Public services to get more than £14bn from emergency fund

More than £14bn from the coronavirus emergency response fund will go to public services, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed.

The funds will bolster the NHS and local authorities, the Treasury said.

The Chancellor launched an initial £5bn spending package for the coronavirus fund in the March Budget.

Mr Sunak said: “Our public services and its incredible workers are working with immense resolve and skill to keep us safe.

“We depend on them, which is why we are doing everything we can to provide our NHS, local authorities and others, with the resources and tools they need to tackle the virus.

“From the start, I’ve been clear our vital public services will get whatever they need to protect this country and its people from coronavirus.”

The Treasury said the funding includes more than £6bn “to support our health services, free up hospital beds and deliver urgent priorities, including acquiring ventilators, diagnostic tests and protective equipment for NHS staff”.

The spending involves £6.6bn for health services, the Treasury said, and £1.6bn for local authorities.

The funding also includes £3.5bn “to ensure vital rail services continue to operate now and, in the future, for those who rely upon them for essential journeys”, according to the Government.