District councils respond to allocation of the £1bn funding for councils this winter
Responding to the confirmation of how the £1 billion of support for councils announced by government will be allocated, Cllr Sharon Taylor, District Councils’ Network Lead Member for Sustainable Finance and Workforce, said:
“The funding announced by government will be helpful for councils addressing the financial pressures of COVID-19, with districts hardest hit by plummeting income.
“However this won’t solve the huge challenges districts continue to face.
“While it is good the Government recognises the severe pressures on leisure centres, as our research has found, it is expected the sector will lose around £305 million this year – and many centres will remain at risk of going bust.
“The Government needs to address this and give councils long-term financial certainty as well as fully compensating councils for costs relating to COVID-19 not just in 2020/21 but in the years ahead.”