Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he has made available to public leisure services during their closure as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments to understand the long-term effects of social distancing across all key areas of the economy.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like public leisure.

That is why the Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support during this pandemic for individuals and businesses, to protect against the current economic emergency. This includes changes to our welfare system including Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay; and the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

Where eligible, certain public leisure services may further have benefited from the business rates holiday; the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund; and the Discretionary Grant fund.

The Government has provided a comprehensive package of support for councils to help with their response to Covid-19. Over £3.7bn in additional grant funding has been announced for councils in England, which can be used flexibly across all their services. On 2nd July, the Government also announced an income guarantee scheme which will reimburse 75% of eligible irrecoverable income from sales, fees and charges, above 5% of planned income for 2020/21.

We will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to supporting public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors such as public leisure as we respond to this pandemic