Cornwall Help for Businesses & Residents – sort of COVID
Cornwall Council help for Businesses & Residents – sort of COVID related but might be more generally useful.
This post contains information related to mental well-being, advice for those struggling to pay rent, a link to have your say on Cornwall Council’s next budget and then links to help and advice for businesses.
MAINLY FOR RESIDENTS
Mental Health
As a health and care system, Cornwall Council have been working with key partners and stakeholders to promote suicide prevention and maintain the mental health and wellbeing of our population through the Covid-19 pandemic. The core objectives have been to ensure that commissioned pathways and support are accessible at all times and able to respond to increased and emerging demands. A comprehensive range of self-help advice, support and signposting information is developing and can be found on the Council website – your mental well-being – and in addition flyers, posters and z-wallets are being distributed.
Your Cornwall Councillor will very soon have more information.
Private & Social Housing Renters Should Make Contact if Struggling to Pay Their Rent
Residents who are struggling to pay their rent are urged to get in touch for support and advice.
The government’s extended ban on evicting people who rent their homes ended on 20 September with landlords still required to give six months’ notice to any tenants they want to evict.
Cornwall’s Social and Supported Housing landlords which include Coastline Housing, Cornwall Council/Cornwall Housing Ltd, LiveWest and Ocea
If you are one of the one in five households who rent your home from a private landlord and are worried about being evicted, we’re urging you to get in touch with Cornwall Housing’s Prevention and Engagement Team at www.cornwallhousing.org.uk
Residents Urged to have their say on Cornwall Council’s Budget
Cornwall’s residents are urged to have their say on a draft budget for 2021/22 which prioritises critical frontline services, the most vulnerable residents and investment in Cornwall’s recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic in the face of unprecedented financial uncertainty.
Cornwall Council cabinet agreed a draft budget to be made available for public consultation and it is now available for people to have their say either online or in writing.
People can give their views by visiting the Council’s engagement website ‘Lets Talk Cornwall’ (https://letstalk.cornwall.
People can also request a survey through the post if they prefer. This can be requested by emailing haveyoursay@cornwall.gov.uk or telephoning 0300 1234 100 between 8.30am and 6pm Monday – Friday.
The consultation will close on 14 December 2020.
MAINLY EMPLOYMENT/ BUSINESS SUPPORT
Redundancy Support and Supporting People Back into Work
The Covid-19 Pandemic means that unemployment and business failure has risen rapidly across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Few places in the UK has the impact of Covid19 been felt more severely felt than in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This is due to the importance of the visitor economy and the particular make-up of our business mix which has a higher proportion of small and micro businesses and self-employed. The Council is ensuring that we have the correct strategies and interventions in place to support people back into work, either within our own organisation and group of companies or to support the labour
market more widely in Cornwall to do so.
Headlines of Actions:
The Emergency People Hub, with £227,000 investment from Cornwall Council, has been established to provide support to residents across Cornwall, during these uncertain times. Link to people hub
The Cornwall Redundancy Support Task Force comprising of key agencies (e.g. CC Economic Growth Service, Cornwall Development Company, DWP, People Hub, Growth Hub and National Careers Service) has been set up to co-ordinate intelligence and support organisations facing large scale redundancy situations.
Through other agencies and partnerships, most notably Jobcentre Plus/DWP, National Careers Service and Cornwall Council, a broad range of redundancy support is available.
One Stop Shop – Virtual Support for Businesses and Individuals
Cornwall Council are planning a schedule of virtual events, resources and targeted support to ensure individuals and businesses that have been negatively affected by Covid in some way, are aware of and are linked to the wide range of support
that is available to them locally.
Cornwall Council are driving strategic leadership of employment, skills and redundancy support through ESF funding. Region has a £131m programme of support from the European Social Fund to commission and deliver a range of employment, training and support opportunities to individuals and businesses.
Public Sector Contracts
Cornwall Council want to ensure Public Sector Commitment to ensure employment and skills outcomes are embedded in all of contracted arrangements. The Public Sector should ensure that all contracts contain outcomes associated with employment and skills, with a plan for action emerging.
Establishing Penzance as a Real Living Wage Pilot town.
Work with local stakeholders to identify towns that may wish to pilot becoming “Real Living Wage” accredited towns, focussing initially on Penzance with whom Cornwall Council have been working for some time to develop this initiative.