UK communities secretary insists that despite coronavirus parks must remain open and people should be allowed to attend family funerals
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UK communities secretary Robert Jenrick has announced an extra £1.6 billion for local authorities in England with the likelihood that will translate into millions more for councils north of the border.
The move was revealed at today’s Downing Street briefing on Covid-19, where Mr Jenrick also said it was “not right” that some local authorities had decided to close parks and how some mourners had been turned away from funerals.
Consequently new guidance will be issued but he underlined that so long as people obeyed social distancing advice when taking exercise or attending a funeral then they should continue to be allowed to go.
As the infection rate climbed again – by more than 5500 to almost 115,000 people with the virus – Mr Jenrick said it was important to support local authorities as they deliver vital services in their communities.
He started by praising the efforts of council to manage the impact of Covid-19 through services and the delivery of grants to businesses and recognised that government funded continue to support their work.
“I know it is our responsibility in government to make sure that those frontline workers have the resources that they need to keep up this essential work,” he said.
“At the beginning of this emergency, I told local councils that we would give them the resources that they need to do the job and I meant it – and that's why today I'm providing an additional £1.6 billion of new funding to support council's with the pressures that they face as they respond to Covid-19.
“This takes the total amount given to council's to help them through the pandemic to over £3.2 billion. I would urge councils to keep up the good work and those that have been slower in making progress to accelerate their efforts in the days to come.
“Let me address two other topics that I know are of concern to local people. Firstly, there have been examples of some parks around the country closing – this cannot be right.
“While the virus does not discriminate, we know that the lockdown is much harder for people who don't have a lot of living space, for people who don't have a garden, who don’t have a place for their children to run around – people need parks.
“That's why I've made it clear to councils that all parks must remain open. For the health of the nation, people should be able to enjoy, safely, fresh air and green space and for the health of the nation, people must abide by social distancing rules and not congregate in groups in those parks.
“Secondly, there have been some reports of mourners being turned away at funerals – the tragedy of the death of Mohammed Abdulwahab, a 13-year old boy from Brixton, was compounded by the fact that his family were unable to attend his funeral. That is not right and it shouldn't have happened.
"For clarity, funerals can go ahead with close family present, social distancing measures must be respected, but families must have the opportunity to say a respectful goodbye to those that they love.
“We will be publishing more guidance on this very soon and I'm also asking to keep open or indeed to reopen cemeteries and graveyards – not for people to congregate, that must not happen – but for people to make that private visit to seek solace at the grave of someone that you've loved or to privately lay flowers.”
