ALL Droitwich’s town centre car parks operated by Wychavon District Council are free to use to help people during the coronavirus crisis.
It comes after free parking was introduced last week for NHS and adult social care workers who can park for free for any length of time while on essential duties as long as they display a photocopy of their ID badge.
Other assistance includes anyone of working age and claiming council tax support receiving a one-off reduction of up to £150.
Businesses, retail, leisure and hospitality companies will receive an automatic 100 per cent discount on their business rate bills – applied automatically and new bills issued.
Qualifying firms can access grants of between £10,000 and £25,000 by registering their details on the Wychavon website. More than 700 businesses have already applied for help.
Self-employed people can get help through the Government’s self-employed income support grant, administered by HMRC.
Visit wychavon.gov.uk/business for information on more support, including Government funding to pay staff wages.
Wychavon’s housing team has offered temporary accommodation to all known rough sleepers across the district and continues to offer advice and practical support to those in emergency need.
The district council’s staff are working hard to maintain critical services including waste and recycling collections which are unaffected but bulky waste collections have been stopped until further notice.
Residents are urged not to carry out house, shed or garage clearances unless they can store the waste for a period of time. Crews cannot take any extra waste as it would overwhelm the service.
Committee meetings have been cancelled and Community Contact Centres are closed but people can still email or call.
Residents and businesses can visit www.wychavon.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest support and services available.
Go to gov.uk/coronavirus for information on Universal Credit and council tax support.
