News

More than £730 million in vital EU cash which could help local communities bounce back from COVID-19 risks going unspent and being sent back to Brussels if the funding is not allocated by the Government before the end of the year, councils warn today.

“Councils continue to face significant extra cost pressures and huge income losses as a result of the pandemic. The Government’s commitment to fund a portion of lost income from fees and charges is a step in the right direction but does not cover full losses, nor does it extend to commercial income losses."

“It is great news that gyms and leisure centres can reopen, and many people will be hugely excited about being able to safely visit them again."

'Councils continue to work all day and night to support communities through the COVID-19 crisis but have faced extra cost pressures and significant income losses as a result, as this survey highlights.'

"Everybody has to play their part in helping to get this pandemic under control. It is good that the NHS Test and Trace system is reaching the majority of those who tested positive and who are passing on details of their close contacts, but it is still concerning that nearly 20 per cent of positive cases cannot be found."

Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, responds to the Summer Economic Update announced by the Chancellor.

“Council public health teams work hard to help reduce smoking rates in their areas, alongside local charities and community groups, and it is testament to their efforts that smoking rates continue to fall."

"Staff working in care homes and those providing care in people’s own homes have done an incredible job, in extremely challenging circumstances, to protect those they care for throughout this crisis."

"Councils share the Commissioner’s concerns about the impact of the coronavirus crisis on vulnerable teenagers."

“It is great that the Government has recognised the importance of culture to the social fabric of our nation by announcing this funding which will be a lifeline to many theatres, galleries and museums which have been severely impacted by coronavirus."