Issue - meetings

Report of Director of Resources enclosed.

The Director of Resources submitted a report updating members on the various Business Support Grants that had been awarded since the introduction of the local restrictions due to the Covid pandemic in September of last year; and informing them of the new Restart Grants which would replace the Local Restrictions Support Grants from 1 April 2021. Consideration on how to utilise the remaining Additional Restrictions Grant funding available was required by committee.

The report outlined the grants paid to the 28 February 2021; the dates for closure of schemes and the Restart grants that would be paid to non-essential retail businesses and qualifying hospitality and retail properties.

Under the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant scheme, a total of £808,869 had been paid as of 30 March 2021 which equated to 46% of the funding received. The Government had originally stated that the ARG funding could be spent up to March 2022, however, they had recently announced that additional funding would be provided by way of top-ups to local authorities who had spent their original allocation by the end of June 2021.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Note the progress made with the allocation of Local Restriction Support Grants, and

2.    Delegate to the Director of Resources in consultation with Budget Working Group amendments to the Additional Restriction Grant scheme to utilise the remaining funding to enable the Council to receive further funding from the Government.

(Councillors Bibby, Fletcher, Hore and Knox declared an interest in the next item of business and were put on hold)