Councils in Wales given £260m package of support for pandemic response and end of year budgets

More than £260m is to be split between councils in Wales in a bid to help them plan for the remainder of the year and prepare for a potential second wave of coronavirus.

This latest package takes the total amount of Welsh Government Covid-19 support for local authorities to almost half a billion pounds.

It aims to help cover increased costs, manage loss of income pressures, and will fund additional cleaning requirements for schools in response to the coronavirus crisis.

With the possibility of further peaks during the autumn and winter months this investment is targeted to provide local authorities with the support to prepare their budgets for a potential second wave.

The funds will be allocated on a claims basis.

Minister for Housing and Local Government Julie James said: “Our local authorities have done a fantastic job of rising to the challenges of Covid-19, but we recognise the financial impact this has had on them.

“We have been working closely with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and local authority leaders to understand the pressures and challenges they are facing, and the support needed to continue delivering good quality, integrated public services to communities across Wales.”

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans added: “Local councils have been at the heart of our response to Covid-19.

“This new package of financial support recognises the scale of the unprecedented challenges being faced by authorities across Wales and provides them with the certainty they need to continue to respond to the crisis and prepare for the rest of the financial year.”

Cllr Anthony Hunt, from the Welsh Local Government Association said: “Councils, and the vital local services we provide, are at the forefront of tackling this pandemic and have been under extreme financial pressure.

“This funding guarantee will give them the confidence to plan with greater certainty for the remainder of the financial year.

“I want to thank Welsh Government for working closely with local government on this funding package, and for taking the time to understand the pressures facing local services.”