Following on from my last column, there have been developments in the response to Covid-19.

NHS staff, builders, carpenters and architects, the armed forces and the University of the West of England have worked tirelessly to open the NHS Nightingale Hospital early this week.

For the last week nationally, we have seen a sustained plateauing and even reduction in the number of deaths caused by coronavirus. That is matched by equally encouraging figures for hospital admissions.

This last week would have been the dream start to the season for the many local businesses in our visitor economy.

There is no escaping that tackling Covid-19 is a challenge of almost unprecedented scale for this country in these times.

In this turbulent time, it is important the community helps those who are most vulnerable and there has been some amazing work here in Somerset. If you are in need of help, or want to give back to the community, these links should be useful. 

It goes without saying this is an unbelievably tough time for everyone as we continue to battle against Covid-19.

The Government is doing all it can to get us through this and while it won’t be perfect, the priority has – and always will be - to save lives.

We are in unprecedented times in this country right now and I know there is a huge amount of fear over the Coronavirus pandemic.

I am clear the community does not wish for any changes to the provision of Minor Injury Units – not just in Burnham-on-Sea but at Glastonbury and Shepton.

We are very lucky in this constituency to have a number of colleges giving students the opportunity to pursue apprenticeships alongside a range of courses. 

Wells MP James Heappey is pleased to see Somerset County Council benefit from the biggest increase in council’s spending power for a decade, with the authority receiving a funding increase of 7.5 per cent.