Councils will receive Tier 3 cash boost
MORE MONEY TO BE PAID OUT AFTER NATIONAL LOCKDOWN
COUNCILS in Hull and the East Riding will get extra government funding during their time in the highest tier of the regional Covid alert system.
Both areas will move into Tier 3 this week when the national lockdown ends.
As a result, they will both receive a monthly payment equivalent of £4 per head of population.
It means Hull City Council will receive around £1m, while East Riding Council will get just over £1.3m.
The money can only be spent on covering the ongoing public health and outbreak management costs of tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
Councillor Phil Webster, cabinet portfolio holder for finance in Hull, said: “The money is to be used on compliance, testing and track and trace.”
Funding for testing will meet the costs around delivering lateral flow tests aimed at locating and suppressing asymptomatic transmission of the virus.
Compliance issues centre on continuing monitoring and enforcement of the Covid rules and guidance by environmental health and trading standards teams.
City councillors heard recently that finance officails at the Guildhall expected most of the Covid-related costs incurred by the authority this year would eventually be covered by government funding.
A separate Whitehall funding regime is being used to provide grant support for businesses hit by the lockdown and the restrictions due to be brought in under the revised tier system.
Cllr Webster said: “All businesses that are forced to close will receive business relief funding on a monthly basis.
“Sadly, this time we have not been given any discretionary funding like last time.”
Towards the end of the first national lockdown earlier this year Hull was the only council in the country to operate a discretionary grant scheme specifically for freelancers and businesses in the city’s cultural and creative sector.
It used its own funds to offer grants of up to £2,000 to individuals and firms which were not eligible for earlier national support which was tied to business rates.
Any future move for either of the councils into Tier 2 would see their monthly grant reduce by 50 per cent to the equivalent of £2 per head of population.
The tier system will be reviewed on December 16.