FOI request (FOIR-386021645)

Self-Employed Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Requested Fri 17 December 2021
Responded  Thu 23 December 2021

Please can you provide information on the following questions regarding access to the Self-Isolation Support Grant in the local authority of Hastings Borough Council during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All questions refer to the time period between March 2020 and up to the latest available data.

1. How many individuals have applied for the Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500? Please include a month-by-month breakdown.

2. How many of those applications were made by self-employed people?

3. How many of those applications made by self-employed people automatically received the payment due to being on existing benefit schemes such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Working Tax Credits, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, and Housing Benefit?

4. How many self-employed people who were not on benefits received the Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500?

5. How many applications for the Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500 made by self-employed people were rejected and what were the top three reasons for rejection in these circumstances?

6. What was the total expenditure on Self-Isolation Support Grant of £500 made for self-employed people?

Response

Please note - The Test and Trace Support Payment scheme started from October 2020.

Please see table below - Some individuals made duplicate applications (for the same period of isolation) and some individuals made more than one application (for different periods of isolation) - so this is the summary of the total number of applications received.

1. Total applications received (up to 10:00am 21/12/2021):

Oct 2020 - 26

Nov 2020 - 37

Dec 2020 - 290

Jan 2021 - 395

Feb 2021 - 67

Mar 2021 - 24

Apr 2021 - 4

May 2021 - 5

Jun 2021 - 54

Jul 2021 - 215

Aug 2021 - 152/p>

Sep 2021 - 101

Oct 2021 - 68

Nov 2021 - 150

Dec 2021 - 128 (so far)

2. Number of applications received from those stating that they were self-employed (up to 10:00am 21/12/2021):

Oct 2020 - 10

Nov 2020 - 14

Dec 2020 - 56

Jan 2021 - 81

Feb 2021 - 9

Mar 2021 - 7

Apr 2021 - 1

May 2021 - 4

Jun 2021 - 16

Jul 2021 - 66

Aug 2021 - 31/p>

Sep 2021 - 22

Oct 2021 - 18

Nov 2021 - 62

Dec 2021 - 46 (so far)

3. No applications automatically received the payment - all of the qualifying criteria had to be checked and verified first.

4. 39 to date.

5. 310 to date. Lack of evidence, earnings were above the threshold, they were unable to provide proof of income prior to self-isolating.

6. £58,000 to date.