BRENTWOOD COUNCIL UPDATES - PHIL DRANE

BRENTWOOD COUNCIL UPDATES – PHIL DRANE

Written by Michelle Ward in Eat My Brunch👁 4,177

Sunday 5 December 2021, 9.38am

This weeks Brentwood Council Updates from Phil Drane Corporate Director (Planning and Economy) at Brentwood Borough Council

UPDATES

On Saturday Brentwood Council started work with our colleagues in Public Health and Essex County Council to quickly organise contact tracing and targeted testing as soon as the case of Omicron Covid-19 Variant was identified in Brentwood. You can see the latest updates on the case here: Omicron Covid-19 case – Essex County Council

The campaign to reach those who need to get tested has been successful and the general message now is one we should all be following which is to get a PCR test if you have symptoms, isolate when asked to, wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces and get your vaccine or booster jab as soon as you can. It is also recommended to do lateral flow tests twice a week and you can find out where to pick them up here Find where to get rapid lateral flow tests – NHS (test-and-trace.nhs.uk)

This is the standard way it works – Brentwood working on the ground and Essex County Council leading in line with National Government advice.

Brentwood Environmental Business Alliance (BEBA) holds its inaugural meeting online

The first meeting of the newly formed BEBA, which was launched at the Brentwood Business Showcase last month, took place online on Tuesday November 30. Brentwood Borough Council Leader, Cllr Chris Hossack said; “We had a great response to the BEBA launch with 25 businesses signing our pledge on the day. By working together to collectively reduce our impact on the environment we can all make a real difference. Brentwood Borough Council is actively developing its green agenda with companies and businesses from installing Electric Vehicle Chargers to tree planting initiatives, improved recycling and waste disposal to advising and supporting companies in their ambitions to become carbon neutral. I would encourage all businesses of all sizes to join and see what it is all about. This is an exciting and innovative way to make a great contribution that will produce results that benefit the whole of Brentwood over the coming years.”

The first meeting agreed the principles of BEBA and a management board with the appointment of a Chair and Vice Chair will be created. Guest speaker, Tony McPartland from ZestRecycle gave advice on establishing your business’ current CO2 emissions and how to create a baseline together with practical steps that can be taken now to ensure the goal to become carbon neutral is on track.

For more information and to register please email info@brentwood-beba.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/company/brentwood-environmental-business-alliance-beba/

https://www.brentwood-beba.co.uk/

A new round of business funding is being made available to Brentwood businesses to allow companies from all sectors to adapt their premises and take the necessary measures to ensure they are Covid-19 safe.

An additional £200,000 has been provided to Brentwood Borough Council from Essex County Council allowing a new round of Essex Business Adaptation Grants to open from Monday December 6. Companies can apply for up to £5,000 and can use the money to buy new equipment or to support employees to work from home. Business owners must show that they will use the money to make changes that will protect the health and safety of employees and customers.

Brentwood Borough Council Leader, Cllr Chris Hossack said; “This new round of funding is great news for businesses particularly given the timely reminder that Covid is still very much with us and the need to be sensible and protect staff and customers as best we can. So far Brentwood Borough Council has distributed £50m in grants and business rate relief and this new Adaptation Grant further supports our local businesses to make the changes they need to protect and develop their companies. The Essex Business Adaptation Grant funding will be followed in the New Year by Brentwood Borough Council’s new £250,000 Business Growth Grant which will award sums of £1,000 to £10,000 to grow their businesses in 2022.”

Any businesses that have received a grant from the Business Adaptation Grant Scheme in the past can apply again, provided they have not received a Business Adaptation Grant for the same items within the last two months.

For more information email business@brentwood.gov.uk. The Essex Business Adaptation Grant will open on December 6 and close on December 12 with funding sent out to successful applicants from December 13.

Discover Winter – Christmas comes to Shenfield this weekend (it was the first of the Thursday night late night shopping evenings last night – with street entertainment from Sophisticated Entertainment and other acts)

Discover Winter has begun with late night shopping across the borough on December 2 and the “Christmas in Shenfield” event this weekend. The Naughty Elf trail is underway with Elves popping up in shop windows across Brentwood, Ingatestone and Shenfield. Tom Howley Kitchens in Brentwood for example has an Elf raiding the sweet box and Hutchinson Antiques in Ingatestone has an Elf riding a rocking horse.

The Discover Winter events for 2021 launched on Saturday with “Christmas in Crown Street” offering entertainment, Father Christmas starring in the Punch & Judy show, popcorn, candy floss, slime making workshop and food tasting accompanied by the St Thomas’ Church choir. Natasha Radford who runs Chicken & Frog bookshop on Crown Street said; “’Planning for Saturday was hard work, but so worth it! It was joyous to welcome so many people to Crown Street. The mulled wine was a hit with the grown ups, whilst the candyfloss and popcorn went down well with the children. We can’t wait to see everyone again this weekend. You never know, you might see Mrs Claus at Chicken and Frog Bookshop!”

The Christmas trees around the borough at the Town Hall, St Thomas’ Church, Shenfield, Brentwood High Street, and Brentwood Station are now lit up every day to add to the Christmas spirit. The trees have been sponsored by RCH Care Homes, Hallmark Care Homes, Brentwood Razzamataz and Mullis & Peake LLP Solicitors.