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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to provide additional longer term financial support to local authorities during the covid-19 outbreak.

This Government has made available £3.2 billion in un-ringfenced funding to local authorities, and introduced measures to ease immediate cashflow pressures, to make sure they have the resources they need to continue fighting the coronavirus pandemic

The package recognises the additional costs and pressures on finances which councils are facing as a result of the current crisis. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to make sure councils, including upper and lower tier authorities, have the resources they need to support their communities through this challenging time

Government is also providing additional resources to councils to support with specific issues, including an additional £600 million to support providers through a new Adult Social Care Infection Control and Workforce Resilience Fund

The Spending Review, later this year, will be the appropriate time to look at funding for local government in the round, and we will communicate our plans as early as we can through the provisional settlement. We will continue to engage councils on the best approach to the next financial year and work together to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses.