Dear resident,

As we look forward to another bank holiday weekend it’s vital we remember we are still in lockdown and that we should still stay at home as much as possible. If you go out this weekend, please continue to follow the rules and keep your distance from others.

Next week is also the half-term holidays for schools. In these unprecedented times I want to pay tribute to school staff in Southwark who have been continuing to provide outstanding support and education for our children and young people in difficult circumstances and also to parents who have been supporting their children’s learning at home, whilst juggling other commitments.

We are working with our schools to establish whether more children can safely return to schools in Southwark from 1 June in line with government guidance. If a school cannot open safely we will support them to remain closed until they can open safely. Our priority is making sure our children return to school safely at the right time, not rushing to meet a specific deadline.

We want to understand how parents feel about education provision during lockdown, and changes to government guidance. Have your say on plans to reopen schools from 1 June, and how the council and schools can best support families over the coming months.

Thank you for helping to keep Southwark safe.

Cllr Peter John

Suggest ideas to make social distancing easier

We’re committed to quickly rolling out schemes to make travel safer during the COVID-19 crisis. Help us identify locations where we can make changes to help you get about safely.

Celebrating Eid Al-Fitr safely

We offer our warmest wishes to Muslims across Southwark who will celebrate Eid Al-Fitr this weekend. We are disappointed that there won’t be a festival in Burgess Park this year but it is so important we all stay safe and well. The Muslim Council of Britain has shared advice about celebrating Eid Al-Fitr safely.

Routine immunisations are continuing

Routine immunisations for children and expectant mums are continuing as usual. Contact your GP if you think you or your child may be due a routine vaccine. Practices have put measures in place to ensure you can be seen safely (YouTube video).

Southwark Libraries Festival of Words: 26 May to 12 June

This year’s Festival of Words will for the first time be delivered online featuring local writers, storytellers and literary artists showcasing their work to stimulate your imagination and creativity. Audiences of all ages will be engaged and inspired – there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Check out the full programme.

You can also look at all the activities in our stay-at-home library of activities to keep you busy at home.

Submissions closing soon: £6m for your community projects

We’ve received almost 300 proposals for community projects to be funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The Sunday 31 May deadline is fast approaching. Visit our CIL website and share your idea for a project in your area that could by supported by this £6m fund.

Reporting antisocial behaviour

Antisocial behaviour can cause distress and fear in the community. As lockdown restrictions ease we should all consider how our behaviour impacts on others. You can report antisocial behaviour to us, seven days week. In an emergency, always call 999.

Donate your old smartphone to help local people

We are supporting Community Calling, a partnership between O2 and environment charity Hubbub, which asks people to donate their old and unused phones so they can be passed on to help other people stay digitally connected. In a trial 800 handsets are being distributed to residents of Southwark who have been identified as someone who would benefit most from a smartphone – from the elderly to people escaping domestic abuse.

We need foster carers

If you have a spare room and could provide a loving and caring home for a child in need we’d be interested to talk to you about fostering. You can find out more and register your interest or register to attend an information session on Zoom.

Are you worried about domestic abuse?

If you or someone you know is suffering from Domestic Abuse, isolation rules do not apply. Police response and support services remain available. Nationally, there is advice and support available but you should call 999 if you are in immediate danger. Locally, the Solace Advocacy and Support Service is also available to women and men in Southwark aged 16 or over in Southwark.

Free oral contraception

All women who live in Southwark are entitled to free oral contraception which they can register for online and have delivered to their home.

Dear resident,

Southwark, like the rest of the country, is still in lockdown, despite some changes to government guidance. We must all stay at home as much as possible and keep our distance from others if we need to go out.

Therefore, if you go outside this weekend, please keep 2m away from others. You should only go out with members of your household or meet one person – outside and at a 2m distance – who’s not from your household. We are working on a plan to open more areas for sports (more details below) but will only do this where and when we can do it safely.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, so much important work continues in Southwark. And today, as part of Foster Care Fortnight, I’d like to thank all of our extraordinary foster carers who continue to play such a vital role supporting children and young people in Southwark. If you think you could make a difference and have a spare room we’d love to talk to you about fostering.

Thank you for helping to keep Southwark safe.

Cllr Peter John

Highlights from our stay-at-home library

You can look at all the activities to keep you busy at home or check out our highlights below.

Get involved in the Race to Health, 25 May to 7 June

Looking for new ways to get active? Join in the Southwark Race to Health family challenge! A fun, two-week online exercise challenge where children and adults join a virtual local library team and try to complete 60 minutes of exercise every day to help your library win the race and win virtual medals for yourself.

Camberwell Arts Festival, 13 to 21 June

The festival is back and this time with its very first digital edition and a theme dedicated to the A–Z of Camberwell. Check out the full festival programme here.

Bold Tendencies creative learning workshops, 14 May to 30 June

Join a new, free, online creative learning workshops suitable for all ages and those with Special Educational Needs.

Watch Macbeth, free of charge.

Watch a Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of Macbeth – available free of charge on YouTube until secondary schools reopen.

Self-employment income support scheme is open

The government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is now open for claims. Self-employed individuals can claim a taxable grant of 80% of average monthly trading profits. You can check if you are eligible and you can make a claim online.

The recycling centre has opened

In line with government guidelines, we have reopened our recycling centre. However, you must apply for a permit in advance, which will give you an allocated time slot to attend. It is also important that only essential trips are made to the centre. These restrictions are in place to keep people safe and manage traffic.

We need foster carers

If you have a spare room and could provide a loving and caring home for a child in need we’d be interested to talk to you about fostering. You can find out more and register your interest or register to attend an information session on Zoom.

Reopening sports facilities in parks

In line with updated government guidance we are reopening sports facilities in parks when and where it is safe to do so. From tomorrow, Saturday 16 May, we are reopening tennis courts and cricket nets in parks, and fishing facilities in Burgess Park and Rotherhithe Peninsular. You should only use these facilities with members of your household or with one person from outside your household (but keeping a 2m distance). We will consider reopening other sports facilities, in due course, if they can be opened safely.

Free oral contraception

All women who live in Southwark are entitled to free oral contraception which they can register for online and have delivered to their home.

Reopening construction sites

Where safe to do so, and in line with government guidelines, some construction work is now being allowed to start up again. This gives us the opportunity to re-start essential maintenance and repair work on our current council homes, and get on with our council home building programme to provide much-needed new council housing in our borough.

Are you worried about domestic abuse?

If you or someone you know is suffering from Domestic Abuse, isolation rules do not apply. Police response and support services remain available. Nationally, there is advice and support available but you should call 999 if you are in immediate danger. Locally, the Solace Advocacy and Support Service is also available to women and men in Southwark aged 16 or over in Southwark.

Dear resident,

Normally, many of us would be looking forward to going outside over the bank holiday weekend to enjoy some sunshine. However, this weekend is different.

It is more vital than ever that we stay at home to protect the NHS and to save lives.

This means we must not go out to meet up with friends and family. Parks and other outdoor spaces – including outdoor areas on estates – must only be used once a day for daily exercise, by yourself or with your household members. You must stay two metres away from others.

Many of our residents have no outdoor space. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, please ask yourself whether you need to leave your home this weekend. The fewer people who use our parks, the easier it is for those who need to use them, to do so safely.

This weekend is also an important weekend for many in our faith communities. I am thankful to our faith organisations in Southwark, who are playing a key role in supporting our vulnerable residents and also finding new virtual ways to hold prayers and services, so that their congregations can abide by government rules banning large gatherings.

Every day the council is delivering food to vulnerable people across the borough. Alongside the essentials, the food parcels this week will have a Fairtrade chocolate egg included, secured by the council at below cost price from local Fairtrade company, Divine Chocolate. It’s important to recognise that we can still do little things which can make people smile, brighten their day or uplift them in such difficult times. We hope this will give residents some cheer while they are missing their families and friends at this time of year.

In this newsletter you will find some key updates about council services You can also check our website for updates at www.southwark.gov.uk/covidsupport.

I know that for many of you, this will be a strange and at times lonely Easter, as you miss the family and friends you would normally see at this time of year. These are indeed extraordinary times. But the scenes coming out of hospital intensive care units, the deaths of thousands of much-loved UK residents, and the news about the Prime Minister this week show us just how deadly this disease is, and how important it is that we take the rules seriously.

I wish you all the very best and thank you again for playing your part in keeping Southwark safe.

Cllr Peter John

Do you know a vulnerable resident who needs help?

If you know of a vulnerable Southwark resident who can’t leave the house due to coronavirus (COVID-19), and who may not have friends, family or neighbours who can help with the delivery of essential supplies, please tell us straight away so we can help them.

Grants for community groups

We’re providing grants to local charities and community groups that are supporting residents in Southwark in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The deadline for applications for the first round of grants is 13 April, but there will be three more funding rounds after that.

Bank holiday bin collections

Bin collections over the bank holiday weekend will continue as normal. So if your usual collection day is a Friday or Monday your bins should still be collected.

With our current staffing pressures, some collections may be missed and so please do report a missed collection on our website and we will try to action it right away.

Noise complaints

There has been a huge change in the way we are living and we are all spending much more time in our homes. Please think about how you are impacting on your neighbours, and keep loud noise and music at a minimum so everyone can enjoy some peace in their own homes. If you are experiencing persistent noise problems, you can still report them to us.

Update on GCSEs, AS and A-levels

Following the government’s decision to cancel this year’s exams more information is now available on how grades will be awarded this summer.

Planned service to remember lives lost to COVID-19

Any loss of a loved one is tragic, but deaths at this extraordinary time can be even harder to bear when many of the normal ways to express our grief and pay our respects are not available to us. We are working with our friends at Southwark Cathedral to plan an interfaith service to pay our respects to all those with a connection to Southwark who lose their lives due to COVID-19, once the country has come out of lockdown and returned to some sort of normality. When the time is right we will ask their families, friends and colleagues to join us in a celebration of their lives and recognition of the difference they made in supporting our borough through this time.

Thank you for saying thank you!

Thank you to everyone who has been thanking council staff or leaving them messages during these difficult times. A quick ‘thank you’ to a social worker, refuse worker, park warden, street cleaner, or one of our many other frontline workers, means so much and lifts their spirits.