Some Rother residents may get £500 if forced to self-isolate

Rother residents will soon be able to receive financial support if they are asked to self-isolate by NHS test and trace.
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The government-backed scheme will see some residents able to claim a £500 payment, if they have been told to self-isolate by the NHS as a result of Covid-19 and doing so would adversely affect their income. 

The scheme is to be administered by Rother District Council, which has also been granted funding to run its own scheme for people who do not fit the criteria set by the government.

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But cabinet member for finance Kevin Dixon warned that the money from government may not go far enough should Rother see a second surge of coronavirus cases. 

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Friday (October 9), Cllr Dixon said: “I saw yesterday a table which showed Rother is the seventh lowest council area in the country for Covid cases, which either means one of two things.

“It either means we are doing very, very well and we’re going to escape or we haven’t had our second surge yet and it’s coming. 

“On that basis the money we are talking about today isn’t very much money.”

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Rother District Council has been given £39,000 to run the government scheme and £23,500 for its own discretionary scheme. The council says this means the discretionary scheme could only help 47 people at most and it would likely have to be distributed on a first come, first served basis. 

Cllr Dixon said it was uncertain if further funding would come forward for either scheme, with the future funding of the discretionary scheme “more of a worry”.

He said: “I think we need to be prepared and to understand what we are going to do when that money runs out.

“I think we should certainly lobby government, but I would also be asking cabinet to see if we could lobby our MPs to get some more help, because if it is true that we are going to get a large increase [in cases] … this money will not last very long.”

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The government-backed scheme has a set of strict criteria for eligibility. 

The person must have been asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, and be employed or self-employed, and unable to work from home.

They must also be receiving one of these benefits: Universal Credit; Working Tax Credit; income-related Employment and Support Allowance; income based Jobseeker’s Allowance; Income Support; Housing Benefit; or  Pension Credit

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