26.05.20
Core cities call on Gov for more financial support as costs pass £1.6bn
Core Cities UK, representative body of the key cities across England and Wales, has published a letter written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Robert Jenrick MP today (May 26) after Covid-19 related costs pass £1.6bn and counting.
The letter calls on Government for more financial support, stressing the fact that the cities and city regions are a key factor in the country’s economic recovery.
Additional challenges such as poverty and homelessness are adding to Covid-19 pressures, particularly for councils in urban areas, and the group are asking for an urgent funding package to support them.
The letter suggests using the expertise of city leaders, which were honed during the 2008/9 financial crisis, to help the economy and society bounce back from lockdown.
LISTEN: PUBLIC SECTOR VOICES PODCAST WITH CORE CITIES UK DIRECTOR, CHRIS MURRAY
Chair of Core Cities UK and Leader of Leeds City Council Cllr Judith Blake, said: The UK’s biggest cities and city regions are critical to a safe return from lockdown and future recovery.
“This cannot happen unless the financial crisis facing public services is dealt with quickly and decisively and we quickly plug a gap that we estimate is now over £1.6bn. Government support so far has not covered even one third of this figure.
"Government must honour its commitment to ‘do whatever it takes' and recognise that funding so far is wholly inadequate. We must get back in full what we have spent protecting our communities and our citizens from Covid-19 to avoid the shut down of vital services that protect the most vulnerable in our cities."
"We need immediate action, but Core Cities can also help Government to find solutions to the challenges in the longer term. We urge Westminster and Whitehall to look to the local and draw on our expertise, avoiding the pitfall of a centrally planned economic recovery that will waste time and money."
The letter sets out the intention to draw up a plan to move the nation forward, but calls on Government to make urgent action to support them, including having a ‘much closer dialogue’ between their political Cabinet and Government Ministers.
The letter is signed by City leaders from Birmingham, Cardiff City, Leeds, Manchester Nottingham, Sheffield and Newcastle and Mayors of Liverpool and Bristol City Councils
READ MORE: £50M FUNDING FOR COUNCILS TO SAFELY REOPEN NON-ESSENTIAL RETAIL
READ MORE: SOCITM SUPPORTS LOCAL AUTHORITIES WITH 'A NEW LOCAL NORMAL'