Coronavirus: Disease Control

(asked on 3rd September 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure the provision of sufficient funding for district councils in two-tier areas to support (1) the public health work of their environmental health staff and departments as part of the work on COVID-19, and (2) tracking, tracing and isolating work in partnership with Government.


Answered by
Lord Greenhalgh Portrait
Lord Greenhalgh
This question was answered on 17th September 2020

Councils across the country are supporting communities, protecting the most vulnerable and helping the NHS in our efforts to combat Covid-19. We are providing local authorities with an unprecedented package of support, allocating £4.3 billion of support for?spending?pressures, including £3.7 billion of un-ringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund. In total, the government has provided £5 billion in cashflow measures and almost £28 billion in additional funding for local communities, to ensure they can meet the unique pressures that the covid-19 pandemic has placed upon them. I believe these measures amount to a comprehensive package of support.

The Secretary of State has also announced measures to address lost income, including:

  • A co-payment scheme to cover irrecoverable Sales, Fees and Charges income in 20/21 with the Government covering 75% of losses beyond 5% of planned income
  • Phased repayment of Collection Fund deficits over the next 3 years
  • A commitment to support the sector through an apportionment of irrecoverable Council Tax and Business Rates losses, to be agreed at the Spending Review.
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