Bedford Borough Council to receive share of £1billion fund to help with response to pandemic this winter

Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed allocations for individual councils from the £1billion of additional support announced by the Prime Minister earlier this month.

More than £900million of this funding will be provided to councils for their ongoing work to support communities during the pandemic - Bedford Borough Council will receive £2,665,257.

It brings the total funding given to councils since the start of the pandemic - to help with spending pressures - to £5.7billion including a £1.1billion Infection Control Fund.

To address the ongoing challenges local authority leisure centres are facing, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has also confirmed today £100million will be used to introduce a new fund which will support council leisure centres most in need.

These funds are part of an unprecedented package of support for councils, which also includes up to £465million through the new Local Alert Level system, £300million to support Test and Trace and £30million for enforcement and compliance.

Councils can also claim funding through a compensation scheme for lost income from sales, fees and charges.

Local Government Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “Since the start of the pandemic, we have backed local councils with the funding they need to support their communities, protect vital services and recover lost income.

“This extra £1 illion funding will ensure that councils have the resources that they need over the winter and continue to play an essential role on the front line of our response to the virus while protecting the most vulnerable and supporting local businesses.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "It's vital that we keep ourselves fighting fit through the winter months and local authority leisure centres are crucial to this.

"This £100million fund will help keep leisure centres across the country open. I urge leisure centres to bid for the money and people to make the most of these precious local facilities."

Spending pressure funding has been allocated based on levels of population and deprivation, whilst also considering the amount of funding each council has received from the Government so far.