Government Urged To ‘Keep Promise’ & Cover Council’s Covid-19 Costs
Written by HFM News on 21st January 2021
Harborough District Council is stepping up pressure on the government as the impact of the pandemic leaves it nearly a million pounds out of pocket.
It had been promised extra costs and lost revenue would be covered – but to date just over half the total figure has been.
The issue has compelled the authority’s worsening financial position, as it is left with a £4m budget gap for the forthcoming year.
Leader of the Council, Phil King, spoke to Hfm:
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson told Hfm: “Councils continue to play a critical role during the pandemic and we are ensuring they have the resources needed to deliver effective services for their communities.
“Next year we’re giving councils access to an additional £2.2 billion to deliver services including social care and £3 billion of additional support for Covid-19 pressures.
“This takes the total support committed to councils in England to tackle the impacts of Covid-19 to over £10 billion.
“Harborough Council will receive £340,000 of additional grant funding next year on top of over £1.5 million of emergency funding already allocated, almost £1.2 million of which is non-ringfenced.”
