More funding for councils
Councils in England will receive a further £1.6 billion for their response to the coronavirus, taking total funding from government for the pandemic to more than £3.2 billion.
Councils in England will receive a further £1.6 billion for their response to the coronavirus, taking total funding from government for the pandemic to more than £3.2 billion.
All essential workers in England – and members of their household – will now be eligible for coronavirus tests, it was announced as first was going to press.
The Government has launched an Action Plan for Adult Social Care, setting out the four key areas that underpin its approach to supporting social care during the coronavirus pandemic.
Around one in six coronavirus-related deaths occurred outside hospitals – including in care homes – according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures.
Councils have been working ‘at pace’ to identify and contact eligible businesses to support them to apply for government funding since 1 April, and continue to distribute the cash as quickly as possible.
Academy conversions should be suspended to help overstretched councils focus on supporting schools and nurseries to stay open, the LGA has said.
Libraries across some parts of the country have seen an increase in newly registered users of more than 600 per cent since lockdown measures were introduced, the LGA has reported.
The LGA has joined forces with Arts Council England and other partners to ensure there is a joined-up approach across the sector to supporting culture through the COVID-19 crisis.
The coronavirus crisis proves the artificiality of the funding divide between the NHS and social care, according to a recent research note from the think tank Policy Exchange.
As first was going to press, the LGA was calling on ministers to consider how they could help retired care workers who may want, or be able, to return to work.