It’s very welcome news that Hambleton District Council is to receive a further £120,079 and Ryedale District Council an extra £82,872 from the Government to help pay for its response to coronavirus, as part of a £500 million package of additional support. Scarborough Borough Council which, includes Filey, will be awarded an additional £219,511. In total, since the pandemic began, Hambleton will have now received an additional £1,060,688, Ryedale an extra £663,506 and Scarborough a total of £1,376,103. This additional support forms part of a comprehensive package of Government support to help councils respond to the pandemic, including an unprecedented new scheme to help councils recover lost income, including from car parks and museums, which have been shut during the lockdown.
The extra £500 million which brings support for pressures local authorities are facing to £4.3 billion will ensure councils can continue to deliver crucial frontline services, support those most in need and continue delivering for residents.
In addition, the Government has announced a co-payment scheme that will compensate councils for irrecoverable income losses from sales, fees and charges. And to enable them to get on the front foot and build much-needed breathing space into their budgets, the Government is also allowing them to spread their tax deficits over three years rather than the usual one. This will allow authorities to pay deficits off in a reasonable timescale and will limit their cashflow pressures.
Staff in all our local authorities have played a heroic role in coordinating the local response to Coronavirus and I’m sure everyone in our community will join me in thanking them for everything they’ve done under extraordinary circumstances. Our Conservative government said at the beginning of this crisis that they would stand behind our councils and I’m delighted that they have done, protecting local services and ensuring councils come through this difficult period with stable finances. This additional £400,000 shows that ministers have continued to listen to local concerns and will protect local services in Thirsk and Malton on which we all rely.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick 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 today I am setting out how this will be allocated to councils fairly based on the 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.”
