'I don't think it's enough' - Portsmouth City Council deputy leader responds to additional government funding

Local government secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced this afternoon that the additional funding was to help front-line services such as adult and children’s social care and waste collection.

However, while councillor Steve Pitt welcomed any additional funding he does not think it will be sufficient to cover current loss of income.

Cllr Pitt said: ‘The biggest problem is loss of income which we use to pay for vital services. With the current lockdown we have lost revenue from parking, planning and leisure activities which pays for many of these services.

‘We need this additional funding but my initial thoughts are that it won’t be enough to cover this current shortfall.’

Cllr Pitt also highlighted that it will be ‘several days’ before the city knows what proportion of the funding it will receive.

‘The government has a formula it uses to calculate what each council will receive,’ he said.

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