-three Mr Hancock worked as an economist for the Bank of England, and soon his meteoric rise through the Conservative Party would begin, becoming a Secretary of State aged just 39.
But there seems to be a bit of confusion or a lack of communication (Western Morning News reports the Sandy Park choice), obviously “work in progress” – Owl
“A system has been approved and the NHS are leading on the subject and not completely up to speed on what they plan to do. Sandy Park is to be used as a one of the major sites in the county, the last thing I knew.”
Sandy Park will not be used as a mass coronavirus vaccination site, Devon County Council has tonight confirmed.
Earlier today, Cllr Roger Croad – Cabinet Member for Community, Public Health, Transportation and Environmental Services – confirmed that detailed planning is underway in Devon for two mass sites to deliver the vaccine.
Cllr Croad said that in addition to the two sites, there will be more localised sites as well, and all of which will be supplemented by the delivery of vaccines in vulnerable settings by local primary care teams.
Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, Cllr Croad said that while the NHS are leading on the roll-out of the vaccine in the county, the last thing he knew was that Sandy Park, the home of the Exeter Chiefs located just off the M5 in Exeter, was going to be used as one of the major sites in the county.
However, Devon County Council has tonight confirmed that after consideration, Sandy Park will not be used as a vaccine site.
A spokesman said: “Sandy Park was one of a number of sites being considered. However, this has now been ruled out. “
Having been asked by Cllr Rob Hannaford to report on pressing issues around vaccinations, Cllr Croad said in his report: “Detailed planning is underway in Devon for Covid-19 Mass Vaccination so a local vaccination programme can commence as soon as the vaccines are authorised for us.
“Two mass vaccination site have been identified by the Devon CCG in additional to more local primary care network sites all of which will be supplemented by the delivery of vaccines in vulnerable settings by local primary care teams. Devon County Council is in active in discussions to ensure that our health and social care staff can be vaccinated.
“There is a comprehensive workforce plan to ensure sufficient staff can safely support the programme, and not negatively impact other services. We expect existing vaccinators, newly recruited and trained personnel, and volunteers to all have a role to play.”
He added: “A system has been approved and the NHS are leading on the subject and not completely up to speed on what they plan to do. Sandy Park is to be used as a one of the major sites in the county, the last thing I knew.”
Steve Brown, Public Health Director (Designate) for Devon, added: “Mass centres are being planned but that is just one route for vaccines, so there will be other routes of going into care homes, GPs, more localised sites, but the undertaking cannot be underestimated as it’s vaccinated the population twice, as its two doses.
“It is a huge task and even when we get the vaccine, the logistics of vaccinating everyone won’t happen quickly but will take months to get through the process for everyone. It is a significant undertaking, not to be underestimated.”
More than 50 NHS England hospitals are ready to start administering the approved Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from next week, with Derriford Hospital in Plymouth on the list.
The UK has so far ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, enough to immunise 20 million people.
14 Warneford Gardens Exmouth EX8 4ENRef. No: 20/2660/FUL | Validated: Fri 27 Nov 2020 | Status: Awaiting decision
