North Yorkshire County Council makes new pay pledge to help its suppliers stay afloat
North Yorkshire County Council is promising to pay all its small and medium sized suppliers immediately to help them keep afloat during the coronavirus crisis.
The authority's leader, Coun Carl Les, said: "We are clear how important our supply chains are to our service delivery, and we want to be there for the smaller businesses that supply us and are crucial to the economic vitality of our county and country.
"We will be doing our best to support them through this period, and in addition would urge them to seek the wider support available from central government.”
The council said its suppliers will receive instant payment – subject to bank clearing times – instead of the usual 30-day period.
It is also aiming to put the new payment rules in place until the end of 2020, with a review point in August.
It comes as the government is announcing further measures to support small and medium-sized businesses. The county and district councils will communicate details of these measures as they are known.
By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter