(The following information has been received from the County Council -originally sent to members of Social and Community Care OCC – David Godfrey Parish Clerk). This is an extract:
The criteria for entitlement for an award (from Red Cross) is as follows: “to provide support and assistance across the County to those most in need following the floods and left vulnerable, targeting those on state benefits or low incomes, the disabled, elderly and those living alone with young children, taking state benefits into consideration”.
The Distribution Panel is made up of Chairman from the District Councils most affected (excluding South) together with the Mayors of Abingdon and Witney plus supporting Officers. The grant applications have concentrated on providing relief from additional hardship for those that have already applied for grant aid from the District Councils and initial distribution has been made with regards to uninsured loss and additional assistance, which has largely been down to the particular applicants to specify. It seems to me that we really should target those particular communities most badly affected by the floods and provide real services that benefit them once we have cleared away the basic claims relating to loss and damage to goods and property, not already covered by insurance.
My instinct is that there are things that we could provide, for example setting up after-school clubs, particularly for those children that are not able to return to their own homes and additional support to those currently away from their homes over Christmas. It is essential to ensure that we maintain and indeed enhance their welfare in an imaginative way to benefit those most vulnerable in our communities who have been so badly affected by the floods. Clearly, we need to ensure that this is separate from our statutory responsibilities but you will either have the necessary information or at least know the appropriate Officer that will be able to provide some imaginative ideas to alleviate their suffering. I leave it with you to come up with those ideas or at least to provide some suggestion as to how we can best address these problem. It seems to me that we must be able to come up with some real benefits with almost £300,000 to use. As things stand, I fear that the County Council is at risk of either being criticised for not meeting this need or indeed having to return the funds because of a lack of take up under our current criteria.
P G Clark County Solicitor and Head of Legal & Democratic Services 01865 815387Fax: 01865 815447 Email: peter.clark@oxfordshire.qov.uk