Council reveals £22.2m funding package

joshua

Well-Known Forumite
Council reveals £22.2m funding package to help Staffordshire recover from coronavirus crisis
Part of the cash will be used to construct two temporary mortuaries
0_County-Buildings.jpg

(Image: Kerry Ashdown)

  • More than £22 million of taxpayers' cash is set to be spent to support Staffordshire's residents and businesses through the coronavirus pandemic.
    Staffordshire County Council has received the £22.2 million funding to go towards its coronavirus battle fund.
    It comes as the council is today expected to outline a series of measures to help with the relief effort.
    Today's announcements include:
    • The creation of a county-wide food distribution network to supply 20,000 parcels to vulnerable self-isolators;
    • Confirmation that more than 750 council staff have volunteered to switch jobs to support critical roles;
    • The recruitment, vetting and training of hundreds of people to provide home care;
    • A raft of measures for care providers, including financial support for agency staff, sickness cover and extra care packages;
    • Early sourcing of emergency supplies of personal protective equipment for social care providers;

    • Support for foster carers who have seen a drastic fall in income;

    • Extra care packages for vulnerable children and adults being supported at home;

    • A rent holiday for enterprise centre tenants;

    • The construction of temporary mortuary facilities at Stafford's County Showground and in Burton.
    Council leader Philip Atkins said: “Staffordshire has always had an amazing community spirit and it is incredible to see everyone pulling together as never before to help out not only family, friends and neighbours, but also to help people who until days ago were simply strangers.
    “We have seen businesses close, people being furloughed or losing their jobs, residential care homes and the NHS face crippling pressures and some of us have sadly lost loved-ones before their time, including front-line care workers to this virus, which continues to show no mercy.
    “That’s why, as a county council, we will continue to do everything we can to help Staffordshire through the coming weeks. I would like to thank every person in the county who is stepping up to help us do this.”
    The extra spending comes as the council has already agreed to save £64 million by 2024.
    But council leaders are warning that it may fail to deliver more than £10 million of savings this financial year - and the financial impact of the crisis could yet exceed £50 million.

    Mr Atkins added: "There is a significant risk that we will not be able to deliver agreed savings in the timescales envisaged.
    “While our immediate priority must be to do everything we can to tackle the coronavirus, we are also looking to the future. We are raising with Government the need to address the financial impact on our own county and local councils as we start to look with partners to rebuild services, businesses and our local economy.
    “In the coming weeks, the challenge will remain huge and the toll on some will be sadly high, but I know that in Staffordshire we have the resilience, the resourcefulness and simply the sheer determination to see this through together.”
 

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
It’s for the whole county. I wonder how much will be left for the Stafford after Stoke, Lichfield, Tamworth etc have had their bit.
 

Mikinton

Well-Known Forumite
It’s for the whole county. I wonder how much will be left for the Stafford after Stoke, Lichfield, Tamworth etc have had their bit.
Yes, it is the County rather than the Borough, so the £22.2m is spread a little more thinly, though I assume it wouldn't include Stoke.
 

bunique

Well-Known Forumite
I wonder how much of the £22m will actually be spent and we will see actual results and how much will be lost through mismanagement and incompetence.
What is it you’re doing to help matters? Because council staff have massively stepped up despite years of underfunding.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
:D I think commissioning arrangements are now made so complicated it’s almost impossible to work out who is responsible for what these days
Oh I think it's quite clear that Highways is responsible for chaos on our roads.
 

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
What is it you’re doing to help matters? Because council staff have massively stepped up despite years of underfunding.
No- ones criticising council staff.
What I’m doing to help is this:
I’m carrying on working to try to ensure my business survives& provide a service to my customers.
While working I’ll be buying stock etc from local suppliers helping their business.
I’ll be paying my VAT bill this month even though I could defer it under the new guidelines.
I’ll be paying my self assessment tax bill when it’s due in July even though I could defer this.
I won’t be receiving any government handouts.
 

bunique

Well-Known Forumite
No- ones criticising council staff.
“Mismanagement and incompetence” was being levelled at council staff (I’m not one, for the avoidance of doubt!). The management tier are as much part of the council as the social workers and carers are, they’re having to make difficult decisions about how to support the vulnerable while trying to work out how to keep the council running when this ends. And knowing the reality is that the government is going to make public services pay for all this additional spending come next year’s budget. Many of the people making these difficult decisions and keeping services running won’t have a job this time next year (as grateful as I’m sure they are to have one right now).
 

bunique

Well-Known Forumite
But I am glad you’re managing to keep going, I don’t envy any business owner or self-employed person trying to weather this storm with no certainty about when government support might be coming.
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Being honest 22 million will not be enough.

A lot of it really about money not going to councils I.e. business rates not being paid. Councils then have to plug the gaps. But anything helping out.

Council staff have stepped up, my wife`s friend works for SCC has essentially become a carer in her own time....all volunteering. 1000council staff have done similar, well done to them, so credit where bloody credit is due.

:clap::clap::clap:
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Compare and contrast -

Two people kind of are though, aren't they?

And they appear to have gained some considerable support for their criticisms to boot, what?

hqdefault.jpg
I think you'll find that there's legitimate criticism for Highways managerial and organisational competence that stretches back decades. Or should that all be forgotten now, in the current unfortunate circumstances?

That takes away nothing from those that in their own or furlough time are volunteering to help those in need, whether they are management of Highways, council employees or those in the private sector.
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
Or should that all be forgotten now, in the current unfortunate circumstances?
Dude, all i was drawing attention to was the criticism that was 'out there', not the validity, one way or another, of it.

You are evidently unfamiliar with the 'kermit' meme that accompanied my observation.

Or should i just lazily say :zzz:, as you are wont to do?
 

Pooryorick

Well-Known Forumite
Possibly some of the money could be used to reinstate services already axed, like brown bin collection? Council CEOs will no doubt be asking for their salaries to be reduced. We're all in it together.
 
Top