As Leader of the Council, I:
1) Agree a £10m allocation from the available Covid-19 Emergency Grant Funding. This will be:
i) Used to provide targeted support to low income households and households in financial distress, including individuals and families; and local businesses, in line with the funding principles and criteria set out within this decision report and the associated Policy Documents/Funding Frameworks, which are intended to provide sufficient flexibility to respond to emerging and changing needs across the county;
ii) Allocated as follows:
(a) £4m to support low income households and households in financial distress, including through council services such as the Kent Support and Assistance Service, district and borough councils, voluntary and community sector organisations, such as Kent Community Foundation and utility companies such as South East Water.
(b) £3m to provide a range of support for businesses and the self-employed that meet specified criteria, including through council services, district and borough councils, voluntary and community sector organisations, and business support organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce.
(c) £2.5m to tackle digital poverty, working with schools and colleges, district and borough councils and voluntary and community sector organisations.
(d) £500k to match fund crowdfunded community projects and initiatives that support local communities in responding to and recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
and;
2) Delegate authority to the Corporate Director, Finance, after consultation with the Leader, to update, review and amend the proposed distribution of the funding in response to changing need, as evidenced by the monitoring of all Covid-19 related grant expenditure, including consideration of the use of any remaining unallocated grant funding; and
3) Delegate authority to the Corporate Director, Finance to take other necessary actions including but not limited to entering into contracts or other legal agreements, as required to implement this decision.