Labour on tackling coronavirus hardship: Give tenants and council tax payers in Atherstone and district two months without paying bills

Local authority tenants and council tax payers in Atherstone and district should be given a two-month free period from payment to help ease the burden on communities in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Labour councillors have urged.

The Atherstone headquarters of North Warwickshire Borough Council should be closed along with all leisure centres to "protect the public and staff", the local authority's opposition group is demanding.

Labour leader Adam Farrell is also calling for a coalition-style approach to the local authority governing during the period of the crisis – "standing ready to work" with the Conservative-ruling administration.

In a dramatic move, Councillor Farrell has "gone public" by releasing a letter on social media to borough council chief executive Steve Maxey with Labour's pleas.

The statement, sent to Nub News, says "urgent action" is needed locally to help in an effort to tackle this pandemic.

Yesterday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak vowed to do "whatever it takes" to buoy the economy when he announced his "unprecedented" £350 billion package of measures including mortgage "holidays" for those in financial difficulty, as well as £330bn in loans and £20bn in other aid to protect businesses.

But the North Warwickshire Labour Group called for national government to increase support available for individuals, believing additional funding is need – particularly for renters.

The group's two pivotal requests include giving all council tenants a rent-free period of eight weeks if they can prove they are financially struggling and where individuals pay their council tax over 10 months, the two-month free period be brought forward from February 2021 to next month.

Labour also wants the borough council to establish a £250,000 discretionary fund – taken from reserves – to provide grants to local residents struggling to cover their costs. This should include council tax breaks where the burden proves significant.

The council house in South Street, Atherstone, should be closed and non-business critical staff should be asked to work from home. All on-urgent council repairs postponed, says Labour.

The group is also calling for all council meetings and events organised by the borough council postponed until the end of May with the proviso that all council staff should receive full pay during any closure period, including hourly-paid staff.

The meetings should be replaced with twice weekly video conference calls to provide lead councillors from both parties with the latest information.

Councillor Farrell also wants a new council response team should be created of redeployed workers from other teams to co-ordinate and support the community response to the social distancing policy that is being strongly advised.

All council communal rooms should be closed to council tenants to prevent social interaction.

And all Borough Care non-essential visits should be cancelled to reduce contact with the vulnerable with those staff asked to make phone contact with the 1500-vulnerable residents who use the service on a regular basis to check their well-being.

In the letter to Mr Maxey, Cllr Farrell added: "The Labour group stands ready to work with you and the Conservative administration to provide strong leadership and support for the local community."