Published Friday 17 July 2020 at 14:36
As Councils across Lancashire have been told how much they will get from the latest round of government funding to help cover the financial cost of the coronavirus crisis, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s leader has called for more help.
As reported at last night’s Council Forum meeting, Cllr Mohammed Khan took the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister direct for help in a telephone conversation he had with Boris Johnson earlier this week.
Whilst Blackburn with Darwen have been given £1.6m in the latest allocation, the Council is reporting a funding gap of over £16m.
Cllr Mohammed Khan said:
Additional funding to cover costs is welcome, however we remain deeply concerned about the impact of loss of income from sales, fees and charges and from lower council tax and business rates as residents and businesses feel the impact of the pandemic. We’ve also had added pressures of emergency payments for families whose incomes have disappeared, at the same time as rising costs of adult care and providing protective equipment (PPE) for carers and in workplace settings.
Following the call I received from the Prime Minister this week, where he recognised the Council’s approach to tackling the increase in Coronavirus cases, I took the opportunity to raise this directly with the Prime Minister.
Due to the huge funding shortfall we are facing, as are other councils are in the area, I asked the Prime Minister for more help from the Government as a matter of urgency.
Cllr Khan added:
After 10 years of austerity and some of the biggest cuts in the country, we have responded magnificently to the crisis but need government support and funding to see us through this financial year and beyond to support our residents and businesses to come back stronger in one of the most deprived parts of the country.
Our services are already cut the bone and having to cut back more services, is the last thing anybody needs. Without intervention, the prospect of critical services being reduced or even scrapped is a very real and present danger. We remain hopeful the government are listening to us and recognise the issues we are facing.
The Council’s budget position can be viewed here.