Andy Boddington

Covid-19

Covid Watch 154: Delta roller coaster continues in Shropshire and Telford as GPs urge younger people to get vaccinated

Rates of detected Covid-19 infections are falling rapidly in England, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. It is not known at this stage whether this is a result of growing herd immunity and high vaccination rates. Undoubtedly both are helping. But we have seen many blips that have proven to be a mirage generated by testing capacity and timing. I hope the fall in rates is genuine and not a resulting of people people having been reluctant to get tested during the pingdemic. Although infection rates remain high it does look more encouraging. The Office for National Statistics’ infection survey for the week ending July 17 suggests one in 80 people has the virus, up from one in 100 the week before, with the Delta strain accounting for almost every case. A week ago, the seven day infection rate in Shropshire was 399 per 100,000 people. The best estimate for the infection rate for the seven days to yesterday was 230. There were 35 cases in Ludlow during the seven days to 19 July, a rate of 319, the highest it has been the town.

Shropshire Council looks to reopening of biodigester but employment land in Ludlow will remain scarce

Shropshire Council today said that the biodigester facility on Coder Road could reopen but not for a while. The driver is the government’s resources and recycling strategy which, though the forthcoming Environment Bill is expected to insist that councils collect food waste separately from garden waste. If new life is breathed into the biodigester it will be a back to the future moment for Ludlow, when once again we will have food waste caddies and separate collection. Ludlow companies are struggling to find space to expand. It is vital that the proposed employment site south of Sheet Road opposite the Eco Park is prepared for use as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Shropshire Council, which is investing £1M in a solar farm in Oswestry to supply a packaging business, even though there will only be a minimal financial return to the council, doesn’t seem prepared to buy the land and get development underway.

Salopia Flog It! Shropshire Council to raise cash in a roundabout way (updated)

Update. The council’s cabinet has agreed to implement this scheme. The council’s cabinet will tomorrow (Wednesday) discuss a proposal to install advertisements roundabouts, boundary signs, lampposts and verges. This commercialisation of public space is predicted to generate £392,000 for the council over four years. The plans will also clutter the county with around 270 roadside signs, with the possibility of others to follow on bus shelters, bridges, central reservations, barriers, waste bins and street furniture, hanging baskets and flower beds, customer vehicles, customer buildings, car parks, statues and so the list goes on.

The Third Bin is coming… (updated)

Update: The cabinet has agreed to provide a free third bin. On Wednesday, Shropshire Council is to decide whether to provide an additional 240-litre wheelie bin for recycling to all Shropshire households that request one. The bins will be an alternative to the boxes we currently use for glass bottles and jars, metal containers and plastic containers. That will mean that most households will have three wheelie bins, one for dry recyclables, one for green garden and food waste, and another for residual waste. The wheelie bins will be optional and you may have to pay to get one (though I hope not).

Health

Met Office issues a heatwave health alert – please check on your vulnerable neighbours

We knew it was coming. It is here. A searing heatwave that is set to last until the weather breaks on Friday when rain and temperatures are expected to fall, though they will not plummet. We complain enough about the cold. It was -10C outside my front door earlier this year. Now we have the opposite. It’s 28C outside the front door and my sun facing windows check in well above 30C on the outside. The pavement is 36C plus. It’s too hot to walk the dog. Double glazing keeps some of the heat out but as always it is a competition between air flow and heat flow. The Met Office has issued a Level Three health alert. Most people know how to cope with a heat surge. But some older people and others who are vulnerable may not cope well. Just as in severely cold weather, it is helpful if people phone a friend or neighbour to see if they are coping well.