LEADERS at Worcestershire County Council have welcomed the announcement that local authorities will receive £1.6billion from the government to help them support residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Responding to the announcement by Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, the leader of the county council said the money will help the authority to with a range of services, including providing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Councillor Simon Geraghty, leader of Worcestershire County Council, said: “The additional £1.6bn is welcomed, and we are grateful to Robert Jenrick for taking the time to engage over the last week, listen to us and with this response.

“We await our specific allocation from this, but it will go a long way to ensuring that the County Council can do everything we can to support government in responding to the current emergency including protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.

“Our costs cover so many different areas, from care to food supply, from PPE to waste disposal and from sourcing additional beds to making sure key workers can get nursery placements for their children to enable those parents to work on the frontline."

Cllr Geraghty praised the staff of the council and its partners for how they have responded to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is a tremendous effort from so many people – our staff, our providers, our partners and our communities," said the council leader.

"We will continue to work with government and the Secretary of State to report and monitor our spending and look towards future needs, but today we thank government for their continued support.”