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Cllr Kevin Bentley, Chairman of the LGA's Brexit Taskforce responds to the Government’s announcement on funding from EU programmes guaranteed until the end of 2020.

“The announcement by the Treasury that, in an event of a no deal, the Government would cover European Structural and Investment Funds until 2020, is a positive step and provides greater certainty that there will be no gap between EU funding streams and any domestic replacements.

“Brexit cannot leave local areas facing huge financial uncertainty as a result of lost regional aid funding. This funding has been used by local areas to create jobs, support small and medium enterprises, deliver skills training, and invest in critical transport and digital infrastructure and boost inclusive growth across the country.

“However if the Government wants to ensure we have an economy fit for the future, they must act immediately to consult on the detail of what the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will look like when it replaces current funding. Councils need to know quickly how they will be able to bid, receive guarantees that the UKSPF will at least match the funding from the current European Structural Fund and receive their funding allocations by the time we leave the EU.

“Without action there is a risk that billions of pounds of investment into our communities will be lost and local areas and economies will be denied desperately-needed funding.”

Funding from EU programmes guaranteed until the end of 2020