Farmers reap a secondary harvest in Northumberland

In April 2020 the Government released £12Bn to Council to issue to small businesses to help them through the Covid crisis.

On 3^rd August 2020 the Federation of Small Businesses reported that £1.5Bn lay in Councils bank accounts unclaimed. But as we saw in mid-July Northumberland’s finance portfolio holder told the press that he thought the Government owed the Council an additional £9M that they may not be able to recover.

His statement could of course have been simple accounting measures to fill another of his now famous ‘Black Holes’ but we thought we would ask around the County to see whats happened to the cash.

Quickly we found that in the Bars near the marts across the County that Farmers were praising the Tory touts who have performed miracles for them helping to gift as many small businesses involved in farming a separate grant to cover losses caused by the virus. You may think that admirable?

But those left behind are fuming at the way they have been treated. An example we have been given from the trade is that of Taxi and Coach firms who do a fantastic job either getting our children to school across Northumberland’s vast wildernesses and back home in the evening, and those who ferry people in greatest need to the places of safety where they spend their days through small beneficial to the Council social services contracts.

Early in the pandemic period these businesses were paid a small retainer. That pittance was key to the Councils attitude towards them, months later, they were denied access to the grant payments received by those they ferried home in the middle of the night from the reopened bars and restaurants with their pockets bulging.

Were certain from the cabbies and mini-bus/coach pople we spoke with that they won’t forget this treatment of them and their trade in a hurry.

We won’t know what the £9M from Councillor Oliver is about until after the 2021 Local Government election period but we expect that a Government audit instruction on Councils is issued to have their external auditors check the details and we will be watching to see if the Truth will out.