Kimpton News
Initial proposals for constituency changes – 2023 review
The boundary commission is reviewing Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England and proposing that our Harpenden and Hitchin constituency boundary splits; with Harpenden joining Berkhamsted and Kimpton being part of a Hitchin constituency. The Hitchin constituency will include electors from both North Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, as three wards from the Central Bedfordshire unitary authority are within the constituency boundary.
We are promoting a public consultation on Parliamentary constituency boundary changes in England, which is running until 02 August 2021.
There will be a further two rounds of consultation in 2022, which will additionally include a number of public hearings.
Following the conclusion of all three consultation periods, the Boundary Commission for England will look at all the evidence received and form its final recommendations. These will be presented to Parliament by July 2023 for approval, with the new constituencies taking effect at the next General Election.
Highway Works in High Street, Kimpton
The Project Manager for the drainage works in Kimpton has contact the parish council to explain the detailed work plan of jetting and CCTV surveying of the highway drainage in order to produce a comprehensive report of the condition etc of the pipework. They are starting at Kimpton Bottom end of the High Street and working eastwards each night. They will be doing the survey work where the temporary traffic management is in place and are unlikely to return to a section of the High Street once they have moved on.
These survey works are part of a four year work programme to improve the infrastructure of the roads in Hertfordshire
Bridge Cottage Surgery Update
Thank you to our community for your help and support during the pandemic.
We have been working under mandated national guidelines using a remote triage model to assess patients. We have been seeing patients face to face throughout the pandemic when clinically necessary and in a COVID secure way. We have protected our patients and staff and not had to close during the pandemic. Our shutters have only been closed during national lockdowns to reduce footfall into the building. Over the last few weeks, there has been very high demand for health services in all areas. We wish to apologise if patients have had difficulty accessing services. We are working with our telephone supplier to address the issues that some patients have faced.
Over the coming days, we will be adapting our model to mirror the Government’s roadmap to lifting restrictions. There will be more access to routine care however priority will always be given to the clinically vulnerable and the Surgery will continue to be COVID secure.
- 4 May: Telephone appointments will be released at 08:00 and 12:00 (including online).
- 17 May: Greater proportion of routine face to face appointments with clinicians after triage via telephone and e-consult.
- Week of 17 May: Re-opening of Kimpton Surgery with face to face appointments.
- 21 June: Directly bookable face to face appointments. (Government date for the end of COVID restrictions).
Patients who have a face to face appointment can check in at reception, have a temperature check and be seated in specific areas to keep the waiting areas safe. As space is limited, we will not be able to give a full choice of appointment times. This is to separate routine care from possible infectious cases.
There has been a good up take of the vaccine locally, however the vaccine is not 100% effective and not all our patients have been vaccinated. There are still cases of COVID locally. We will continue to operate in a COVID secure way until the Government removes restrictions. This operating plan may change if further restrictions are imposed by government.
For those patients who wish to continue accessing our services remotely by phone or e-consult, these services will continue post 21st June.
Dr Hari Pathmanathan
COVID 19 Update Feb 2021 – Please share with your neighbours
Hertfordshire is in a national lockdown along with the rest of England, with residents being told that we must stay at home. The vaccine offers us hope and a clear way out, but we are not there yet, residents must continue to play their part and follow rules.
Keep on doing the basics:
- make sure we wash our hands regularly and thoroughly
- keep our distance from others
- wear a face-covering when required
- self-isolate when told to do so.
COVID-19 vaccine communication materials in community languages – NHS doctors, nurses and other staff have come forward to help reassure communities that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and have been independently tested to the highest standards. Clinicians have recorded messages in some of the most commonly spoken languages other than English, and they are available for you to use. Alongside the videos, there are leaflets and easy read guides,
COVID vaccinations – We can all play our part to assist the vaccination programme by:
- ensuring that you are registered with a GP who may contact you when it is your turn to receive the vaccine
- waiting to be contacted by the NHS – you will be invited to an appointment when it is your turn. Remember the NHS will never ask you to pay for a COVID-19 vaccination
- attending both of your booked appointments
- continuing to follow all the guidance to control the spread of the virus
For answers to questions about the COVID-19 vaccination programme visit Click Here
Even after a second dose of the vaccination, in order to protect yourself, your family, friends and colleagues, you must still follow public health advice at work, at home and when you are out and about: practise social distancing, wear a face-covering, wash your hands carefully and frequently and follow the current guidance Click Here
Rapid COVID testing for key and essential workers in Hertfordshire – Free rapid testing for anyone without coronavirus symptoms is now available across Hertfordshire and all key and essential workers who cannot work from home are encouraged to book a rapid test every few days to help ensure that essential services are as safe as possible. Around one in three people with coronavirus do not show symptoms, which means they could be spreading the virus to loved ones, co-workers and into the community without realising. To book a test, Click Here Results in 45 minutes. More centres have opened this week so please check the website. If you have symptoms of coronavirus you cannot have a rapid test – instead please book a standard PCR test Click Here
To get support if you’re affected by coronavirus please contact HertsHelp for:
- help to get food, household essentials and medication
- financial support and advice
- services that can support you if you are feeling lonely or down
- ways to improve your health and wellbeing
Visit www.hertshelp.net email info@hertshelp.net or call 0300 123 4044
For more information and guidance for Herts residents and businesses during the pandemic Click Here
Kimpton Pre-School Needs Your Vote – Voting closes Sunday 28 February 23.59
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Incident in Kimpton – Police Update
Covid-19 Information Update 2021 Issue 1
Hertfordshire is in a National Lockdown along with the rest of England as Coronavirus case rates continue to rise. Residents are told we must stay at home. The UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has said: “We have faced several grave moments during our battle against coronavirus. But right now, the country is perhaps facing the most serious yet. The new, more transmissible variant of this disease is spreading rapidly across the country and having tragic consequences.”
For more information about the lockdown rules Click Here
Keep on doing the basics:
- make sure we wash our hands regularly and thoroughly
- keep our distance from others
- wear a face-covering when required
- self-isolate when told to do so
COVID vaccinations
The UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty reminds us that these restrictions will not last forever. Science has delivered new vaccines, drugs and tests, with more on the way, in record time. People will be reunited. Vaccines and new treatments offer us hope and a clear way out. But we are not there yet and should not act as if we are. We can all play our part to assist the vaccination programme by:
- waiting to be contacted by the NHS – you will be invited to an appointment when it is your turn. Remember the NHS will never ask you to pay for a COVID-19 vaccination
- attending both of your booked appointments
- continuing to follow all the guidance to control the spread of the virus
- ensuring that you are registered with a GP who may contact you when it is your turn to receive the vaccine
Everyone who is vaccinated will need a booster jab, this will be administrated up to 12 weeks after the first dose. It takes a few weeks after getting the second dose for the person’s antibodies to reach their optimum level. Even after a second dose of the vaccination, in order to protect yourself, your family, friends and colleagues, you must still follow the general advice at work, at home and when you are out and about: •practise social distancing • wear a face mask • wash your hands carefully and frequently • follow the current Government guidance Click Here
To get support if you’re affected by coronavirus please contact HertsHelp for:
- help to get food, household essentials and medication
- financial support and advice
- services that can support you if you are feeling lonely or down
- ways to improve your health and wellbeing
Visit www.hertshelp.net email info@hertshelp.net or call 0300 123 4044
For more information and guidance for residents and businesses during the pandemic Click Here
Changes to Hertfordshire County Council Services effective from Thursday 5th November
These can be found here
Changes to NHDC Services effective from Thursday 5th November
These can be found here.
Protect Kimpton – response to COVID 19
Kimpton Businesses
An important message from Jim McManus, Director of Public Health, Hertfordshire
Kimpton Community Support for Coronavirus Outbreak
Corner Stores
Please wear face coverings when entering the corner stores. Only 4 people are able to shop at any one time.
Kimpton Cares
This initiative is continuing to operate as detailed below.
A telephone helpline 07745 903539 and email kimptoncares@gmail.com have been set up for residents to contact if they are in need of help in any way. This may be to collect shopping or prescriptions, a practical emergency, access to food banks or just for someone to be a listening ear. We appreciate that companionship is going to be vital for people but, following the new strict rules on social distancing and interaction, we will not be able to visit residents. The phone will be manned 8am to 8pm with an answerphone outside these hours. All contact will be dealt with in strict confidence.
Visit Kimpton Cares FB for up to date information.
We have a growing number of volunteers who have offered to support the community in numerous ways and so we will try to assist people who encounter a problem during these difficult times.
Privacy Notice for Kimpton Cares
Food Table – A new venture for Kimpton Cares is the operation of a food table at the back of Kimpton Church for people to take or to contribute. Kimpton Church is open every day during daylight hours and everyone is welcome to visit. The food table will be for non-perishable items with an expiry date of at least 2 months. Suitable items are detailed in the following table, as used by Luton foodbank.
Shopping and Delivery Services to Residents
1. The Boot PH Menu for food
From Thursday 5th November the Boot PH will be offering a takeaway/delivery service for food only. No alcohol. As per the current guidelines all orders need to be pre-orders so that time slots can be allocated for collection / delivery.
Opening Hours:
Wed – Sat 12pm to 2pm and 5pm to 7pm
Sundays 9am to 3pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Please place orders by phone on 01438 832438 or via The Boot FaceBook messenger.
2. Claggy Stores is offering a home delivery service for groceries to the Kimpton area. Please call Sanjay, Anita, Ailsa and Sarah on 01438 832359 or 833923. Or text your Name, Address and Order to 07875 301565.
3. Trussell Butchers come to Kimpton every Thursday from 1.30 to 3 pm in Claggy Road Orders can be made by telephone 01438 812304 or email Deliveries to home addresses.
4. Eat Wholefoods will deliver to Kimpton from their on line shop
5. The Farm Butchers from Codicote will deliver to Kimpton on Tuesdays and Thursdays to those that are self-isolating. Please call the day before with your order 01438 820342 Card payments only.
Business Support
Letter from Bim Afolami MP- Business Support
Keeping safe and keeping in touch
Government daily bulletins are providing advise on hand washing, social distancing and self-isolation. Going forward it is going to be paramount to avoid unreasonable risk to our own health and to offer help to the elderly or those most susceptible to serious ill health issues. We’re very grateful to all those who have volunteered their services to our community. Self-isolation can be a difficult and lonely time for many. Volunteering your time to offer some basic support can make this period a lot easier.
Keeping in touch is going to be vital in the coming weeks and months. Posts on Facebook Kimpton Village Group reach out to over 2,000 members and a number of WhatsApp support groups have been set up in the village. Checking on your immediate neighbours and friends is also happening.
Kimpton Parish Council will use the Kimpton Email alert scheme to send out information and keep this web site up to date. Anyone wishing to be added to the email circulation list should contact Carina Helmn, Parish Clerk on clerk@kimptonpc.org.uk or 07891 452832.
Kimpton Parish Church has adopted the ‘Hello, if you are self-isolating, I can held’ note. If you have elderly neighbours next door or nearby, who may be self-isolating, and want to check on them but can’t think of a safe way, then these notes can be printed off and put through their door. Hard copy of these notes can be obtained from the Church or from the Vicar, Rev’d Linda Williams lindalpwilliams@hotmail.co.uk or 01438 833348.
What are the updates on Kimpton activities?
Kimpton Church. All public and congregational church services in C of E Churches are suspended until further notice, (with the exception of funerals and weddings subject to Government guidelines on social distancing. Info on christenings to follow).
However, at this challenging time, people may wish to request prayers for those in need, and a place of prayer, support and spiritual refreshment and so the Church building will remain open daily as usual.
BLAST will not be meeting until after Easter.
Kimpton Surgery closed from 9.30am on Wednesday 18th March until further notice. For more information:
01438 715044 Bridge Cottage Surgery; 01438 840240 Bridge Cottage Pharmacy
Use E consult link via web page.
Keeping Fit Active and Creative are launching a Fit and Fantastic/Pilate class on Friday 27 March on You Tube https://bit.ly/ActiveCreativeWeeklyClasses
Kimpton Events
- Kimpton Autumn Show 2020 has been cancelled.
- Kimpton May Festival 2020 has been cancelled. Some activities may take place later in the year.
- Kimpton Art Show 2020 has been cancelled.
- Kimpton VE celebrations has been cancelled.
- Dacre Rooms will not hold Friday coffee mornings until further notice
- No Kimpton Folk Events.
Kimpton Virtual Christmas Market
Sadly, we’re not able to hold a fourth Kimpton Christmas Market on The Green this year, but we wanted to continue to support and promote our local businesses who have had tables in our craft marquee. We hope that residents will ‘buy local’ for their gifts and discover the amazing and talented people selling their products during these difficult times. We’ve started a list of these creative companies on our Kimpton Christmas Market page and would be pleased to receive more listings from stall holders or even those who were going to apply in 2020!
Kimpton Groups and Activities
- No Fit and Fantastic, Pilates, Friday Circuits, Boxercise with a possibility of organising some outdoor classes or remote access.
- No Probus, WI, History Group or Garden Club meetings until further notice.
- Loaves and Fishes at The Boot this month has been cancelled.
- Tea, Tots & Teddies cancelled immediately until further notice.
- Kimpton Village Community Choir is cancelled for the foreseeable future.
Kimpton Playgrounds
Kimpton Parish Council has opened the playgrounds at the Recreation Ground and Wren Close subject to users complying with COVID-19 guidelines. The playgrounds are not supervised and the equipment is not regularly cleaned, so to help each other to stay safe please:
- Keep your hands clean – sanitise or wash them
- Wear appropriate face coverings if required
- Give each other room. Please keep social distanced
- Be patient and kind to each other
- Dispose of any rubbish in the litter bins or take it home
- Social distance when using the benches
Notice Covid 19 for playgrounds
Information from NHS Advance Care Planning and Guidance for Covid-19
Information from Hertfordshire County Council
Adult Social Care and the NHS
- HCC has set up a social care provider hub to support adult care providers. The hub provides a Coronavirus Support Line and email for Hertfordshire Care Providers, with regularly updated FAQs for providers on the Hertfordshire Care Providers Association (HCPA)website here: www.hcpa.info/covid-19/
- We have increased levels of cleaning in all our settings, including day services and supported living and have stopped some services to focus on the most important areas.
- We are already spending the additional money allocated by the Chancellor to prioritise support to hospitals by looking to enable as many people as possible to come home from hospital or to go to an alternative setting to ensure NHS has the beds it needs.
- Pressure from our Director of Public Health has also ensured that we have secured a stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for social care workers.
Support to Vulnerable Groups and Individuals
We have been planning for significant numbers of people needing to self-isolate and are working closely with District Council colleagues and other partners in the community and voluntary sector (CVS) to develop plans for providing the support that people may need but who cannot access support from friends, families and neighbours. Specifically in relation to volunteering we are structuring our countywide response as follows:
Making it easy to give and get help
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- Signposting people who wish to volunteer
- Public campaign about how to request help – central phone and website
- Matching service for volunteers and opportunities through our vol sector network
Supporting and empowering local groups
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- Encourage the mobilisation of existing infrastructure to a greater degree
- Offering central guidance on how to offer help ‘safely’ e.g. handling money
- Who to contact if people are concerned about someone’s wellbeing
- Grants to voluntary sector and via local Councillors
Commission different levels of volunteering
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- Higher Need for those with care needs or symptomatic: personal care with PPE, meal preparation, medication prompts to be led by care providers and existing vol sector specialists like Herts Independent Living Service, HCPA, Care By Us – mainly paid staff but some volunteering
- Lower Need support for people self-isolating people but not symptomatic: shopping, prescriptions, dog-walking, washing and cleaning, odd-jobs, mental wellbeing, keeping in touch. Response led by #TeamHerts strategic voluntary sector network
Co-ordinating the strategic response
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- Understanding where there are volunteering gaps and stimulating activity where required
- Grant funding and queries on spending
- Professional advice on boundary between professional response and volunteer response
- Wide communication with stakeholders including districts and boroughs, parish councils, GPs, wider NHS
This will supplement the numerous local schemes that are already appearing in neighbourhoods and to fill in the gaps – we do not want to discourage any of these. Our approach is to help coordinate the organisations in the county to target those that are most vulnerable as best possible and it is recognised that the type of support will vary.
We will be directing Herts Help, our existing signposting service, to focus entirely on the response to Covid-19 and linking people up with relevant local organisations and volunteers.
We will also ensure our Customer Service Centre is configured to prioritise this work; they already work very closely with Herts Help.
We will be providing additional funding to the voluntary sector to allow them to mobilise a range of volunteers to support the response, whether it be to new roles or to supplement existing organisations.
We will also be providing extra funding to Herts Independent Living Service to allow them to increase the volume of meals on wheels that they are able to deliver to vulnerable people who are isolating.
For people who may have eligible care needs:
- Call the council’s call centre on 0300 123 4042
- https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/adult-social-services/adult-social-services.aspx
For people who need support because they are self-isolating:
- Call Herts Help 0300 123 4044
- https://www.hertshelp.net/hertshelp.aspx
Useful Websites
The Government’s website is an important information source https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
HCC’s realtime service updates is a key source of local information https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/news/coronavirus-service-updates.aspx
HCC’s stay safe guidance is here https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/news/news-archive/coronavirus-frequently-asked-questions