Reading will get part of an extra £1.6 billion of funding announced for councils across England to help tackle coronavirus.

It comes after RBC leader Jason Brock sent a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for the government to continue to fund councils and not u-turn on its promises.

After receiving £4million in funding to tackle coronavirus pressures last month, Reading Borough Council (RBC) will now get a similar amount to top this up.

Cllr Brock said: “The current crisis has shown that local government can and does provide excellent public service for people.

“The demand for RBC to continue delivering for our town will only grow as the situation and its after-effects develop.”

The council has already spent £250,000 on a temporary crematorium, £325,000 on the coronavirus community hub and food distribution centre and almost half a million pounds to accommodate rough sleepers in B&Bs.

It has also spent more than £1.3million spent on extra beds and support for patients discharged from hospitals

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Robert Jenrick, minister for local government, announced the addtional funds for councils on Saturday, April 18.

He said this will enable councils to continue to provide essential services and support to those who need it most.

Mr Jenrick wrote to all councils in England to thank them for their continued efforts as they work around the clock to support their residents, calling them the “unsung heroes” of the coronavirus response.

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Cllr Brock said he welcomes the funding but added that there is not yet any detail on how much Reading will receive.

The RBC leader wrote to the Prime Minister last Friday asking him to honour the pledge he made to ensure councils are fully funded to deal with the pandemic.

He said the Prime Minister pledged this to him in person at a No.10 briefing in March, as well as the public announcements.

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Ministerial comments to council leaders earlier last week had suggested the government not provide further financial support for councils fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

These fears have now be relieved by the announcement from Mr Jenrick, who said his priority is too support councils “so they can continue to support their local communities through this challenging time”.