Government announce new Covid-19 funding package for councils

Responding to the announcement of a new Covid-19 funding package for councils Matt Dunkley, Chair of the ADCS Resources & Sustainability Policy Committee, said:

“We are clear that ‘hidden harms’ to children from the last six months have not gone away but will be uncovered as children have greater contact with schools in September. That is when we expect to see an exponential surge in demand for children’s services and we will need the most financial support from central government. While the funding and measures announced today, alongside the emergency funding previously announced, will help local authorities with their continued response to the pandemic, children’s services is yet to face its peak in demand due to Covid-19. When it arrives in September it will create real and significant funding pressures, both in-year and into 2021/22.

“Since 2010, local government funding has fallen by 50%, but need has significantly increased. Covid-19 has exacerbated the cost pressures local authorities were already experiencing and we still have a legal duty to balance our budgets. Local authorities have worked hard to manage these pressures but in order to ensure our communities thrive in a post Covid-19 world we need proper, sustainable, and equitable funding from central government. Without this, councils will have to make tough decisions about the future of many services our communities value and rely on.”

ENDS

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