PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Local government finance: Coronavirus (19 May 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on financial support for local authorities (a) that have lost income due to covid-19 and (b) for extra costs incurred as part of the covid-19 recovery.

Asked by:
Karin Smyth (Labour)

The Secretary of State and I both speak to our counterparts at the Treasury regularly and discuss a range of issues affecting local government.

Government has now made an unprecedented £3.2 billion available to local authorities through an un-ringfenced grant so they can address pressures they are facing in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The package recognises the additional costs and pressures on finances councils are facing as a result of the current crisis. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making sure councils have the resources they need to support their communities through this challenging time.

Answered by:
Sir Simon Clarke (Conservative)
8 June 2020