Alok Sharma, the local Member of Parliament for Reading West, has welcomed the announcement of an extra £3.49 million in funding for Reading Borough Council and £0.96 million for West Berkshire Council.

People living and working in Reading and West Berkshire will benefit after both local councils were given a share of £900 million in additional Government funding.

The money will be used locally to help the council cover coronavirus-related costs and ensure it has the resources needed to keep providing key services as we continue to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.

It means Reading Borough Council has now received £17.95 million and West Berkshire Council has received £13.41 million in direct extra support from the Government since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Reading West will benefit from a share of a further £100 million established to support council-run leisure centres across the country, which are proving key to helping the health and well-being of people in the area.

The new funding means local councils will have £1 billion extra in funding this winter to help maintain vital services.

This Government support is proving crucial to people living in Reading and West Berkshire as it means that both Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council can continue to provide the essential services needed.

The funding has not been ring-fenced, meaning local leaders will be able to determine how to spend the additional funding in order to best protect public health, local vulnerable people and the running of vital services. In total, over £4.6 billion of the £6.4 billion in additional government funding made available to councils has not been ring-fenced, reflecting the Government’s view that local authorities are best placed to determine local priorities.

This is the fourth announcement of extra direct support for local authorities since the start of the pandemic. It forms part of an unprecedented package of support for councils, which also includes up to £465 million through the new Local Alert Level system, £300 million to support Test and Trace and £30 million for enforcement and compliance. Councils can also claim funding through a compensation scheme for lost income from sales, fees and charges and further additional support will be made available to areas placed under Tier 3 restrictions.

Alok Sharma said: “The extra funding that has been announced is hugely welcome and will ease financial pressures on Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Council and ensure that they are able to provide vital local services this winter. The Government is keeping its promise to local authorities and ensuring they have the resources they need to continue supporting people.”

Robert Jenrick, Communities Secretary, said: “Since the start of the pandemic, we have backed local councils with the funding they need to support their communities, protect vital services and recover lost income. This extra £1 billion funding will ensure that councils have the resources that they need over the winter and continue to play an essential role on the front line of our response to the virus while protecting the most vulnerable and supporting local businesses.”

Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, said: “It’s vital that we keep ourselves fighting fit through the winter months and local authority leisure centres are crucial to this. This £100 million 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.”