Coronavirus: Oxford City Council's funding 'a long way short'

Susan Brown said the government must "step in with a broader package of assistance"

A council leader has said extra government support still "falls a long way short" of what her authority needs to respond to coronavirus.

Oxford City Council will get an extra £1.5m but Susan Brown said it could lose £11m in revenue this year.

Oxfordshire council leaders have said they fear their authorities could lose £100m because of coronavirus.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said £3.2bn in coronavirus funding for councils was "unprecedented" help.

In a letter to Mr Jenrick seen by the BBC, Ms Brown said the authority had provided food, medicine and other support to 1,500 households and rented 120 hotel, college and hostel rooms for homeless people.

"I am afraid [extra funding] falls a long way short of our needs to deal with the immediate impacts of coronavirus, let alone its full financial impact longer term," she said.

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The most recent extra funding from the government has been provided to councils on a per capita basis according to the latest ONS population projections.

But Ms Brown said that "does not take into account" the situation city authorities like hers, which have to deal with higher rates of rough sleeping and "assistance across diverse communities".

The city council was given £110,247 in the first round of coronavirus funding.

Ms Brown, a Labour councillor, said the government must "step in with a broader package of assistance that will help us to continue to support communities and businesses through the current crisis".

Elsewhere in Oxfordshire, the county council has been given an extra £12.6m on top of the £14.5m provided earlier.

The county's other four district councils have been given a total of £5.4m extra help after initially receiving £192,671 to deal with coronavirus.