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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) restore the position of Directors of Public Health as executive board members of local authorities, (2) review local authority staffing levels and budgets, (3) give responsibility for testing and contact tracing to local authorities, and (4) decentralise such operations from Whitehall.

MHCLG continues to work closely with local authorities to ensure they can respond to the Covid-19 crisis.

It is not for government to review local authority staffing levels and budgets. As democratically elected organisations local authorities are independent from central government. This means that they are responsible for managing their financial budgets and ensuring that they have a capable workforce in order to deliver a quality service to residents. Councils, rather than central government, are best placed to make independent decisions on staffing so that they can deliver within the resources available and with an understanding of what is best value for local taxpayers.

To support local authorities in the fight against coronavirus, government is giving the sector an unprecedented £3.2 billion in additional funding

As part of our efforts to increase testing, the Department for Health and Social Care has contacted each of the Local Resilience Forums to outline how they can work effectively in responding to local demand. Part of this will include coordinating the deployment of Mobile Testing Units (MTUs), which have been designed to clinical requirements by Army engineers and can be easily set up in under 20 minutes.

With regard to contact tracing, we?recognise that there needs to be a strong and complementary localised element to the national track and trace model. Developing a truly integrated approach will ensure that the national offer is well linked with local community support for those who may need to self-isolate. That is why my Department is working closely with DHSC and local bodies to understand how we can best do this.