Basingstoke’s MP Maria Miller has welcomed new analysis showing that local authorities across Hampshire have so far received an extra £242 million pounds to support vital local services during the Covid-19 pandemic, with further funding confirmed for next year.
Local authorities have also received over £2 billion in further grant funding since March last year to deliver specific schemes, such as providing emergency support for rough sleepers, preventing children going hungry, setting up local test and trace services and measures to make care homes, high streets and town centres Covid-secure. A further £3 billion will be allocated to councils from April onwards.
One of the initiatives developed by Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council in collaboration with partners, with funding from the Department for Work and Pensions is connect4communities. The purpose of this programme is to support vulnerable families during the winter as the coronavirus pandemic continues and help ensure children and young people do not go hungry or without essential items.
Over 40,000 families across Hampshire have been supported to date and the attached update provides information about the projects that make up the full programme, as well as details of the number and location of beneficiaries. Find out more about this new programme at connect4communities.org.
Maria said; “Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have done an incredible job providing local services and keeping people safe under the most difficult of circumstances, but we recognise the financial pressures they have faced.
“That’s why I am delighted that the Government has supported council leaders across Hampshire with an extra £242 million since March last year, helping to protect vital services and ensure our council has the resources it needs to support our community.”
Commenting, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said, “From the start of the pandemic, we committed to ensuring that councils had the resources they needed to step up and support their communities.
“That commitment remains undimmed, which is why we have provided councils with more than £7 billion of additional funding for Covid-19 expenditure, and will continue to ensure they have the resources they need to provide vital local services and held their communities build back better from the pandemic.”