• Local authorities to work with government to support test and trace services in their local communities
• £300 million will be provided to all local authorities in England to develop and action their plans to reduce the spread of the virus in their area
• Work will build on the continued efforts of communities across the country to respond to the pandemic locally

Local authorities will be central to supporting the new test and trace service across England, with the government providing a new funding package of £300 million.

Each local authority will be given funding to develop tailored outbreak control plans, working with local NHS and other stakeholders.

Work on the plans will start immediately. Their plans will focus on identifying and containing potential outbreaks in places such as workplaces, housing complexes, care homes and schools.

As part of this work, local authorities will also need to ensure testing capacity is deployed effectively to high-risk locations. Local authorities will work closely with the test and trace service, local NHS and other partners to achieve this.

Data on the virus’s spread will be shared with local authorities through the Joint Biosecurity Centre to inform local outbreak planning, so teams understand how the virus is moving, working with national government where necessary to access the testing and tracing capabilities of the new service.

Local communities, organisations and individuals will also be encouraged to follow government guidance and assist those self-isolating in their area who need help. This will include encouraging neighbours to offer support and identifying and working with relevant community groups.

Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, Nadine Dorries, said:

Local authorities will be vital in the effort to contain COVID-19 at a community level. The pandemic requires a national effort but that will only be effective as a result of local authorities, working hand in hand with Public Health England and contact tracers to focus on the containment of local outbreaks, in order to control the transmission and the spread of the virus.

For contact tracing to be effective when it is rolled out, we will need people to continue to follow guidelines and stay at home if they have symptoms.

Work will be led by local authority leaders and local directors of public health in charge of planning, and will build on their work to date to respond to coronavirus locally. They will operate in close partnership with local hospitals, GP practices, businesses, religious groups, schools and charities.

These new plans will build on the comprehensive work already being done by local authorities and directors of public health to respond to coronavirus locally.

Local efforts will support the national rollout of the test and trace service, in which everyone will need to play their part to stop the spread of coronavirus.

National Test and Trace Adviser and Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Tom Riordan, said:

It is essential that communities and local authorities are at the heart of our plans to roll out test and trace. Their work to respond to the virus has been exemplary, demonstrating how people across the country have come together to respond to the virus.

As we move forward with our plans to trace every case of the virus, and contact those at risk, we will need to continue to work together and tailor support at a local level. This joint endeavour between local government, the NHS and local partners will help those in self-isolation, and reduce the risk of widespread outbreaks in our schools, businesses, hospitals and communities.

A new National Local Government Advisory Board will be established to work with the test and trace service. This will include sharing best practice between communities across the country.

Work to share lessons learned will be led by a group of 11 local authorities from the breadth of the UK, representing rural and urban areas, who have volunteered to help localise planning.

• The Department of Health and Social Care will allocate funding to local authorities in England, working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the allocation formula. The funding is ring-fenced for this specific purpose. £300 million will immediately be allocated to local authorities in England.
• This would mean an additional £57 million provided via the Barnett formula for the 3 devolved administrations (£29 million for the Scottish Government, £18 million for the Welsh Government and £10 million for the Northern Ireland Executive)
• The 11 local authorities that will initially share best practice with others are:
  • Tameside – as the lead authority for Greater Manchester Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Warwickshire – Coventry and Solihull connecting to West Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Leeds – as the lead authority for the Leeds City Region
  • London – Camden lead in collaboration with Hackney, Barnet and Newham
  • Devon – with Cornwall
  • Newcastle – with Northumberland and North Tyneside as lead authority for North of Tyne Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Middlesbrough – with Redcar and Cleveland as lead authority for Tees Valley Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Surrey
  • Norfolk – with Norwich and districts Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk and South Norfolk
  • Leicestershire – and Leicester with Rutland
  • Cheshire West and Chester – with councils within Cheshire local resilience forum

A new London Transition Board, co-chaired by the Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick and the London Mayor will co-ordinate London’s response as it emerges from the lockdown and begins to reopen its economy while controlling the virus.

The programme of work being put in place will be the biggest since the end of the Second World War and will include opportunities for Londoners to be involved in setting priorities and shaping London’s recovery and renewal.

The Board will be made up of senior leaders from across the city and provide strategic direction for the next phase of response and restart, focusing on the key issues which London will face over the coming months, including:

• infection control
• phasing in and out of varying levels of lockdown
• recovery of public services, such as transport

Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick said:

I want to thank all of those across London who have worked in partnership with the government since the start of the pandemic to protect Londoners and keep essential services running. Now we are past the peak it is right that we focus on safely reopening the capital, taking the necessary steps to control the virus. 

Through this new Transition Board, we will carefully build on the extensive planning already underway to get life and business in London – the most dynamic capital city in the world – safely back on track.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: 

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most significant public health crisis in living memory. We are not being complacent about the continued threat from coronavirus, but the economic, health and social challenges arising from both the virus itself and from the lockdown are far-reaching, and London’s recovery will be a long and complex road that will take many months, if not years. 

As Mayor, I am committed to securing a better future for Londoners. The city’s recovery from Covid-19 must ensure that nobody is left behind, and no one organisation or sector can tackle these challenges alone. 

The measures announced today plan to bring together local government, civil and civic society, faith organisations, business, unions and Londoners themselves to reshape London as a city that remains open, safe and attractive for Londoners, visitors and investors.

Minister for London, Paul Scully, said: 

As we fire up the UK’s economic engines again, we know that the capital will be pivotal to our national recovery. Supporting London’s extraordinarily diverse and dynamic businesses in getting back to work while keeping Londoners safe is essential. This plan gives us a roadmap for those efforts.” 

Cllr Peter John, the Chair of London Councils, said: 

London local government has made an enormous contribution on behalf of Londoners in response to COVID-19 to date.  We now must be ready to work closely with all of our communities across the capital and with our key partners, including the Mayor, government and others to ensure that we are able to transition safely out of lockdown and pursue London’s economic and social renewal in a way that our city needs.” 

Until the end of the year, the London Transition Board will run in parallel with and complement the establishment of London Recovery Board, chaired and constituted by the Mayor of London and Cllr Peter John, the Chair of London Councils. The Minister for London, Paul Scully, will attend the Recovery Board on behalf of government. 

The London Recovery Board will plan and oversee the capital’s wider economic and social long-term recovery, developing a strategy and plan of action to reshape London to be fairer, more equal, greener and more resilient than it was before the crisis. 

The context for this work is extremely challenging. We have seen a disproportionate impact of coronavirus on different communities who now face acute challenges, with this crisis exposing long-standing inequalities. Our local economies and high streets have been particularly affected, and there are significant pressures on London Councils, the GLA, TfL and others.  

However, it is also an opportunity – to reimagine our city and define our aspirations and priorities for the recovery effort. A city where we build on the fantastic community spirit displayed by Londoners during these toughest of times, to deliver a cleaner, greener and fairer city, and work to create thriving neighbourhoods, with improved wellbeing and access to a strengthened healthcare system.

Long-term Covid-19 recovery planning has been taking place since March. The programme of work put in place will be the biggest since the end of the Second World War, dwarfing the response to the financial crisis and taking years to deliver.  The work will be carried out in partnership with organisations from across sectors and across the city and will include opportunities for Londoners to be involved in setting priorities and shaping London’s recovery and renewal, as equal partners.