Local MP for Hastings and Rye, Sally-Ann Hart, has welcomed new analysis showing that local authorities across East Sussex have so far received an extra £129 million to support vital local services during the Covid-19 pandemic, with further funding confirmed for next year.
Commenting on the findings, Sally-Ann said, “Councils across East Sussex have done an incredible job providing local services and keeping people safe under the most difficult of circumstances, but we recognise the financial pressures they have faced. That’s why I am delighted that the Government, which I am proud to support, has supported council leaders across East Sussex with an extra £129 million since March last year, helping to protect vital services and ensure our council has the resources it needs to support our community. This shows that the Conservatives are delivering on their promise to support vulnerable families and local people during the pandemic, and I am confident this will continue.”
Over half of this funding has not been ringfenced, meaning local leaders can decide how to use the additional funds and which local services to boost investment to. This could include counselling services, delivering essential supplies to vulnerable families, and ensuring cherished green spaces are well maintained and covid-secure.
Local authorities have also received over £2 billion in further grant funding since March last year to deliver specific schemes, such as providing emergency support for rough sleepers, preventing children going hungry, setting up local test and trace services and measures to make care homes, high streets and town centres Covid-secure.
In total, the Government has provided local authorities across England with more than £7 billion in additional support and introduced a range of measures to help council’s manage pressures on their finances created by the pandemic, worth billions more. A further £3 billion will be allocated to councils from April onwards.
Commenting, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said, “from the start of the pandemic, we committed to ensuring that councils had the resources they needed to step up and support their communities. That commitment remains undimmed, which is why we have provided councils with more than £7 billion of additional funding for Covid-19 expenditure, and will continue to ensure they have the resources they need to provide vital local services and held their communities build back better from the pandemic.”
