Extra £2.3million to help Hartlepool through pandemic shows things worse than feared, says leader

Hartlepool is to receive £2,348,735 from the latest round of Government funding to councils to support communities and help deal with rising costs and falling income as a result of the pandemic.

This will be on top of previous grants and other measures to offset losses, and in total over £900million is being shared between local authorities as part of the latest funding.

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Councillor Shane Moore, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, has welcomed the latest boost, but warned more grant funding is likely to be needed as they feel the impact of Covid-19 for the remainder of the year and beyond.

He said: “I welcome the additional grant provided by the Government to help address the financial impact of Covid-19 on the council, and this clearly recognises that the issue is greater than previously anticipated.

“It is still too early to say whether this additional funding will be sufficient and I suspect that more grant funding will be needed before the end of the financial year in March 2021.

“Additionally, some of the financial impact of Covid-19 on the council will continue beyond March 2021 and it is not yet clear if the Government will provide help for these continuing issues.”

Hartlepool had previously received just under £7million from the first three tranches of Government Covid-19 funding, after receiving £3.404million from the first pot, followed by £2.559million from the second and £1.013million from the third.

Speaking at the council finance and policy committee meeting, Chris Little, director of resources and development, had estimated the council could receive between £1.6million and £2million from the latest pot of funding.

However he warned they were in a ‘difficult position’ and if cases continue to rise it could lead to increased costs and greater reductions of income than initially forecast.

Government ministers have requested the latest funding be used to protect vital services and the most vulnerable.

On top of the £900million for councils, a separate fund worth £100million has been set up to back struggling leisure centres.

Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick 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.”

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