THE Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian Tierney, has welcomed the announcement by the Communities Minister of an additional £2.435m to assist Councils with the financial pressures resulting from Covid-19.
Derry and Strabane has been allocated £458,725 of the overall figure which will go some way towards addressing issues such as loss of income and the provision of additional Council services during the pandemic.
The support will be essential in helping Council maintain standards of service, and will help alleviate the additional pressures on staff and resources that have emerged during the Covid crisis.
The Rates Support Grant Funding will be paid to seven of the eleven local Councils, who are eligible for support as determined by a statutory formula that demonstrates that their needs exceed their wealth. £15.865m of RSG assistance has already been distributed for 2020/21.
Welcoming the news Mayor Tierney said: “I am delighted to see that Minister Hargey has taken on board the urgency of this situation for local Councils who have been required to provide additional services throughout the pandemic.
“It’s an acknowledgement of the vital services being provided by our Councils and the dedication of our frontline workers who have worked tirelessly throughout the crisis to ensure the needs of the public continue to be met.
“Council has experienced a significant loss of income with the suspension of leisure services and other repercussions from this pandemic, which will continue for some time to come.
“This deficit needs to be addressed as it will inevitably impact on services and positive plans for improvement across the City and District.
“This support will go some way towards mitigating against these impacts.
“I want to thank the Department for Communities for their ongoing support which will be needed for as long as this emergency continues to place extra demands on local Councils.
“We will continue to work with the department and all our community partners to meet the needs of the public during this crisis.”
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