Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will increase funding to local authorities to cover the additional costs of trading standards officers associated with performing workplace assessments to ease the restrictions of the lockdown due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Local Government is playing an important role in the nation’s response to Covid-19, and we will continue to work with councils over the coming weeks to understand the implications of the pandemic.

My Department is undertaking a monitoring exercise, which will provide critical insight into the wider spend and income pressures councils are facing as a result of Covid-19. The returns collected will be an important source of information as to how councils are managing, alongside our engagement with local Leaders and Chief Executives.