Covid-19 marshals could be funded by a government grant to Peterborough City Council to help raise awareness of restrictions
Peterborough City Council has been given a £125,000 grant from the government to help continue to raise awareness of Covid-19 restrictions among the community and businesses.
In September, the government announced a budget to support Covid-19 compliance and enforcement activity. A total of £30m was allocated to local authorities, with £300,000 awarded to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough City Council getting £125,000.
The funds will be used to support compliance checks on businesses and individuals, ensuring restrictions such as social distancing and the wearing of face masks are being adhered to, helping to control the spread of the virus.
Councils can use the funding to deploy ‘Covid-19 Marshals’ to advise and support members of the public on following restrictions.
Peterborough City Council will now consider this approach and work with partners to determine how to spend the funding. An announcement on the outcome of this will be made in ‘due course.’
Rob Hill, Assistant Director of People and Communities at Peterborough City Council, said: “We are pleased to have been granted this award and are currently working with our external partners as to how best to use this funding.
“The government felt that, across the country, councils such as ours are closest to and have the best knowledge of Covid-19 issues in our cities and we should decide how to spend the funding ourselves.
“We are looking at a range of options, such as covering costs associated with stepping up enforcement activity, measures to help the public and businesses fully understand regulations and funding the cost of dedicated staff to encourage compliance with the rules, including Covid-19 marshals.”