'Government coronavirus handouts not enough' says Northamptonshire council leader

Cllr Matt Golby says the millions being given to his council by the government is nowhere near enough.

Much more money is needed to deal with the coronavirus crisis according to the leader of the county council.

Last month the Government gave £17m to the county council to help lead the coronavirus response and has recently announced another bumper undisclosed sum to come the authority’s way as part of a second £1.6n coronavirus fund.

But Northamptonshire County Council leader Cllr Matt Golby says more is needed and has hinted the long-term impact of coronavirus could be picked up by the local taxpayer.

The authority is already in financial straits after its financial crash in 2018, whch it has cut services to recover from. It is likely to balance its books in the most recent financial year but there are real concerns about the start up finances of the two new unitary authorities for the north and the west of the county that wil be created in April next year.

The councils were already having to find £43m to set up the two new councils – although officers had said the set up costs would be repaid through cost savings.

Cllr Matt Golby said: “It is becoming increasingly obvious that at a national level, more funding is needed for Local Government in order for it to deal effectively with the Covid-19 crisis. The recent announcement of additional funding is very welcome, but there will still be a significant gap. Exact figures are yet to be released, so it is difficult to say what the specific impact on Northamptonshire will be, but a full report on the financial consequences of Covid-19 will be made to Cabinet in May.”

Staff across the council have been moved around to help give extra capacity to the areas that need it. Its adult social care department is at the forefront of the efforts as it has had to help move staff out of hospitals as well as try and keep elderly and disabled residents in care homes safe from the disease. There has also been more pressure on children’s services as the county’s vulnerable children normally kept under the watching eye of school teachers are now at home and no longer as visible.

To date there have been more than 150 coronavirus deaths at the county’s two acute hospitals since the pandemic hit the country last month (March).