Herefordshire households to get £15 each to spend locally

All of Herefordshire's 90,000 households can apply for the £15 card

A £15 pre-paid card is being offered to each of a county's 90,000 households to aid businesses recovery.

People in Herefordshire can apply to the council for a card, which it is hoped will encourage people to spend their money locally where possible.

The money is coming from the government's recovery fund aiming to re-boot the economy amid the pandemic.

Herefordshire Council said it hoped to boost spending with local businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

The council is urging all households to apply for the card, with a deadline for applications set for 31 January.

The pre-paid card can be used to make point of sale purchases but will only work within Herefordshire.

The card will only work in Herefordshire and cannot be used in off-licences, betting shops, on the lottery or casinos

It is part of the council's £6m programme of work to help the county's recovery in the wake of the pandemic.

Other measures include free weekend bus travel, activities to encourage residents to get active, a business grants programme and an app that rewards local shopping.

Ms Chowns, cabinet member for the environment and economy, said: "Herefordshire's fabulous local and independent retailers, producers, traders and hospitality sector help make our county the special place we all love, but they've had a particularly tough time during the Covid pandemic.

"We want to encourage everybody to use the card to support locally-based and independent traders, retailers and service providers if possible.

"By incentivising residents to shop local at such an important time, the council hopes to boost overall spend with the local business community both in the run-up to Christmas and beyond."