Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the £551,350.34 provided to Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council via the Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant due to end at the end of October 2020, what funding will be provided to ensure that Kirklees can continue to provide local crisis support to people in financial need.

The Government has put in place a range of support for families. The Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant includes £63 million for local authorities to help those who are struggling financially due to the impact of COVID-19. Additionally, the Department for Work and Pensions has increased Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by over £1,000 a year for this financial year, benefiting over 4 million households, and increased Local Housing Allowance rates – putting an average of £600 into people’s pockets.

We are providing local authorities with an unprecedented package of support, including over £4.8 billion in funding for?spending?pressures, comprising £3.7 billion of un-ringfenced grants and over £1.1 billion for the Infection Control Fund. Kirklees Council has received £28.22 million in additional COVID-19 funding, on top of an increase in core spending power of £19.84 million (6.6%) this year.

The 2020 Spending Review is our opportunity to get the right funding for local government over the coming years, following the 4.4% real terms increase in Core Spending Power delivered in 2019, the largest year-on-year increase for a decade.