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The Council has launched its draft Service and Financial Planning Strategy, outlining its budget plans for the next 12 months – and as a member of our local business community we would welcome your views.
After more than a decade of severe financial constraint, and with the impacts that Covid has had over the last 12 months, the Council will have to find more budget savings and also ask residents to pay more Council Tax in order to continue to provide the level and quality of services required.
In summary, the council faces a budget gap of just over £9.9m next year and if it raises council tax by 4.99%, this will raise £3.64m towards this funding shortfall.
The draft Service & Financial Planning Strategy sets out the Council’s proposed approach during this challenging time, as well as showing that the budget for the current year has largely been brought back in to balance and how the receipt of some one-off emergency additional funding from the government has helped cover costs arising from the pandemic.
To find out more you can read the full report and submit your views here >>
The closing date for comments is 7 February 2021.
Since lockdown, the Council has issued over £35m of business support grant payments, primarily to businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors and over £32m of additional business rate reliefs in accordance with the various Government schemes.
With the current national lockdown we have put in place more measures to continue our support at this very difficult time. We are:
Making automatic awards to those in the retail, hospitality and leisure industries in one off grants as follows:
- £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
- £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000
In addition there are grants available for those which have been forced to close as a result of Government restrictions as follows;
- £667 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under every 14 days
- £1,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 every 14 days
- £1,500 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000 every 14 days
And our discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant is also available to support businesses which have been severely impacted by Covid and the business has been unable to qualify for one of the other grants which are available.
Yours sincerely
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