Somerset County Council’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been praised by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In a letter sent to Council Leader David Fothergill, the Prime Minster also said the Government had no concern about the Council’s use of Covid-19 funding and thanked the council for voluntarily reporting back on spending.

The letter follows a number of recent comments about Somerset County Council by MP Ian Liddell-Grainger made under parliamentary privilege. In one of these, he approached the Prime Minister in the House of Commons to accuse the County Council of misusing Covid funding.

The Prime Minister wrote: “Based on information currently held by the Government, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not have any reason for concern regarding the use of Covid-19 funding by Somerset County Council.

“I really appreciate the work Somerset County Council is doing in helping residents, communities and business throughout Somerset.”

Somerset County Council is committed to transparency and publishes details of all spending related to the pandemic and regularly reports back to Government on how the money has been spent.

Cllr Fothergill said: “I’m grateful to the Prime Minister for putting this on record. We’ve always been really clear that all Covid-19 funding has been used as intended – to support Somerset residents, communities and businesses during the pandemic. I would like to pass on the gratitude of the Prime Minister to all our staff who have led the county’s response to this virus from the outset and continue to work tirelessly to support our communities and keep people safe.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact the Press Office on 01823 355020 or email pressoffice@somerset.gov.uk

Notes to editors

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