The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has been liaising extensively with local authorities to ensure they are supported throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Local authorities provide vital support to communities and the Government will continue to support them throughout the duration of the pandemic. A number of measures to support local authorities are detailed below:
Council Costs
- The Government has announced £3.2 billion to support councils delivering essential frontline services.
- MHCLG has also announced a £500m Hardship Fund to enable councils to provide further financial support to economically vulnerable individuals in their community.
- In addition, the Government have agreed to defer £2.6 billion in business rates payments, and bring forward £850 million in social care grants, to ease immediate pressures on local authority cash flow.
Shielding
The Government has shared details with local authorities of those who are clinically extremely vulnerable in their area, so they can help support those individuals who need to shield. The Government has also shared data with supermarkets on those who have registered on the website or through the phone service and have indicated they need support with accessing essential supplies. Customers must be already registered with the supermarkets to access priority slots.
Supermarkets do not have the capacity to prioritise the whole shielding cohort, and it is important the Government prioritises those who do not have access to support networks of family and friends. There will be other individuals that are not medically high risk but are vulnerable for other social and economic reasons. Local authorities are already doing a lot to help these people and they are best placed because they understand the needs of their communities and can build on the local networks and relationships already in place.
Access to cemeteries, burial grounds and funerals
The Government has amended technical to the regulations on burial and crematoria grounds this week to clarify that cemeteries, burial grounds, gardens of remembrance and the grounds surrounding a crematorium do not have to close. Individuals can continue to visit burial grounds or a garden or remembrance to pay respects to a loved one.
The Government have made clear that funerals should continue to be held, to allow family and loved ones the opportunity to say goodbye as a fundamental part of the grieving process, and to respect the wishes of the deceased. Mourners who are in an extremely clinically vulnerable group should be facilitated to attend, should they wish to do so. They must follow the general social distancing advice, maintaining a distance of 2 metres away from others as a minimum, to reduce risk of infection.
Access to local parks
MHCLG has asked local authorities to keep parks open and make practical arrangements to maintain social distancing.
Rough sleeping
In partnership with local authorities more than 5,400 rough sleepers - over 90% of those on the streets at the beginning of the crisis known to local authorities - have been made offers of safe accommodation. £3.2 million has been allocated to local authorities to ensure that they can minimise the risk to those rough sleepers currently unable to self-isolate.
