Councils are working urgently to put measures in place to support
people - especially those who are clinically extremely vulnerable
– ahead of further nationwide restrictions and are preparing to
distribute funding quickly to businesses forced to close as a
result.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils of
all types across England, said the next four weeks will
undoubtedly be a daunting time for residents and businesses. It
is urging people to do their bit to help drive down infection
rates by continuing to follow the rules.
Ahead of the second nationwide lockdown tomorrow, the LGA said
lessons must be learnt from the past seven months, particularly
around the importance of tapping into and using local expertise.
It is calling on the Government to:
Work jointly with councils to co-develop a clear strategy for
after the national restrictions are set to end on December 2,
with clear criteria about which restrictions or Tier Alert Levels
will apply.
Urgently build upon successful local contact tracing efforts to
address the current limitations of the national NHS Test and
Trace scheme. For that to happen, councils need timely, clearer,
more precise information on who they should be trying to contact
as soon as possible. The Government also needs to better
understand and provide the funding needed for councils to
undertake the contact tracing they are picking up – as well as
what they could do in the future.
Ahead of the roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine, it is vital that the
Government and NHS engages with councils’ directors of public
health now so they can help co-ordinate the roll-out and utilise
their local knowledge and expertise to ensure residents can be
immunised as quickly as possible. This will be too big a task for
the NHS to do on its own.
While councils continue to do all they can to support
communities, the pandemic has amplified financial pressures that
already existed. This has taken place alongside a loss of income
from fees and charges and other income.
The Government has provided much needed funding and introduced
positive financial measures to help. However, significant
challenges remain both this year and in the long-term which are
likely to be exacerbated even further by these latest national
restrictions.
Councils in England face a £4 billion funding gap to maintain
services at today's levels in 2021/22. As councils set their
budgets for next year, it is critical that Government provides
the funding needed to ensure councils can continue to support
their communities.
Cllr James Jamieson, LGA Chairman, said:
“This second lockdown will be tough for many, but councils are
stepping up again to support residents, especially those who are
more vulnerable, businesses and education settings.
“It is imperative that we use this lockdown to get on top of this
virus and bring down infection and transmission rates. This means
all of us continuing to follow the guidance, self-isolate if
necessary, wear a face covering and wash our hands regularly but
also must include the Government accelerating mass testing and
enabling local contact tracing arrangements to be scaled up.
“Clarity about the criteria for lifting restrictions locally will
be important for people up and down the country and we urge the
Government to work with councils to co-design the exit strategy
from this lockdown.
“Driving strong local action will add further pressure to already
over-stretched council budgets. Only with the necessary powers
and resources, can councils continue to lead local efforts to
tackle outbreaks swiftly and effectively, keep services running
and support communities and businesses.”
