Bedford Council to get a slice of £1.6billion from the Government to help deal with coronavirus

Money to be shared out across the country to all councils
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The Government has pledged to give £1.6million additional funding to all councils as they continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

It's not known how much Bedford Council will get yet but the money will help the council provide essential services and support to those who need it most. This includes getting rough sleepers off the street, supporting new shielding programmes for clinically extremely vulnerable people and assistance for the public health workforce and fire and rescue services, as well helping adult social care and children’s services.

Mayor Dave Hodgson said: “This extra funding to cope with the impact of coronavirus is very welcome. Our services are under huge pressure, working to deliver care for the vulnerable and elderly, and keeping vital day-to-day operations running.

It's not known how much Bedford Council will get yetIt's not known how much Bedford Council will get yet
It's not known how much Bedford Council will get yet

“Alongside councils across the country, we have moved quickly to provide support to those who need it at this challenging time; setting up a Community Hub, creating and delivering food parcels, a prescription delivery service and providing support for those who may be feeling lonely.

"We have also had to make changes to day-to-day operations to ensure our staff can keep delivering vital services while staying safe, for example we have taken on extra staff to ensure that we can continue to collect household waste and recycling while enabling our crews to operate safely.

“This unprecedented coronavirus crisis has placed a huge financial strain on local authorities across the country. As a council we are expecting the costs to be much higher than the extra funding we have been given so far, and the impact of this to be with us into next year and beyond.”

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