Salford City Council lifted the income cap on its self-isolation support system after it was revealed that only 10 percent of the funds had been spent so far.
Currently, individuals earning more than £ 16,400 a year or £ 23,000 as a couple cannot apply for the Salford Test and Trace program.
But now all Salford residents who need to self-isolate but cannot work from home and lose money while self-isolating can apply.
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The changes, approved on Thursday (June 24th), will be backdated to allow anyone asked to self-isolate on or after June 1st to apply.
Labor Councilor Bill Hinds, who is the senior finance and support services officer on the Salford council, said the local authority was doing “the right thing”.
He said, “Ultimately, we have to help as many people as possible.”
Labor Councilor Bill Hinds, who represents Swinton and Wardley on Salford Town Council
(Image: Salford City Council)
The Salford Council received more than 4,000 applications for the Test and Trace Support Payment System, but only 465 were eligible for national support.
Another 100 received discretionary payment under the Salford program.
Local authorities have been asked to create a discretionary system in addition to the national test and trace support payment system to help those who are not receiving income support but are still in financial need.
Payments are capped at £ 500 and are subject to mandatory eligibility criteria.
Applicants must be notified by NHS Test and Trace if they test positive for coronavirus or are in close contact with someone who tests positive.
A parent or guardian of a child or adolescent who has been directed to self-isolate can also apply for their local government’s voluntary assistance scheme.
Information on close contacts must also be provided on request.
Both employees and self-employed who lose money during the period of self-isolation can apply if they cannot work from home.
Salford City Council set its own additional criteria for the discretionary scheme, including an income cap, which was increased by £ 3,000 earlier this year.
There was also a requirement for discretionary applicants to pay housing costs directly, but this was abolished in January.
By mid-May, only 10% of the funds allocated to the discretionary system had been spent, compared to 93% of the national payment system.
The most common reason for rejecting a request for discretionary systems was for failure to provide essential supporting information, which was 42 percent.
15% of unsuccessful applicants were inactive and 11% could work from home or would not lose any income during their self-isolation period.
Only 10% of the rejected applications were related to high income.