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Coronavirus: Jenrick reaffirms support for councils
Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has said that the government is ready to do whatever is necessary to support councils in their response to coronavirus.
Speaking to over 300 council leaders and sector bodies, Jenrick reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting councils to focus their efforts on the priority area of social care, providing vital support for vulnerable people and supporting their local economies.
He also confirmed that additional military personnel will now work with Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) on their coronavirus response plans, following the initial announcement of 38 planners supporting the forums in England.
Giving councils greater flexibility, the government has now confirmed that routine Care Quality Commission inspections will be temporarily suspended, Ofsted will look very favourably on any requests to defer inspections because of coronavirus, councils will be able to use their discretion on deadlines for Freedom of Information requests and the deadline for local government financial audits will be extended to 30 September 2020.
Jenrick said: “As part of the national effort to keep the public safe and deliver essential public services, this government stands with local councils at this difficult time. My absolute priority is to ensure they are well placed to respond to coronavirus and protect vital services, including social care. Everyone needs to play their part to help the most vulnerable in society and support their local economy, and the government will do whatever is necessary to support these efforts.”
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