I hope you are keeping safe and well in these strange and challenging times.
This is my weekly newsletter, keeping you up to date with what I’ve been up to both in the constituency and in parliament, representing Derby North.
Covid Update
Significant progress has been made this week in our battle against coronavirus, particularly in regard to key measures for the spread of COVID-19. For the week to the 18th February, we have seen 480 people test positive across Derby for the virus which is a 19.7% drop on the number of cases reported for the previous week. There were 154 patients with COVID-19 admitted in University Hospitals of Derby and Burton for the week to the 14th of February, which represented an 11.5% drop on the week previously.
The virus has had a terrible impact on lives and livelihoods across the country and we continue to mourn everyone who has sadly passed away. Seeing these figures continue to drop is nevertheless a very positive sign and is a testament to the hard-work of people across Derby in reducing the spread of the virus. Nationally we have seen the ‘R’ number, which measures the reproduction rate of the virus and subsequently its spread, drop to between 0.6 and 0.9. The lower figure in the range of 0.6 represents the lowest the ‘R’ number has been since the Government figures were first published last May.
This week has also seen a large expansion in the number of people who are being asked to shield in England with an extra 1.7 million people expected to be added to the 2.3 million who are already shielding. This is because a new model has been developed that takes into account additional factors, including deprivation, ethnicity and Body Mass Index (BMI). Information on the new model can be accessed on the NHS website, using the following web link (https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/risk-assessment/population). The latest guidance for those who need to shield is updated on the gov.uk website and can be accessed using the following web link (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19). It Is vital that those who are extremely vulnerable are protected and all those who are now in the category are being sent a letter from the NHS.
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, I attended vaccination update meetings alongside fellow MPs for Derbyshire. These were conducted with both Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the team at the mass vaccination centre at Derby Arena. Everyone in priority groups 1-4 have now been offered at least a first dose and those in groups 5 and 6 are now being offered an invitation to have a vaccination. It has been fantastic to see Derby leading the way and more vaccinations have been done by the CCG than any of their counterparts in the East and West Midlands. The latest NHS figures have shown that to the 14th of February, a total of 261,441 cumulative doses have been delivered since the start of the programme.
Derby North
It has once again been a busy week in the constituency, and we have seen some significant funding announcements for Derby. Derby City Council are poised to accept a £10 million grant from the Environment Agency through the Capital Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA). The funding was announced in June last year, but the grant’s conditions and obligations were needed to be established and Cabinet Members at the council are now set to accept the new funding. The money is set to fund Package 2 of the ‘Our City, Our River’ project. This will boost Derby’s flood defences, including a new flood defence barrier and will see a new Riverside Park developed, with the creation of more homes and commercial space for 1,000 new jobs. It is fantastic to see the new investment for Derby that will enhance our ability to protect against flooding and provide important infrastructure for new homes and jobs in our economic recovery.
£15 million from the Future High Streets Fund has also been earmarked this week for the regeneration of the Market Hall and Eastern Gateway. The funding has been allocated to renew and reshape high streets and town centres and aims to drive growth, improve the experience of visitors and to ensure future sustainability. The new developments are very promising and will see the Market Hall brought right up-to-date as a fashionable and attractive retail and leisure destination and it will see a new and improved gateway to the city centre through the Eagle Market. This has been a particularly difficult time for our high streets, and it is great to see work being done to revitalise our city centre and make it an even more attractive destination for visitors to Derby.
London
Although this week has been Parliamentary recess, it has seen some important developments for the UK as a global science superpower. I have been very proud this week to introduce a new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) which will support high-risk and high-reward research in science and technology. The agency will be led by scientists and will fund cutting-edge research that has the potential to transform our lives for the better. We have seen major developments through similar agencies across the world that include the internet and GPS and it will be a great opportunity for our brilliant researchers to undertake groundbreaking research to drive the industries and jobs of the future.
Our scientists are also playing a key role in the latest NASA mission that has sent the Perseverance rover to Mars. The mission has been backed by £400,000 of funding from the UK Space Agency and researchers at Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum will have an important role in helping decide which samples are returned to Earth. These samples are part of our search for evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars.
The possibility of life on Mars has inspired us for generations and it is great to see our researchers playing a pivotal role in the investigation. With Parliament returning from recess next week, there are sure to be many more goings on closer to home!
Best wishes and stay safe,
Amanda
