2020 was a landmark year for local businesses and families. The challenge of keeping daily routines going whilst keeping our local community as safe as possible from COVID impacted on us all.
The Conservative Government provided a series of specific financial grants to us in Mole Valley to lessen the impact for the people and businesses most in need including:
¨ £144,000 for housing support for vulnerable people
¨ £10,000 for emergency and self-contained accommodation
¨ £200,000 to help Dorking Halls offset the impact of being closed
¨ £44,000 through Surrey County Council for emergency assistance funding including meals during lock downs and school holidays
¨ £100,000 to support local food banks and voluntary, community and faith groups to buy and distribute food, medical supplies and other essentials.
Mole Valley District Council’s Conservative Group Leader, James Friend, explained “These funds are in addition to over £20m that has been provided in grants to nearly 2,000 local businesses and community groups to help ensure that the very fabric of our society remains in place as we hopefully emerge from COVID when the vaccine programme starts to pay dividends later in 2021. In the meantime, a huge thank you to everyone who has volunteered locally, who has changed behaviour to keep us safer and who has battled to keep businesses and community activities going.”
