‘Postcode lottery’ issue over recovery grant
DRIVING INSTRUCTORS – and some other businesses – have been falling victim to a “postcode lottery” when it comes to a COVID-19 recovery grant.
Additional Restrictions Grant has been made available by the Government with council discretion over who qualifies, and in Calderdale some businesses believe they are missing out, councillors heard recently.
Driving instructor Jon Morton, of Elland-based JBM Driver Training Academy, also contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service to say he and fellow Calderdale instructors had been left at a disadvantage compared to those in neighbouring authority Kirklees.
Mr Morton said businesses who did not operate from fixed premises were being prevented from applying for the ARG grant if they were already in receipt of another of the COVID grants schemes, Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
SEISS replaced lost income but does not support ongoing business costs, he said.
He had challenged this with the council who had said West Yorkshire authorities had agreed they would not pay it to those in receipt of SEISS grant – but some including Kirklees had since diverged from this.
Mr Morton said he lived in Elland and more or less across the road in Kirklees colleagues had received £5,000 from their council’s ARG pot.
“It is frustrating because it is putting me at a disadvantage, and people in the same situation as me.
“It would make a big difference – I have used savings paying for a car I can’t use,” he said.
Several councillors raised the issue at April’s meeting of the full Calderdale Council.
Coun James Baker (Lib Dem, Warley) said he wanted to see equality across the region so people did not end up with a “postcode lottery” system.
Since the council meeting Mr Morton said he had been contacted by the council notifying him that an ARG payment of £1,000 would be made to him in the coming days.
Coun Ashley Evans (Lib Dem, Warley) said the situation also applied to independent hairdressers.
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