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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Shaun Connolly

Councils to be given extra £1.6bn to deal with coronavirus emergency

Councils across England are to be given an extra £1.6 billion in funding to deal with the coronavirus emergency after complaints from local authorities that services could suffer.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has said the situation could cause some councils to "take extreme cost-cutting and rationing measures soon".

The pandemic emergency has increased pressure on council services like support for those living with disabilities and social care, while income from areas like parking fees has dropped.

Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick said the extra money will boost the backing councils have received to cope with the pandemic to £3.2 billion.

Mr Jenrick delivering free food boxes to the most clinically vulnerable in Kent last month (PA)

An extra £300 million will go to devolved administrations, with Scotland getting £155 million, Wales £95 million, and Northern Ireland £50 million.

Mr Jenrick said: "I promised local government would have the resources they need to meet this challenge.

"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."

He also said that all parks should remain open during the pandemic.

In a letter to Mr Jenrick before the extra funding was announced, the LGA said "radical action" to prevent councils "rationing spending" was needed

The organisation said that unless more funding was received, the situation would end up "harming both the long-term continuity of existing services and the Covid-19 response at a time when both are so vitally needed, something we all wish to avoid".

The letter also stressed the loss of income being generated by councils.

It said: "Local authorities are suffering severe income loss from a range of services from leisure, parking, bus operations, planning and commercial waste.

"Many councils rely heavily on this income to fund their annual expenditure - on average, 10% of total gross service costs are funded through fees and charges, going up to 25% on average for shire districts in particular."

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