Fareham Borough Council has been allocated more than £1.15m further Government funding to enable it to continue to provide critical front line services for residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Council was allocated £33,966 in a first round of Government funding and that has been followed up with a further £1,156,628 out of a £3.2bn fund for local authorities to deal with the immediate impacts of the pandemic.
The grants were announced by Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick which he said recognised the latest and best assessment of the pressures local authorities were facing. Mr Jenrick confirmed the funding was not being ring-fenced and could be used how local authorities saw fit to meet the pressures in their local area.
While there has been widespread disruption to Council services as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the majority of services have been maintained and, at the same time, extra steps have been taken to support vulnerable people, rough sleepers and others in the community.
Taking measures such as suspending parking charges, helping people and businesses that are struggling to pay their bills, together with the reduced demand for services such as trade waste, planning, sports pitch bookings, and so on, will have a significant effect on the Council’s budget, and the Government funding will help to offset that impact.
Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Sean Woodward, said: “The Council has been extremely active throughout the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic ensuring vulnerable people in our communities have what they need. So it is reassuring that the Government is going to pick up much of the cost of those extra services rather than it be reflected in the Council Tax.
“We put a strong case together for the level of central Government support that we would need to protect our services and not impact the Council Tax and I am delighted that the Government listened to what we had to say and that is reflected in the level of grant we have received.”
