City’s Covid case rate still highest in region
Sunderland Council’s Public Health director has said that she is ‘concerned’ that Sunderland’s Covid case rate has stalled.
The number of cases in the city has stagnated at just over 300 cases per 100,000 people for the past few weeks and remains the highest in the region.
The latest figures show that the case rate has actually risen slightly to 322.6 in the seven days to February 4, from a weekly case rate of 297.8 per 100,000 on January 27.
Gerry Taylor, executive director of public health and integrated commissioning at Sunderland City Council has raised concerns that Covid could be spreading in workplaces across the city.
She said ‘the number of cases is obviously a concern’ and urged people to only go to work if they really cannot work from home.
Ms Taylor said: “We are seeing transmission in the community within and between families as well as some cases in workplaces so it’s really across the city, and I would urge our residents who have done such a brilliant job over the last year of sticking to the rules, to do everything they can to help get case numbers down by following the guidance.
“For anyone who has to go to go out to work, it’s also really important to follow all of the Covid secure guidance when you are there.
"That includes during breaks at work and on your way to and from work too as well as following the hands, face, space guidance to keep yourself and your colleagues safe and help bring rates down.”
Sunderland’s case rate is the highest in the seven Tyne and Wear authorities which make up the LA7 by quite some way.
The city’s case rate is 322.6, the second highest in the region is North Tyneside’s at 217.4 per 100,000 people.
Sunderland’s higher deprivation levels and dense population could be behind the high number of cases, the public health boss has said.
“We are aware that Sun
derland is an area where we are likely to see a higher rate of cases because of the deprivation in some parts of the city,” Ms Taylor explained.
“We also have areas which are densely populated and members of our community with underlying health issues which makes them more vulnerable.
"All of these factors are likely to impact on figures for the city.
“These figures really reinforce the need for us all to redouble our efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
"So I’d ask everyone to be particularly careful about
following the guidance to stay at home if we can, and only go to work if we really can’t work from home.
“We all need to be particularly cautious and pull together as a city to get the number of cases down.”
Covid case rates per 100,000 people for LA7 council areas:
Sunderland: 322.6
North Tyneside: 217.4 County Durham: 211.1 Gateshead: 177.7
South Tyneside: 176.8 Northumberland: 153.5 Newcastle upon Tyne: 145.3
SUNDERLAND ECHO
Sunderland’s mothballed Leamside Line is back in the headlines, with renewed calls for it to be reopened as part of the Government’s upcoming Integrated Rail Plan.
Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson has launched a petition to bolster support for calls on theGovernmenttoreopenthe line in full, easing pressure on the East Coast Mainline and clearing the way to bring the Metro to Washington.
But almost 20 years ago, the line was in the headlines for very different reasons – after more than two miles of track were stolen by thieves equipped with diggers, cutting tools and even jackets from a genuine engineering firm.
In January 2003 – more than a decade after the line closed – workers wearing high- vis jackets started to rip up the disused track.
The crew worked for six days without suspicion, before a genuine railway worker passed the area and realised the work had not been sanctioned and raised the alarm.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the crime was the brainchild of a man from the Midlands, who had even set up his own company to carry out the scam and make off with more than 300 tonnes of track over six days.
The court heard he had used knowledge of the railway industry gained while working for a genuine rail maintenance
firm to pull off the sting. He hired heavy plant equipment and recruited a
work gang from Sheffield to pull up the track and ship it back to South Yorkshire,
where it was to be broken up for scrap.
And he even issued the workers with genuine jackets from his former employer to convince passing members of the public that the operation was legitimate.
Ironically, it was this attempt to divert suspicion that ultimately led to the crime being discovered, as the gang was spotted by a genuine worker from the firm who raised the alarm.
The mastermind was jailed for two years after admitting theft. A second man also pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to 15 months behind bars.
Much of the stolen track was eventually recovered, but had already been cut up and was no longer fit to be relaid.
It is estimated damage caused by the theft meant it could cost more than £800,000 to reopen the line.
City leaders have moved forward plans for a 4.99% council tax rise and officially set out spending plans for Sunderland.
The proposed council tax increase follows Government guidelines and was endorsed at a meeting of Sunderland City Council’s ruling cabinet.
It includes a 3% precept to help fund the demand and cost pressures of adult social care and a 1.99% increase in core council tax.
Final decisions on the 2021/22 budget, including council tax, will be made at the annual budget meeting next month.
If approved, the council tax rise would see a Band A household, into which the majority of households in Sunderland fall, pay less than £1 a week extra towards city services.
Further precepts for police and the region’s fire authority are set to be added to the final council tax bill for both city and parish areas.
As part of the budget proposals, the council is also extending its Local Council Tax Support scheme, which will see eligible households get up to £150 off their bills.
Current estimates are that around 16,500 working age claimants will pay no council tax in relation to next year.
Councillor Paul Stewart, deputy leader of the council, outlined the council tax proposals at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.
“The council has done its best to protect residents from the impact of cuts since 2010,” he said.
“The compound impact of the Government’s significant and disproportionate funding reductions in previous years, combined with unavoidable unfunded cost pressures, means we are once again faced with very difficult decisions.
“Raising council tax is one of those difficult decisions. We do not raise council tax because we want to.
“We need to raise council tax to ensure that we can minimise cuts in services and help support those communities and those individuals most in need.
“Indeed, in its financial settlement, the Government assumes that all councils will raise council tax by the maximum permitted level – in our case 4.99%.
“You will hear the Government say that they are increasing funding for local government – unfortunately nationally over 87% of the increase is to be raised through local council tax.
“In Sunderland, due to our relatively low council tax base, this proportion is lower but is still a significant 59% of the increase that the Government assumes will be available to the city of Sunderland and is being met by its residents.”
Cllr Stewart added the 4.99% council tax rise would represent an increase of 94p per week for a Band A property and despite the proposed increase, the council’s Band D council tax would “still remain the lowest in the region.”
Demand for adult social care continues to grow and the 3% council tax precept is expected to raise around £3million.
For 2020/21 the adult social care budget was £157million and it is the biggest part of the council’s day-to-day spending.
Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of the council, called for funding changes to prevent the Government “passporting the cost of dealing with adult social care” onto residents.
Deputy leader, Cllr Stewart, added that the council, which has had its spending powers reduced by a third since 2010, would continue to lobby the Government for a “true fair funding agreement.”
He said: “The future outlook remains very uncertain.
“There are continued unfunded cost pressures, combined with the ongoing uncertainty with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as significant uncertainty
around the impact of the Government’s spending review, fair funding review and the move to the 75% retained business rates, all of which are scheduled for the medium term.
“Based on the best information we have at this time, and after taking into account proposed savings plans and assumed future council tax increases, there
remains a budget gap of around £35.7million for the three years 2022/23 through to 2024/25.
“Work will, of course, continue to identify a further suite of proposals to address the remaining budget gap in future years and we continue to lobby the Government for a true fair funding agreement for local government that we desperately need.”
The council’s proposed revenue budget for 2021/22 includes savings of around £6.3million.
Council bosses have said the savings aim to minimise further impact on frontline services with around £2.3million of reserves also sidelined to help balance the budget and “limit cuts required in the following year.”
Revenue budget commitments include ongoing funding for environmental and housing services and extra support for young people who are not in education, employment or training.
A 50% reduction in pest control charges for those in receipt of council tax support is also proposed, alongside a £1million “response fund” to help communities recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, a major capital investment programme to bring in new homes, improve infrastructure, and promote economic growth is also part of the budget and the ongoing City Plan for a ‘dynamic, healthy and vibrant Sunderland.’
The final budget will be discussed at a virtual meeting on Wednesday, March 3, which will be live streamed on Sunderland City Council’s YouTube channel.