A cross-party group of MPs is putting pressure on chancellor Rishi Sunak to fill a £5bn gap in funding for local councils, as town hall chiefs warn that the additional burden from coronavirus has left their finances “stretched to the maximum”.
A second £1.6bn tranche of funding promised by communities secretary Robert Jenrick to help councils deal with Covid-19 has yet to reach them, and a survey of local authorities is understood to show that additional costs and lost income due to the virus amount to four times the sums provided by government.
While local government bosses have welcomed the injection of £3.2bn in central government funds to cover extra costs from coronavirus, there is growing anger in town halls at a Whitehall narrative that their financial worries have been dealt with.
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The 26 MPs who signed the letter to Mr Sunak and Mr Jenrick highlighted the extra burden on councils in supporting care homes, sourcing and distributing PPE, supplying emergency food packages and distributing business grants at a time when revenues from car parking, leisure centres, planning applications and other sources has plummeted.
The signatories, led by former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, include the party’s current acting leader Ed Davey, senior Labour backbenchers such as Hilary Benn and Sarah Champion, Green MP Caroline Lucas and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood. The letter warned: “On the ground, we are hearing the fear and anxiety of our councillors as they battle to keep our communities safe, healthy and housed.
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1/50 8 May 2020The British Royal Air Force Red Arrows conduct a fly past over the statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) in Britain
MOD/Reuters
2/50 7 May 2020Team GB sailor Eilidh McIntyre during a training session at her home in Portsmouth
Reuters
3/50 6 May 2020Labour Party leader Keir Starmer listens to Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during PMQs
UK Parliament/AFP/Getty
4/50 5 May 2020The sun appears to explode over the horizon in this montage of images captured by photographer Nick Lucas near his home in Ringwood, Hampshire. Nick took a number of pictures just a few seconds apart on a tripod mounted camera which were then combined to give the eye catching dawn image
Nick Lucas/SWNS
5/50 4 May 2020Leeds Green Watch firefighters observe a minute’s silence outside the fire station in Kirkstall Rd, in memory their colleagues that lost their lives in the line of duty
PA
6/50 3 May 2020Staff at The Berkeley hotel give food to ambulance workers
Reuters
7/50 2 May 2020One of a small group of anti-lockdown protesters speaks to a police officer as they gather outside New Scotland Yard in Victoria, London
AFP via Getty
8/50 1 May 2020Bonnie the Llama grazes in a field in the Scottish Borders alongside a sign supporting the NHS as the UK continues in lockdown
PA
9/50 30 April 2020Colonel Tom Moore and his daughter Hannah celebrate his 100th birthday, with an RAF flypast provided by a Spitfire and a Hurricane over his home in Marston Moretaine. Colonel Moore, formerly a Captain, received a promotion in honour of his birthday and in recognition of the funds, in excess of £30m, he raised for the NHS by walking laps of his garden
Capture the Light Photography/Getty
10/50 29 April 2020Britain’s Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions, as members of Parliament observe social distancing due to the coronavirus, in the House of Commons, London, Wednesday, April 29, 2020
UK Parliament/AP
11/50 28 April 2020NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
12/50 27 April 2020The sun rises behind redundant oil platforms moored in the Firth of Forth near Kirkcaldy, Fife. Global oil prices have crashed after the coronavirus pandemic reduced demand, with analysts warning that the oil majors may be looking at one of their biggest quarter-on-quarter profitability hits in history.
PA
13/50 26 April 2020Frankie Lynch celebrates on the Mall where the finish of the London Marathon was due to take place today after running 2.6 miles instead of 26 miles to raise money for The Running Charity
Reuters
14/50 25 April 2020A muslim woman walks past balloons outside the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London
Reuters
15/50 24 April 2020An empty Brighton Pier, closed during the Coronavirus pandemic as temperatures reach 20 degrees in the South East
Rex
16/50 23 April 2020Farmers work with vehicles to prepare a field next to a field of flowering rapeseed near Pontefract, West Yorkshire
AFP/Getty
17/50 22 April 2020The Northern Lights, the Milky Way and a Lyrid meteor at the Bathing House near Howick, Northumberland, as the Lyrid meteor shower reached its peak
PA
18/50 21 April 2020Badger the Border Collie surrounded by bluebells at Shrawley Wood in Worcestershire
PA
19/50 20 April 2020A dog walker on Blyth beach in Northumberland
PA
20/50 19 April 2020A piece of coronavirus themed street art grafitti in East London
AFP via Getty
21/50 18 April 2020Members of the City Specialist Cleaning team spray disinfectant around posts in the town centre of Eastleigh, Hampshire
PA
22/50 17 April 2020A taped-up bench in the hamlet of Diglea, Greater Manchester
AFP/Getty
23/50 16 April 2020A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past graffiti in Bow, London
Reuters
24/50 15 April 2020A burned down mobile phone mast in London. According to reports, at least 20 mobile phone masts across Britain are believed to have been vandalised and government and telecom sources are increasingly concerned about the impact of conspiracy theories linking coronavirus to 5G networks
EPA
25/50 14 April 2020The new Nightingale Hospital in Washington, Tyne and Wear, being fitted out
PA
26/50 13 April 2020Walkers enjoy the bluebells in Wanstead Park in London
PA
27/50 12 April 2020A woman prays at the closed doors of Westminster Cathedral ahead of the Easter morning mass in London
PA
28/50 11 April 2020A man jogs on an empty beach in Scarborough as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
29/50 10 April 2020Military personnel testing people at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures
Reuters
30/50 9 April 2020Posters drawn by children displayed in support of the NHS in a building near St Thomas’ Hospital in London
Getty
31/50 8 April 2020A street cleaner in front of Coronavirus messaging on Picadilly Circus in London
Getty
32/50 7 April 2020A jogger on the Millennium Bridge in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
33/50 6 April 2020A Royal Signals soldier practices during training held by the British Army. They are preparing them to support the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the battle against coronavirus
Ministry of Defence/Reuters
34/50 5 April 2020A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
35/50 4 March 2020New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
36/50 3 April 2020Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
PA
37/50 2 April 2020A child at Westlands Primary School paints a poster in support of the NHS in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reuters
38/50 1 April 2020Staff wearing PPE of gloves and face masks, as a preactionary measure against Covid-19, disinfect an ambulance after it arrived with a patient at St Thomas’ Hospital in north London
AFP via Getty
39/50 31 March 2020Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
Getty
40/50 30 March 2020Waves break against the pier at Tynemouth, on the North East coast
PA
41/50 29 March 2020Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
PA
42/50 28 March 2020Derbyshire Police dye the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton black, as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”
PA
43/50 27 March 2020A road sign advising drivers to ‘stay home protect NHS saves lives’ is visible on the M80 near Banknock as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
44/50 26 March 2020A postman wears a mask and gloves to deliver letters in Broadstairs, Kent, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 463 on Wednesday.
PA
45/50 25 March 2020Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
46/50 24 March 2020Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
47/50 23 March 2020Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
48/50 22 March 2020People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
Getty
49/50 21 March 2020A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
50/50 20 March 2020Swans swim on the banks of the River Severn in Worcester
PA
1/50 8 May 2020The British Royal Air Force Red Arrows conduct a fly past over the statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) in Britain
MOD/Reuters
2/50 7 May 2020Team GB sailor Eilidh McIntyre during a training session at her home in Portsmouth
Reuters
3/50 6 May 2020Labour Party leader Keir Starmer listens to Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during PMQs
UK Parliament/AFP/Getty
4/50 5 May 2020The sun appears to explode over the horizon in this montage of images captured by photographer Nick Lucas near his home in Ringwood, Hampshire. Nick took a number of pictures just a few seconds apart on a tripod mounted camera which were then combined to give the eye catching dawn image
Nick Lucas/SWNS
5/50 4 May 2020Leeds Green Watch firefighters observe a minute’s silence outside the fire station in Kirkstall Rd, in memory their colleagues that lost their lives in the line of duty
PA
6/50 3 May 2020Staff at The Berkeley hotel give food to ambulance workers
Reuters
7/50 2 May 2020One of a small group of anti-lockdown protesters speaks to a police officer as they gather outside New Scotland Yard in Victoria, London
AFP via Getty
8/50 1 May 2020Bonnie the Llama grazes in a field in the Scottish Borders alongside a sign supporting the NHS as the UK continues in lockdown
PA
9/50 30 April 2020Colonel Tom Moore and his daughter Hannah celebrate his 100th birthday, with an RAF flypast provided by a Spitfire and a Hurricane over his home in Marston Moretaine. Colonel Moore, formerly a Captain, received a promotion in honour of his birthday and in recognition of the funds, in excess of £30m, he raised for the NHS by walking laps of his garden
Capture the Light Photography/Getty
10/50 29 April 2020Britain’s Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions, as members of Parliament observe social distancing due to the coronavirus, in the House of Commons, London, Wednesday, April 29, 2020
UK Parliament/AP
11/50 28 April 2020NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
12/50 27 April 2020The sun rises behind redundant oil platforms moored in the Firth of Forth near Kirkcaldy, Fife. Global oil prices have crashed after the coronavirus pandemic reduced demand, with analysts warning that the oil majors may be looking at one of their biggest quarter-on-quarter profitability hits in history.
PA
13/50 26 April 2020Frankie Lynch celebrates on the Mall where the finish of the London Marathon was due to take place today after running 2.6 miles instead of 26 miles to raise money for The Running Charity
Reuters
14/50 25 April 2020A muslim woman walks past balloons outside the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London
Reuters
15/50 24 April 2020An empty Brighton Pier, closed during the Coronavirus pandemic as temperatures reach 20 degrees in the South East
Rex
16/50 23 April 2020Farmers work with vehicles to prepare a field next to a field of flowering rapeseed near Pontefract, West Yorkshire
AFP/Getty
17/50 22 April 2020The Northern Lights, the Milky Way and a Lyrid meteor at the Bathing House near Howick, Northumberland, as the Lyrid meteor shower reached its peak
PA
18/50 21 April 2020Badger the Border Collie surrounded by bluebells at Shrawley Wood in Worcestershire
PA
19/50 20 April 2020A dog walker on Blyth beach in Northumberland
PA
20/50 19 April 2020A piece of coronavirus themed street art grafitti in East London
AFP via Getty
21/50 18 April 2020Members of the City Specialist Cleaning team spray disinfectant around posts in the town centre of Eastleigh, Hampshire
PA
22/50 17 April 2020A taped-up bench in the hamlet of Diglea, Greater Manchester
AFP/Getty
23/50 16 April 2020A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past graffiti in Bow, London
Reuters
24/50 15 April 2020A burned down mobile phone mast in London. According to reports, at least 20 mobile phone masts across Britain are believed to have been vandalised and government and telecom sources are increasingly concerned about the impact of conspiracy theories linking coronavirus to 5G networks
EPA
25/50 14 April 2020The new Nightingale Hospital in Washington, Tyne and Wear, being fitted out
PA
26/50 13 April 2020Walkers enjoy the bluebells in Wanstead Park in London
PA
27/50 12 April 2020A woman prays at the closed doors of Westminster Cathedral ahead of the Easter morning mass in London
PA
28/50 11 April 2020A man jogs on an empty beach in Scarborough as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
29/50 10 April 2020Military personnel testing people at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures
Reuters
30/50 9 April 2020Posters drawn by children displayed in support of the NHS in a building near St Thomas’ Hospital in London
Getty
31/50 8 April 2020A street cleaner in front of Coronavirus messaging on Picadilly Circus in London
Getty
32/50 7 April 2020A jogger on the Millennium Bridge in London, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
33/50 6 April 2020A Royal Signals soldier practices during training held by the British Army. They are preparing them to support the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the battle against coronavirus
Ministry of Defence/Reuters
34/50 5 April 2020A police officer advises a woman to go home after spotting her enjoying the sun in Primrose Hill, London
AP
35/50 4 March 2020New Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer speaks on the announcement of his victory in the leadership race of the Labour Party
AFP via Getty
36/50 3 April 2020Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground, put in place to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to, at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London, a temporary hospital with 4000 beds which has been set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday April 3, 2020. Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
PA
37/50 2 April 2020A child at Westlands Primary School paints a poster in support of the NHS in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Reuters
38/50 1 April 2020Staff wearing PPE of gloves and face masks, as a preactionary measure against Covid-19, disinfect an ambulance after it arrived with a patient at St Thomas’ Hospital in north London
AFP via Getty
39/50 31 March 2020Llandudno Pier remains closed and deserted of tourists during the pandemic lockdown in Wales
Getty
40/50 30 March 2020Waves break against the pier at Tynemouth, on the North East coast
PA
41/50 29 March 2020Waves crash over a car on the seafront during windy conditions in Broadstairs, Kent
PA
42/50 28 March 2020Derbyshire Police dye the “blue lagoon” in Harpur Hill, Buxton black, as gatherings there are “dangerous” and are “in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government”
PA
43/50 27 March 2020A road sign advising drivers to ‘stay home protect NHS saves lives’ is visible on the M80 near Banknock as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
PA
44/50 26 March 2020A postman wears a mask and gloves to deliver letters in Broadstairs, Kent, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday March 26, 2020. The UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 463 on Wednesday.
PA
45/50 25 March 2020Members of the public out exercising on Brighton beach at sunset
Getty
46/50 24 March 2020Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas’ hospital
Getty
47/50 23 March 2020Commuters travel on the London underground during the Coronavirus pandemic
Getty
48/50 22 March 2020People walk on the seafront after recent incidents of members of the public ignoring government advice on social distancing on in Hove
Getty
49/50 21 March 2020A general view of an empty Trafalgar Square in London. There have as of now been 3,983 diagnosed coronavirus cases in the UK and 177 deaths
Getty
50/50 20 March 2020Swans swim on the banks of the River Severn in Worcester
PA
“An increase on the demand for local government services is likely to be a long-term outcome of the pandemic, not just a short-term consequence of the current demands.
“If we are going to sustain our social care sector, provide adequate support for the education of our children and ensure that everyone has a roof over their heads, we must address the shortfall in funding to councils as a matter of urgency. We must bridge the gap.”
Mr Farron said: “From day one, local authorities have stepped up to deliver local support through the Covid-19 crisis. They have gone above and beyond, from efforts to source protective equipment for frontline workers, to supplying emergency food packages to distributing business grants and so much more.
“These efforts have helped protect some of the most vulnerable, and they must continue.”
And he warned: “Local authorities cannot keep going on a shoestring budget. The shortfall many are already facing is substantial and growing. Without an emergency cash injection, and a long-term sustainable funding plan, the lifelines offered by local authorities will no longer exist. Our communities will suffer enormously as a result.
“That is why we are calling on the government to commit to a sufficient long-term funding settlement for councils as an immediate priority. This is the only way to ensure our councils can keep vital services running through the current crisis and in the future.
“We are enormously grateful to those on the frontline, for example those working in social care, but the tragic reality is the social care system will collapse if our local councils are not there to fund it.”
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “Local government continues to lead local efforts to beat this virus but is being stretched to the maximum.
“Many councils are facing increased cost and demand pressures at the same time as a significant drop in income. This is unsustainable.
“We are pleased the government has provided more desperately-needed new funding for councils.
“Government must provide ongoing and consistent funding to meet all the extra costs local authorities are facing to cope with Covid-19 and compensate for lost income. Councils will need up to four times the funding they have been allocated so far.”
A government spokesperson said: “We have announced a total of £3.2bn of funding for councils to support their response to the pandemic.
“This is an unprecedented package of support which responds to the range of pressures councils have told us they are facing and will support them to protect vital services.”
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk