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“As this report makes clear - long-term, sustainable funding for councils is needed so they can tackle this urgent public health issue.”

To match the growth in overall NHS funding as part of the Long Term Plan, the Government should commit to increasing the public health grant in future years to at least £3.9 billion by 2024/25.

Businesses and other services looking to reopen from Monday 29 March should ensure they carry out vital safety checks to avoid increasing the risk of the potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease in their water supply, the LGA and CIEH urge.

"After a hugely challenging time, local businesses will continue to need support. This new funding will support ongoing council efforts to help local businesses to prepare to reopen safely and successfully when restrictions start to ease."

"Councils play a critical role in delivering sport and fitness activities and maintaining the UK’s leisure infrastructure. Leisure centres across the country have faced severe financial pressures due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions and so it is good that they have been allocated additional funding to meet these challenges and reopen safely."

“The Government needs to urgently complete its positive ongoing review of the SEND system. This needs to set out reforms that increase mainstream inclusion, provide councils with long-term certainty of funding to meet immense demand for SEND support."

"Had the appeal been upheld, care providers and councils providing social care would have faced massive bills, which would have increased the huge financial pressures they are already facing."

Extra funding support for social care has been crucial in our battle against COVID-19. This also needs to be followed by a long-term, sustainable settlement for adult social care.

“The Government should work with councils and schools on education recovery and set out plans for the summer and beyond as soon as possible to help teachers and staff plan ahead to make up for lost learning due to the pandemic."

“As this report rightly recognises, councils responded rapidly and decisively in getting people sleeping rough off the streets during the Everyone In initiative."