Government gives cash to Eastbourne in Covid aftermath

Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has today confirmed allocations for individual councils from the £1bn of extra funding announced by the prime minister earlier this month.

All councils will receive a minimum of £100,000 from the fund, which has not been ring-fenced which means local authority can use it for any purpose.

Eastbourne Borough Council will get £473,866 while neighbouring Lewes council receives £225,000 and Wealden District Council’s coffers will be boosted by £213,000.

Eastbourne and Willingdon MP Caroline Ansell has welcomed the further government funding for the town’s borough council to help it deal with the Covid pandemic.

The cash is not ring fenced so the authority can choose what to spend it on and it comes after Mrs Ansell said she lobbied ministers for the extra money.

She said, “This latest support means the government has now spent nearly £100 million in Eastbourne this year on job support, grants and infrastructure projects, in addition to a reduction to 5 per cent for VAT I also successfully lobbied for.

“Eastbourne council has now received a total of £1,755 million in extra covid funding in four tranches.

“This money will help the council continue its services and help local people cope with the pandemic during these winter months and it is yet again most welcome news.

“I continue to lobby ministers in Westminster to do all they can to help our town and I think the figures speak for themselves: this government has stepped up and supported Eastbourne with unprecedented funding and I am very grateful for its support.”

At the same time as the cash for councils Mr Jenrick announced a new £100m fund has also been set up to support local authority leisure centres during the crisis.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden, said, “It’s vital that we keep ourselves fighting fit through the winter months and local authority leisure centres are crucial to this. This £100m fund will help keep leisure centres across the country open.

“I urge leisure centres to bid for the money and people to make the most of these precious local facilities.”