Latest bus services update
With grateful thanks to Suzy Scott, the dundeebuses.info website has been updated again to reflect the fast moving buses situation during the current health emergency.
You can read the latest update by clicking here.
Getting things done – Abbotsford Place #dundeewestend
As residents will gather, much of my large amount of current contact from constituents at present is around issues related to the current health emergency and I am always very pleased to assist anyone in the West End in any way I can.
I would, however, add that day to day issues unrelated to the current COVID-19 emergency continue and I am happy to report these. Residents do appreciate that non-urgent matters will be attended to by council departments after the current health emergency has passed.
Residents have reported to me the need for a wee repair required to one of the street signs in Abbotsford Place :
As one resident put it, “On a lighter note perhaps when we get back to some normality we can have our street sign correctly spelt? It reminded me when the Loons Road one was redone the foot of the road was Loon’s Road.”
I have reported the sign to the Roads Maintenance Partnership and it will be attended to once services return to more of a degree of normality after the health emergency is hopefully passed.
Latest update during the COVID-19 emergency
Further update – for Sunday 12th April 2020 from Councillor Fraser Macpherson and Councillor Craig Duncan :
SHIELDING
After some delay and technical problems with the text service, steps have been taken to protect people with the highest clinical risk – the ‘shielded’ group.
144,000 people have now been sent a letter. As people are newly diagnosed, or if clinicians feel it is required, the NHS will continue to add to the central list.
Councils, GPs and health boards will be told who is on the shielding central list.
The letter invites them to register by text. Over 24 000 people have registered so far.
Those in the ‘shielded’ group can request grocery boxes to be sent to them, free of charge. Dundee contact number – 0300 123 1403 (08:30 to 17:00). The out of hours urgent requests number is 01382 307964.
Supermarkets will provide priority delivery slots starting this coming week. People who have registered for the SMS service were sent a text on the 9th April asking if they would like their details passed to the supermarkets. Thousands have signed up already.
NHS STAFF LISTENING SERVICE
A new Staff Listening Service is available and provides a space for staff to confidentially reflect on their experience and consider how the current situation affects them personally and professionally voice their concerns, worries and hopes without criticism.
FINANCE
There’s new guidance for mortgage providers on payment holidays for consumers in financial difficulties and use of repossession during this period: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/pressreleases/new-guidance-mortgage-providers-lenders-coronavirus
There’s also measures for a temporary payment freeze on loans and credit cards and enabling customers with an existing arranged overdraft to request from their provider that up to £500 is provided interest free for up to three months: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-proposes-temporary-financial-reliefcustomers-impacted-coronavirus
Advice on scams https://www.fca.org.uk/news/news-stories/avoid-coronavirus-scams
Advice on home, travel and car insurance: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-sets-outexpectations-general-insurance-firms-during-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic
STUDENTS
£5 million is now available to help support any university and college student struggling as a result of Covid-19 – including those attending private institutions. University and college students will be able to apply for any emergency discretionary payments directly to their own institutions.
INFORMATION
UK Government news: www.gov.uk/search/news-and-communications
Scottish Government Updates: www.gov.scot/news
Dundee City Council updates: www.dundeecity.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19
Dundee community support : www.dundeecity.gov.uk/community-support-%26-helpline
NHS Inform information – COVID 19: https://www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus
Federation of Small Businesses: fsb.org.uk/coronavirus
SUPPORT AND ADVICE
This is an anxious and uncertain time but we want you to know that we are here to try to help constituents in whatever way that we can.
CONTACT DETAILS
WEST END WARD – Bailie Fraser Macpherson
Phone – Dundee 459378 (home)
E-mail – fraser.macpherson@dundeecity.gov.uk
Facebook updates : www.facebook.com/dundeewestend
Library service update
A helpful update from Leisure and Culture Dundee :
New to our RBDigital Service – free access to full text of thousands of newspapers from over 100 countries every day.
Local newspapers The Courier and Dundee Evening Telegraph are included and with a press of a button you can even translate foreign language favourites from their original language into more than 16 alternatives.
Existing Dundee Library RBDigital Users
Sign in to your RBDigital Account here http://dundee.rbdigitalglobal.com/home
Scroll down to Newspapers and press Access to be directed to the unlimited newspaper collection.
Or if you use the RBDigital App simply log out and back in with the username and password you created. Select Newspapers from the Menu bar and click the Checkout then Access buttons to be directed to the unlimited newspaper collection.
New to Dundee Library RBDigital?
Create an account using your library card number and PIN through our website
or
Download the free RBDigital App to your device, choose library service Leisure & Culture Dundee then enter your library card and other requested details to create an account. Read the quick start up guide.
I’m not a library member, can I join?
If you haven’t been a library member before, or it’s been a while, then this is the time to develop your reading habit. Join online for free and access a wide range of digital reading via our RBDigital and BorrowBox services.
We will look forward to meeting you in person and upgrading your membership once normal service resumes.
Lockdown gardening channel on YouTube
If you are wondering how to go about gardening without being able to get out and about then Kate, who is Community Allotments Officer at the Council, has set up a Lockdown Gardening channel on YouTube.
It has lots of great tips on growing your own veg using items from around the house, so do check it out here.