The Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has called councils the unsung heroes of the fight against Covid-19. We are, he said, at the forefront of a national effort. Our response, as with all councils, has come at a huge cost, but the government has, from the outset, acknowledged the pressures we are under. I’ve been reassured by the unprecedented financial support for local government.

The government funding we’ve received at South Gloucestershire Council has made the world of difference. It’s meant we’ve maintained our services, helped keep local businesses afloat, and communities and residents safe. For instance, we’ve successfully supported over 3,000 businesses in South Gloucestershire with nearly £36m of government grant funding in South Gloucestershire so far. We were able to rapidly set up support for those who were asked to shield at home and more recently we have also been supporting the local hospitality sector as they have prepared to re-open with the easing of restrictions on their businesses.

So far, we have received millions in Government funding that has helped to meet our costs and that we have been able to pass on to the local community in the form of grants and support, including:

• £15,952,000 in general COVID-19 Emergency funding

• £1,116,000 from the COVID-19 Hardship Fund

• £2,796,000 from the COVID-19 Infection Control Fund

• £69,207,000 in expanded Retail, Hospitality & Leisure and Nurseries Business Rates Relief in 2020/21

• £39,018,000 in COVID-19 Small Business and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants

• £2,615,000 for COVID-19 Discretionary Small Business Support Grants

• £863,000 grant for our work to support the NHS Test and Trace system

• £3,200,000 from the Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund

• £211,000 from DeFRA for emergency food and essential supplies assistance

• And a provisional allocation of £825,000 from the Emergency Active Travel Fund.

And, we are also looking forward to understanding more about the government’s income loss reimbursement scheme, where local authorities can claim 75p in the £1 of lost sales, fees and charges income in 2020/21 following the first 5% loss for normal volatility; and the COVID-19 Schools Catch Up Funding.

We do still face further financial pressures because of the pandemic of course, so we will continue to make the case to government for additional support. We will continue to work closely with our local MPs, the West of England Combined Authority and the Local Government Association among others.

But the funding we have received is a real boost. It means that we have been able to respond to COVID-19, while helping to maintain and protect our budgets that we continue to use to provide for the needs of residents and businesses that rely on our services into the future.