Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East, has welcomed news that Wolverhampton Council will receive a further £2.8 million from the Government to help pay for its response to coronavirus, as part of a £500 million package of additional support.
The extra £500 million, which brings the total amount of extra funding for councils since the start of the pandemic to £4.3 billion, will ensure that local authorities in England can continue to deliver crucial frontline services and support those most in need.
Wolverhampton Council has now received an additional £19.4 million since the coronavirus outbreak began. This additional support forms part of a comprehensive package from the Government, including an unprecedented new scheme to help councils recover lost income from car parks and museums which have been shut during lockdown.
The Government has also announced a co-payment scheme that will compensate councils for irrecoverable income losses from sales, fees and charges. And, to enable local authorities to get on the front foot and build much-needed breathing space into their budgets, the Government will allow them to spread their tax deficits over three years rather than the usual one. This will allow councils to pay deficits off in a reasonable timescale and will limit their cashflow pressures.
Jane said: “The staff at Wolverhampton Council have played a phenomenal role in coordinating the local response to coronavirus, and I’ve been pleased to help them deliver food parcels to some of our city’s most vulnerable residents.
“So this news of an extra £2.8 million in funding, bringing the total amount of extra support for Wolverhampton to £19.4 million, is incredibly welcome news. The Government said at the beginning of the crisis that they would stand by our councils, and I’m delighted that they have done so.
“This additional funding will allow Wolverhampton Council to protect local services on which we all rely, and ensure that it emerges from the pandemic with stable finances.”
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: “Councils are playing a vital role in our national fight against coronavirus, providing a lifeline for so many and supporting communities at a time when they need it most.
“That’s why we are giving them an extra £500 million, taking our total additional funding provided to £4.3 billion, and I have set out how this will be allocated to councils fairly based on they pressures they have told us they are facing.
“This comes on top of the co-payment scheme announced last week that will compensate councils for irrecoverable income losses from sales, fees and charges.”
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