Huw Merriman, MP for the Bexhill and Battle constituency, and Sally-Ann Hart, MP for Hastings and Rye have welcomed today’s announcement of additional government funding for local councils to support their response to the pandemic.
Locally, Rother District Council will receive an further £354,402 bringing the total additional funding this year to £1,523,054. Wealden District Council will receive a further £100,000 bringing their total to £1,970,745 and East Sussex County Council will receive a further £3,068,748 which is a total of £32,728,772.
Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed allocations for individual councils from the £1 billion of additional support announced by the Prime Minister earlier this month. Over £900 million of this funding will be provided to councils for their ongoing work to support communities during the pandemic. It brings the total funding given to councils since the start of the pandemic, to help with spending pressures, to £6.4 billion including a £1.1 billion Infection Control Fund.
Funding has been allocated based on levels of population and deprivation, whilst also considering the amount of funding each council has received from the government so far.
Recognising that councils are best placed to decide how to meet pressures in their local area, this funding has not been ringfenced. The government has asked councils use this funding to prioritise the running of vital services and protecting the most vulnerable and public health.
Huw said “I welcome this additional funding for our local councils whose response to the pandemic has been outstanding. I have worked closely with them all from the outset to help support our communities and I am very aware of the pressure this has placed on their finances and services. This is why I have been consistently making the case for additional funding to help them maintain the core services, support the most vulnerable and take whatever action is necessary to support the local economy. It has been an incredibly challenging time for our councils and will continue to be for some time to come so it is right that the government has given them the funding they need to deal with these exceptional circumstances.”
Sally-Ann said “"I am delighted by the announcement of the Secretary of State for additional funding to Rother District Council. This injection of funds will go a long way to support the ongoing work of the council in relieving the hardships brought on by the pandemic. Huw and I worked together to secure this additional funding, as a team we can move mountains to secure resources for our local community during these difficult times."
