News / Politics
Bristol is facing a £44m funding shortfall
Bristol City Council has calculated that for every four weeks of lockdown, there will be a £44.3m shortfall in government funding.
This funding is needed to ensure businesses, self-employed people, the community and voluntary sector and vulnerable people are fully supported.
It includes £14m needed for business support, £24.4m needed for the self-employed and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) top-up, and £7.3m needed to help the self-employed who are not eligible for SEISS.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said: “There is a role for ourselves and city partners to play to ensure our city is looked after, there is a role for individuals to play to make sure they limit the spread of infection, and there is a role for Government to play, crucially about providing adequate financial support to those who need it and assurance that we can exit lockdown in a better place.”
In a press conference on Monday, Rees also confirmed that he had written to health secretary, Matt Hancock, before the new lockdown measures were announced suggest that Bristol should be moved to Tier 2 which the mayor said would have less of an economic impact than a straight move into Tier 3 or lockdown.
Rees added: “We must face the reality that we may not come out of lockdown and go back to Tier 1 and that everything will be as it is now.
“We are therefore seeking certainty from the government that this is a short lockdown, fully funded by the government, and that Bristol won’t then have to go into Tier 3 as this would severely impact our residents, our businesses and our ability to function as a city, particularly if it is inadequately funded.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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