Coronavirus weekly update from Birmingham City Council
The update lets you know about Birmingham City Council’s services, public health information, general advice on Covid-19, and other relevant news from the council and our partners so that we can keep you informed.
A floral display, made from flowers originally intended for use on our Chelsea Flower Show entry, is currently on display in front of the Council House, city centre, as a gesture of thanks from the council to key workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
A new online booking system has been introduced to access Birmingham’s network of Household Recycling Centres, in recognition of the fact COVID-19 social distancing measures are set to remain in place for the foreseeable future. People are being encouraged to book slots in advance or you will be turned away.
Birmingham City Council has released details of several schemes to help encourage more people to walk and cycle safely as the UK lockdown eases.
A £3m project to improve the Snow Hill public realm for pedestrians and public transport connectivity is underway. This 13-month project aims to improve pedestrian access across Great Charles St Queensway and public realm in the historic Colmore area as well as reducing congestion and delays around Colmore Row and Livery Street.
Birmingham’s Bull Ring markets will be welcoming back customers when the Open, Rag and Indoor Markets reopen next week.
As businesses prepare to reopen, Birmingham City Council would like to advise business owners and shoppers to ensure that they remain safe and alert.
The council has reviewed opening times for visitors across all burial sites and crematoria grounds throughout the city. Opening hours have been expanded, and the situation will remain under review.
This week is Carers Week with the theme ‘making carers visible’. Cllr Paulette Hamilton, cabinet member for health and social care, has blogged on jointly commissioning support services for carers and other means of support.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the city council and our partners have been working tirelessly to ensure vulnerable people don’t go hungry. Here, Cllr John Cotton, cabinet member for social inclusion, community safety and equalities, asks citizens to donate to food banks if they can and help Feed Birmingham.
Almost 900 businesses have applied to be considered for Discretionary Grant Payments during the opening week of applications, with less than one week left for outstanding requests to be submitted. The closing date is midday on 15 June.
As lockdown restrictions are lifted, West Midlands Network is advising all bus, train or tram users to stay up to date with the latest travel advice. In addition, a detailed video of how to stay safe and stay apart on public transport can be viewed here.
Cllr Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, discusses what the results of a recent survey on Birmingham’s attitudes towards transport during the coronavirus pandemic means for the future.
All car parks and on-street fee-paying areas will resume charging from next Monday 15 June. The Town Hall multi-storey, Dudley Street underground and Jewellery Quarter multi-storey council car parks will also be reopened.
Birmingham has experienced difficult times during Covid-19 but as a city we are coming out of this crisis stronger. The online book of memories is here to help share your stories. Share your memory here.
It is Scams Awareness Fortnight 2020 from 15-28 June 2020. The annual campaign aims to create a network of confident, alert consumers who know what to do when they spot a scam. Trading Standards will be posting tweets for the fortnight on their twitter account @bhamts follow them and become #ScamAware.
Join the latest Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park Facebook live session. This week the rangers are looking at the reptile collection!