Cumbria County Council is distributing more than £659,000 of government funding to district authorities in the county, to help low income residents who need to self-isolate due to Covid.

Currently £500 Test and Test Support Payments are paid to eligible individuals on a low income, who have been instructed to self-isolate through the NHS Test and Trace service, as per government guidance.

The Additional Discretionary Support Payment Scheme allows district authorities to make discretionary payments to people who will find it difficult to self-isolate for financial reasons.

While some of these people have been able to benefit from the national £500 Test and Trace support payment, not everyone is eligible, meaning some people in need have slipped through the cracks.

The Additional Discretionary Support Payment Scheme will enable district councils to extend the range of people who are eligible for support, doubling the number of local people who can be supported.

People will be able to apply for the grants through their local district authority. Councils are currently putting arrangements in place and details will be available via their websites soon.

The funding will be distributed across each district as follows: Allerdale – £128,000; Barrow – £89,000; Carlisle – £143,000; Copeland – £91,000; Eden – £70,000; South Lakeland – £139,000.

Councillor Stewart Young, Leader of Cumbria County Council, said: “I’m pleased we’ve been able to make this funding available for local residents who need support.

"The scheme will allow district authorities to reach more residents, helping a lot of families to manage if they have lost income during the lockdown as a result of having to self-isolate.

“We know that for many people on low incomes the financial penalty of self-isolation can be significant, and not everyone in need qualifies for the national scheme.

"This funding helps fill that gap, and supports people to stay at home and avoid spreading the virus further.”