Along with the fantastic community effort in helping and supporting each other in Crawley, our local councils are at the forefront of helping the most vulnerable. This is commendable and it is right to recognise that local government is under great pressure as income reduces and costs rise.
I was pleased to see that last weekend, the government announced local authorities will receive an extra £1.6 billion in funding to make sure they can continue to support our communities and deliver vital services through this challenging time.
Along with our health and care workers, emergency services, and frontline workers, our local councils are on the frontline of our national effort to keep us safe. Our council staff really are unsung heroes.
The government have said from the outset that local councils would have the resources they need to meet the challenge presented by the Coronavirus, and despite huge demands being placed upon the government, they have so far been able to provide these much-needed additional resources. Last weekend’s announcement was of a further £1.6 billion, on top of the same amount that was given a few weeks ago, meaning that English councils now have an extra £3.2 billion in funding, especially for where most needed in adult social care and children's services.
As part of the incredible collective effort, this week our West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service will be starting to assist the Ambulance Service with their duties. The Fire Service are already helping to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) across the County.
We all know the demand for PPE is unprecedented on a global scale. The government are determined to do everything possible to get more PPE supplies to the frontline. So far, we have seen more than 1 billion items of PPE delivered since the pandemic began, and everyone is working around the clock to deliver more.
The private sector is of course also stepping up as well as local and national government. It’s great to see that British manufacturers are responding to the challenge of helping ensure our frontline staff have the PPE they need.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
23rd April 2020