I welcome £720,000 boost to Norwich City Council's budget next year

I welcome the Government’s announcement that Norwich City Council will see its budget boosted by 4.2% per cent next year, as part of the Conservatives’ commitment to level up local services across the country and give them the resources they need to support their communities as we recover from the pandemic.

Local authorities in England, including Norwich City Council, will receive a share of £51.2 billion local government funding next year – up £2.2 billion on this year.

Funding for key public services will again be protected, with significant extra resources dedicated to areas where they are needed most. Thanks to the investment being made by the Conservatives, Norwich City Council will have an extra £720,000 to spend next year.

The local government finance settlement sets out how much councils have to spend on vital local services each year, including social care which will see a £1 billion increase in funding next year as a result of the announcement. In total, local authorities across England will receive an extra £5 billion in support next year, including a further £1.55 billion in additional grant funding to cover costs relating to the pandemic and an extra £670 million to help families facing hardship with their council tax bills.

This is on top of the more than £7.2 billion in additional funding given to local areas throughout the pandemic so far to protect vital services that have kept vulnerable people and communities safe.

Local authorities play a vital role in our communities, providing the crucial local services that people rely on every day.

I am delighted that Norwich City Council will have additional £720,000 funding this year thanks to this Government. These funds will help our local leaders make positive change in Norwich. This builds on the significant funding boost the council received at the beginning of the year, underlying our determination to ensure all local authorities have the resources they need to drive forward our recovery in a way that works for our community as we build back better after the pandemic.