The Government has made £2.5m available to help Salisbury meet ‘unexpected costs’ in the wake of the Skripal poisoning incident.

The funds, agreed yesterday by the Government's Ministerial Recovery Group, will help support businesses and the police after the attempted assassination of the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. ?

Wiltshire Council will receive £220,000 to help with costs incurred during the immediate response to the incident, and Salisbury City Council will get up to £100,000 to help with public health costs.

Nearly £370,000 will also go towards supporting businesses impacted by the incident. This will be reinforced by a £100,000 local Emergency Fund to promote recovery and growth in Salisbury.

There will also be a £200,000 package for tourism promotion.

‘This funding is crucial to help support Salisbury to recover and get back to business as usual,’ said Baroness Jane Scott, the leader of Wiltshire Council.

‘The focus now is supporting the city's businesses; particularly those directly affected by the incident and to do all we can to encourage visitors and shoppers to visit the city.

‘We need to market and promote the city to ensure that national and international tour operators and visitors continue to choose Salisbury as a destination of choice.’

The Home Office has also agreed £1.6m in special grant payments for Wiltshire Police to meet the initial exceptional costs of the response and further funding as the investigation continues.

David Lidington, the chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for the cabinet office, said: ‘The people of Salisbury have shown great strength and resilience in the face of a cowardly and indiscriminate act.

‘The Government is committed to supporting this historic British city as it recovers and we will continue to do everything possible to help Salisbury moving forward.

‘The message is clear: the city is safe and its shops, restaurants and beautiful sites remain open for business.’

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