20.04.20
Additional £1.6bn for councils announced by Government
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced a further £1.6bn to support councils through this pandemic.
Announced on Saturday (Apr 18) by Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, the extra £1.6bn will be delivered to councils across England to respond to the coronavirus crisis as they support local communities.
The funding takes the total amount for councils during this crisis to over £3.2bn and will mean that councils can continue to operate essential services to support the most vulnerable in society.
Vital services such as adult social care and children’s services will also be facilitated with this extra funding as well as getting rough sleepers off the street, supporting new shielding programmes for the most vulnerable and providing more assistance for the public health workforce.
Alongside the announcement of extra funding, Robert Jenrick has also written to councils across England, thanking them for their huge effort in supporting their residents.
He said:
“Today’s announcement of an additional £1.6 billion of new funding to councils means we have now provided them with over £3.2 billion during this pandemic.
“I promised local government would have the resources they need to meet this challenge and today demonstrates my commitment to doing just that. We stand shoulder to shoulder with local government and my priority is to make sure they are supported so they can continue to support their communities through this challenging time.
“Up and down the country council workers are the unsung heroes as we tackle this virus. They are in the front line of the national effort to keep the public safe and deliver the services people need. Never has this been more important and we are all rightly grateful for everything that they are doing.
“This new funding will support them through immediate pressures they are facing to respond to coronavirus and protect vital services.”
Essential food and household items are being delivered to those who need to self-isolate and cannot rely on family and friends, with over 250,000 boxes having been delivered and plans to deliver nearly 300,000 more.
It also comes after the government brought forward the payment of social care grants, totalling £850m, and delayed £2.6bn in payments to central government.