Nail bars, salons and some outdoor venues to reopen in Leicester

  • Nail bars, outdoor pools, and beauty salons can reopen in Leicester from tomorrow (19 August)
  • Current rules for gatherings in private homes and gardens will remain in place
  • Government will continue to monitor the situation and keep all restrictions and easements under consideration

Nail bars, beauty salons, tanning booths and salons, spas and beauty salons, massage parlours, tattoo parlours, body and skin piercing services, and outdoor pools can lawfully reopen from tomorrow (19 August). This will bring Leicester in line with the national easements introduced on 11 and 13 July.

Outdoor music venues and theatres are already legally allowed to reopen, but will now also be removed from guidance that recommended they stay closed.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of the local communities, enough progress has been made to allow these easements. Infection rates remain too high to be fully lifted, so a restriction on gatherings will continue, in line with Greater Manchester, and parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire. Gatherings will not be permitted in private homes and gardens.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

My gratitude goes out to the people of Leicester who have all made sacrifices to keep the virus at bay and protect their local communities.

The rate of infection has now dropped to a safe enough level to allow further businesses including beauty salons, nail bars and some outdoor venues to reopen in the area. Current restrictions on gatherings must remain in place to further bring down the rate of infection.

We must remain vigilant, and I urge everyone in Leicester to continue to follow the rules: wash your hands regularly, follow social distancing, get yourself a free test as soon as you get any symptoms, and isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells you to.

All local restrictions are kept under constant consideration, including ahead of any formal reviews. As part of ensuring a proportionate yet robust response to the virus, where possible, the government will remove individual areas from these measures while maintaining or even strengthening measures in other places as necessary – just as has been done in other areas where local measures have been brought in, such as Leicestershire.

Shielding will remain in place but with some easements. If you are shielding in Leicester you may now meet in a group of up to 6 people outdoors, including people from different households, while maintaining strict social distancing. If you live in a single-adult household and are shielding, you can now join a support bubble with one other household.

The easing of restrictions that took place on 15 August in England will not apply in Leicester.

There are currently 7 mobile testing units deployed across the city and 4 local test sites as well as the regional testing site and they will continue to provide significant testing capacity to the area.

The Leicester restrictions were reviewed on Monday 17 August. The Health and Social Care Secretary accepted the recommendation to implement the business easements introduced nationally on 11 and 13 July. The amending Regulations were signed today (18 August) and will come into force at 00:01 on Wednesday 19 August 2020.

Leicester City will come in line with the 11 and 13 July national easing of restrictions, meaning the following can reopen:

  • outdoor pools
  • nail bars and salons
  • tanning booths and salons
  • spas and beauty salons
  • massage parlours
  • tattoo parlours
  • body and skin piercing services

In addition, guidance will also be changed to remove recommendations that the following remain closed:

  • outdoor theatres
  • outdoor opera and music venues

Shielding remains in place in Leicester but will be relaxed to include the following:

  • you may, if you wish, meet in a group of up to 6 people outdoors, including people from different households, while maintaining strict social distancing
  • you do not need to observe social distancing with other members of your household
  • if you are a single-adult household (either an adult living alone or with dependent children under 18), you may, if you wish, also form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household. All those in a support bubble will be able to spend time together inside each other’s homes, including overnight, without needing to socially distance

Current restrictions on gatherings remain in place. You must not:

  • meet people you do not live with inside a private home or garden, except where you have formed a support bubble (or for other limited exemptions to be specified in law)
  • visit someone else’s home or garden even if they live outside of the affected areas

The easements that happened nationally on 15 August will not apply to Leicester. These are opening casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks, exhibitions halls and conference centres, with guidance on restarting indoor theatrical/concert performances, pilots for large crowds in sports and business events, enabling remaining close contact services to resume (for example, certain procedures in beauty salons), reopening steam rooms and saunas, allowing wedding receptions for up to 30 people.




New help on offer for disabled people working from home during the pandemic

Press release

Disabled people can now benefit from financial support to work from home, thanks to an extension to the Access to Work scheme.

  • People who are clinically extremely vulnerable can get new applications for grant funding fast-tracked.

  • Funding can now cover taxi fares and public transport costs, if a health condition prevents you from travelling on public transport during the pandemic.

Those working from home or in the workplace with a disability will benefit from extra help, thanks to an extension of the Access to Work scheme, including support for special equipment, travel costs and mental health.

Covid-19 is changing the way we work and impacting working environments and arrangements. With many employers asking workers to adapt to a new environment, Access to Work can play a key role in supporting disabled people to retain, return to and move into employment.

New extensions to the scheme

  • You can get grant funding if you’re disabled and need support to work from home because of Covid-19, which can help pay for special equipment such as a screen reader or video remote interpreting or support worker services.

  • This funding can also be fast-tracked if you’re in the clinically extremely vulnerable group.

  • If you’re travelling into the office and due to your health condition public transport isn’t a safe option for you at the moment, you can also apply for financial support with things like taxi fares.

  • If you are anxious about returning to work and need support, you can also get mental health support through Access to Work with a tailored package of support for up to nine months.

  • Applying for funding is easy – either online at: gov.uk/access-to-work or over the phone on 0800 121 7479. Following a short assessment, you can start getting support.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Justin Tomlinson said:

In these unprecedented times, it is absolutely right that we continue to support disabled people to pursue employment without barriers.

This extension of funding and support will help to protect thousands of jobs which provide vital independence allowing disabled people to reach their full potential.

About Access to Work

The Access to Work scheme is designed to help people who are disabled or have a physical or mental health condition stay in employment. Last year, it provided personalised support to a record 36,000 people with disabilities and health conditions to do their job.

It can help you speak to your employers about changes they need to support you, and can even provide grants up to £60,000 to keep your job accessible. Your grant is tailor-made to your needs and you’ll be assigned an Access to Work adviser to support you through the process.

More information

  • The latest figures show more people than ever before, over 36,000, have benefited from Access to Work grants.

  • Last year, the Department for Work and Pensions spent over £129.1 million on Access to Work – a real terms increase of 14% since 2018.

  • You can find out more about Access to Work at: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work, with braille and easy read versions available.

  • Businesses who want to show their support for attracting, recruiting and retaining disabled employees can join more than 18,000 organisations who have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme. To find out more go to: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5144

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Published 18 August 2020
Last updated 18 August 2020 + show all updates

  1. First published.




Charity donation marks successful project restart

News story

The successful restart of our projects has led to a £2,000 donation to Samaritans.

Lady answering a phone call at the Samaritans

The donation has been made to Samaritans of West Cumbria, and Warrington, Halton and St Helens Samaritans

We’ve now successfully restarted all our project construction sites -and wanted to mark this by giving a hand to some of the people helping bring our communities through Covid.

Our teams have worked hard to implement new safety measures on our sites to make sure those returning to work feel reassured, which include new one-way systems, socially distanced change rooms and canteens, barriers, and changes to the way people access and leave the site.

Meanwhile out in our communities, our two chosen charities – Samaritans of West Cumbria, and Warrington, Halton and St Helens Samaritans – have seen increased demand as more people struggle to cope during Covid.

Our projects delivery directorate has donated £1,000 to each to mark our successful restart, which means we can continue the work needed to make the Sellafield site safe for the generations to come.

Neil Crewdson, Interim Project Delivery Director said:

This has been a challenging time for everyone and it has been especially hard on people’s mental health and wellbeing. The response from our teams over the last few months has been exceptional, everyone has worked so hard in this difficult situation.

The Samaritans do fantastic work in our communities to help people through tough times, so when we wanted to mark our successful restart it seemed right to help them continue their work with a donation.

Linda Morris, Director of Warrington, Halton and St Helens Samaritans added:

We are very grateful to Sellafield Ltd for this kind donation. All our funds go towards the running and upkeep of the branch including our phone lines, rent, heating, lighting and promotional materials for outreach. At this very difficult time many people are experiencing uncertainty and high feelings of anxiety and distress, so our service is really critical. Whatever you’re facing, whatever time of day or night we will be there to support you.

Published 18 August 2020




York Central infrastructure funding confirmed

Homes England and Network Rail will be investing £77 million to ensure that York’s new city centre quarter development goes ahead, following confirmation of the route for the funding to the project from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The announcement has been welcomed as a clear signal of the government’s commitment to levelling up and will provide certainty around another major development as the industry plans for recovery from Covid-19.

The government funding, subject to planning approval, will enable vital infrastructure to connect the site, including a bridge over the East Coast mainline railway. The infrastructure will unlock brownfield land with significant access problems and allow the development of up to 3,705 homes; up to 1.2 million square feet of commercial development including 80% Grade A offices and an enhancement of the setting and access to the National Railway Museum.

Investment in the York Central project was first announced in the March 2020 Budget. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has now confirmed the amount of funding and handed responsibility for overseeing the infrastructure investment to Homes England and Network Rail.

As part of the project partnership, Homes England and Network Rail have supported the development of the site through land acquisition and master planning. The joint venture between the two government organisations will now use its expertise in overseeing major infrastructure projects to enable the key city centre development to progress.

A reserved matters planning application for the first phase has already been submitted to City of York Council for a new main road entrance to the development site; a new bridge over the East Coast Main Line; new key cycling and pedestrian routes; improved existing and new drainage systems; and to provide critical landscaping as the beginning of the new public park.

Homes England and Network Rail are determined to push forward with the project so work can start on site in 2021, while recognising that Covid-19 may slow progress.

Simon Dudley, Interim Chair at Homes England, said:

“This investment is a clear signal of the Government’s commitment to levelling up across the country by providing much needed homes and employment space in York. The confirmation of funding provides that market with some much-needed certainty around a major strategic site at a time when it is planning ahead to recover from the pandemic.

“We look forward to working with all the project partners on behalf of the government to unlock this challenging site so it will become a real landmark development for people living and working in the city, as well as visitors.”

Rob McIntosh, Regional Director for Network Rail, said:

“We’re really proud of the work which has been carried out on York Central and this is a great vote of confidence in both the project and our city by Government.

“This land has been underused for too long and our railway will be a key part of the success of the development, providing connectivity across the north as well as to the capitals in London and Scotland as we look to support the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Councillor Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council, added:

“This is fantastic news for York and it clearly demonstrates the importance of the partnership’s continued work and commitment to delivering this ambitious scheme.

“The funding is a vital step to unlocking a £1.16 billion boost to our economy and delivering a new generation of better paid jobs and hundreds of affordable homes, at a time when York needs it most. The scheme will also set new standards for sustainable living and clean growth, utilising brownfield land in the heart of the city.

“The York Central Partnership is delivering where decades of proposals have failed. Our shared vision for an ambitious development which delivers cleaner, greener growth and a fairer economy in York underpins the entire project, and we will keep playing our part to make York Central deliver for the whole city.”




The way you apply for an export health certificate is changing – register now

News story

Exporters of animal and animal products will need to apply for existing export health certificates through a new digital service.

Large container

Image of a large container

From Friday 21 August 2020, exporters will only be able to apply online for the most frequently used Export Health Certificates (EHCs) which are available digitally, rather than emailing a PDF form to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). You can check if the EHC you need is available digitally on the Find an export health certificate page.

The new digital service has been trialled and received positive feedback from a number of existing export businesses and Certifiers (Official Veterinarians and Local Authority Certifiers) in recent months, and since it was launched close to 1000 organisations have registered to use the service. Features of new online service include:

  • the ability to track your EHC from application stage through to certification by your Official Veterinarian/Inspector
  • copy information from previous certificates into new applications saving you time and effort
  • start an application, edit it and complete it at a later date
  • never accidentally submit an out of date template of an EHC – the online service will always contain the most recent version
  • see previously completed applications in one place
  • receive email notifications when an EHC is ready to certify or action is required.

The service has also been designed to support any changes at the end of the Transition Period (Friday 1 January 2021), when additional certification of exports of animals and animal products to the European Union (EU) will require EHCs. The new service will ensure that exporters and Certifiers can easily obtain a new EHC.

If you have not already registered for the online service you must take action now to ensure you can continue to apply for the most popular EHCs after Friday 21 August 2020.

Further information on how to register as an exporter is available on the Apply for an Export Health Certificate page. To register as an Official Veterinarian, further information is available on the Certify an Export Health Certificate page.

For more help registering for the online service to get EHCs or to ask any operational or technical questions relating to an application, please call APHA on 03000 200 301. 

Published 18 August 2020