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17
Jun 2021
Self-isolation payments of £500 are to be made available to more low-income earners in the Harrogate district.
The one-off payments were introduced by the government and administered by Harrogate Borough Council from September to compensate for any loss of earnings workers may suffer as a result of having to self-isolate because of covid.
More than £119,000 has been allocated to the council but as of this month around £68,000 remains unspent so officials have proposed to widen the rules around who can apply.
Those currently eligible must be on benefits such as Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowances, however, people who do not receive these and are still in need of help can get discretionary payments.
The proposal to widen the rules will mean a limit on those who can apply for discretionary payments based on their earnings is increased from £280 to £450 weekly.
In December, there were warnings that thousands of people in England were being excluded from the scheme as councils reported running out of cash and loopholes leaving families ineligible.
The council said at the time that this was not an issue in the district, although it had rejected almost as many applicants as it had accepted as many who applied did not have a valid Test and Trace reference number or were not on one of the required benefits.
Currently, the scheme is due to end nationally on June 30, however, it is expected that there will be an extension as the legal requirement to self-isolate will remain in place.
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