Decision details

Purpose of Report: To provide an update on activities in response to the Covid-19 and the work to support recovery and renewal. This follows previous Executive decisions to approve the Recovery and Renewal Plan, which frames the Council's recovery activities for the year.

Resolved:  (i)      That the contents of the report, and the steps taken to date to respond to the pandemic as set out in Annex 1, be noted.

                   (ii)      That the following recommendations made by the Executive Member for Finance and Performance in November 2020 (as outlined in Annnex 1), be endorsed:

To:

i.             implement a discretionary grants scheme providing support to the businesses outlined and at the levels indicated in the paper, to run until March 2022;

ii.            instruct the Head of Economic Growth to develop more detailed proposals for a business support voucher scheme for consideration at a subsequent Executive Member Decision Session;

iii.          allocate a preliminary budget of £200k from the Additional Relief Grant (ARG) funding to fund future activity aiming to accelerate economic activity during the next reopening; and

iv.          ask officers to bring back a further report to the relevant Executive Member Decision Session to consider amendments to the ARG eligibility criteria.

Reason:     To keep the council’s response to the pandemic under review, and to provide support to York businesses that are affected by the Covid-19 restrictions but not eligible for Local Restrictions Grant funding.