News

We know many people are struggling to make ends meet at the moment, so a reminder that Maidstone Borough Council has two possible grants available that could help you through this challenging period of time.

The first is a one-off Emergency Assistant Grant (EAG) of up to £500, for those that have been financially affected because of Covid-19, and the other is the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, available to anyone who has to isolate and is unable to work as a result.

The Emergency Assistant Grant can be claimed by households to help them if they are struggling financially because of a decrease in income or higher outgoings due to Covid-19,

Central government has given all local authorities a grant allocation that must be distributed in their area as a non-repayable grant and Maidstone Borough Council has been given £71,000 to help those in the borough. For more information and to apply please visit the Maidstone Borough Council website maidstone.gov.uk/eag

The Test and Trace Support payment of £500 is to help people who have been told to self-isolate by the NHS.

It is for anyone employed or self-employed on a low income and in receipt of certain benefits who has tested positive for COVID-19 or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. They will need to be unable to work from home and have received a notification from the NHS to self-isolate.

All applications must be made within 14 days of the end of a self-isolation period and the scheme is open until 31 January 2021. Anyone who is told to self-isolate on or after 28 September will be able to make a backdated claim for payment as long as they have received notification from the NHS.

To apply people need to complete an online self-isolation payment application form which will then be assessed for eligibility: maidstone.gov.uk/testandtracesupport

If you live in a different local authority area you can still apply for the Test and Trace Payment Scheme, visit www.gov.uk/test-and-trace-support-payment for more information.