As we near the Christmas holidays, I wanted to briefly take the opportunity to set out a clear commitment to everybody that we, Wokingham Borough Council, will not allow any of our residents go hungry or cold during this Covid-blighted winter.
Last week, the council’s executive agreed on two important initiatives to make sure we target support to children, families, individuals and businesses most in need.
The first was to provide more than £208,000 to help families with food and bills during the winter, including £100,000 for children on free school meals during the Christmas and February holidays.
The second is to allocate £3.4million over the next two and half years to help small businesses, including £400,000 immediately for businesses affected by the recent lockdown.
We are prepared to go further – indeed, as far as is necessary – to make good on the commitment that we will help all those who are struggling.
We are not starting this from scratch, but the impact of Covid-19 has made this an even more important issue for us.
Here are just some examples:
- Our various green energy and insulation schemes have brought direct savings of up to 25% on fuel bills and helped alleviate fuel poverty for more the 500 households.
- Our local welfare provision scheme provides emergency help to people in financial crisis.
- Our borough’s businesses have been helped by over £19 million in business rates relief during the pandemic.
- Our Council Tax Reduction Scheme helps people on low incomes.
I am delighted to say, following a recent consultation, we have announced that we will been extending this scheme for carers, as well as exempting care leavers from Council Tax up to the age of 25.
We will soon be launching the Kick-Start programme, which will help young people move from Universal Credit to secure jobs, and a digital inclusion project to collect unused IT equipment and recycle it for those people currently unable to access digital technology.
In all these vital efforts, we are working with voluntary sector organisations in a genuine and strengthening partnership that brings mutual benefit to all: we gain from the expertise and community connections the voluntary sector brings and they gain from the financial and other support a local authority can provide.
We are also working in close partnership with health institutions, the CCG, NHS and GPs and with the blue light institutions, the police, the fire service and the ambulance service.
It is a win-win arrangement that is bring tangible benefits to residents, which we will continue to develop.
While I lead the Conservative administration running your council, I will ensure that we are always there to offer a hand up to those in need, and that no-one gets left behind.
Cllr John Halsall is the leader of Wokingham Borough Council
