Cornwall will benefit from a share of £900 million in additional funding for local councils announced by the Government, which includes Cornwall Council
This means that since the start of the pandemic, Cornwall Council has received £63.4million in extra direct support from the Government, helping to cover its coronavirus-related costs and ensuring it has the resources it needs to keep providing vital services.
Commenting Steve said:
“I am Pleased to see that Cornwall Council will receive an additional £6.3million funding to provide support for the challenges of COVID-19.
“This funding is un-ring-fenced so the Council can spend it one whatever they feel is most important, perhaps they could now allow our hard-pressed town and parish councils to access some of this funding, something which they have so far failed to do.”
This brings the total additional funding Cornwall Council has received to more than £63million.
The funding has not been ring-fenced, meaning local leaders will be able to determine how to spend the additional funding in order to best protect public health, local vulnerable people and the running of vital services. In total, over £4.6 billion of the £6.4 billion in additional government funding made available to councils has not been ring-fenced, reflecting the Government’s view that local authorities are best placed to determine local priorities.
This is the fourth announcement of extra direct support for local authorities since the start of the pandemic. It forms part of an unprecedented package of support for councils, which also includes up to £465 million through the new Local Alert Level system, £300 million to support Test and Trace and £30 million for enforcement and compliance. Councils can also claim funding through a compensation scheme for lost income from sales, fees and charges and further additional support will be made available to areas placed under Tier 3 restrictions.
Commenting, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said:
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have backed local councils with the funding they need to support their communities, protect vital services and recover lost income.
“This extra £1 billion funding will ensure that councils have the resources that they need over the winter and continue to play an essential role on the front line of our response to the virus while protecting the most vulnerable and supporting local businesses.”