posted on 14 January 2021, updated on 14 January 2021
The government has recently published additional guidance for the Local Government COVID-19 Support Package for 2021/22, to address the concerns raised by the announcement that local authorities in England will be permitted to increase Council Tax by up to 5% in the 2021/22 financial year.
This follows up on the commitments made at the Spending Review 2020 on 25 November 2020. These proposals complement the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, to support councils as the government continue to work in tandem to overcome the challenges faced by communities up and down the country in fighting the pandemic.
The new package comprises £1.55 billion of un-ringfenced grant to manage the immediate and long-term impacts of the pandemic; £670 million to enable councils to continue reducing council tax bills for those least able to pay, including households financially hard-hit by the pandemic.
Read the full guidance here.