Northumberland council gets £10m boost from the Government's emergency coronavirus funding

On Thursday, March 19, the Government announced £1.6billion of additional funding for local authorities to help them respond to COVID-19 pressures across all the services they deliver.

Yesterday (Monday, March 30), the allocations for each council were published, with Northumberland receiving £10.03million.

Elsewhere in the region, Newcastle will get £10.28million, North Tyneside £6.82million, Durham £18.59million, Gateshead £7.59million, South Tyneside £6.17million and Sunderland £10.59million.

The funding comes from the £5billion fund announced by the Chancellor in this month’s Budget and relates to all council services facing pressure, including support for the adult social care workforce and for helping the most vulnerable, including homeless people.

When it was announced, the Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick said: “The work of local authorities to deliver social care and other vital public services has never been more important than it is now – and will be – in the days and weeks ahead.

“That’s why we’re giving local councils £1.6billion of additional funding to spend where it’s needed most, to ensure they can meet the cost of the increased demand for social care and continue to protect the most vulnerable people in society.”

In recent days, Northumberland County Council has announced a range of measures to support residents and businesses.

Northumberland Communities Together is a dedicated team which will help harness the power of local community volunteers while making sure the county’s most vulnerable residents are protected.

Meanwhile, the Northumberland Business Hub will help people to access available support and provide advice and guidance. It will also allocate the government grants that have been made available for small firms.

A community shielding hub has been set up in Blyth as part of the national efforts to support those most clinically vulnerable to coronavirus and the council has also said it ‘is ‘working hard to provide a range of support’ for those hit financially by the crisis.

Plus, the authority has also launched an urgent recruitment drive to bolster key roles supporting residents during the outbreak, with all posts advertised on www.northeastjobs.org.uk

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