Milton Keynes receives government handout of almost £5m to protect public health and run vital services

And it has urged council bosses to spend the cash on public health, to protect the most vulnerable and to keep vital services running.

Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed the allocation today (Thursday) as part of a £900m support package to local to support local authorities’ response to the crisis throughout the UK.

An extra £100m will also soon be made available nationally to support council leisure centres so people can keep themselves "fighting fit" during the winter.

The funds are part of an unprecedented package of support for councils, which also includes up to £465 million through the new Local Alert Level system, £300 million to support Test and Trace and £30 million for enforcement and compliance. Councils can also claim funding through a compensation scheme for lost income from sales, fees and charges.

Already the government has given £5.7bn to local councils since the beginning of the Covid crisis to help with spending pressures. This included a £1.1bn Infection Control Fund.

Mr Jenrick said: “Since the start of the pandemic, we have backed local councils with the funding they need to support their communities, protect vital services and recover lost income.

“This extra £1 billion funding will ensure that councils have the resources that they need over the winter and continue to play an essential role on the front line of our response to the virus while protecting the most vulnerable and supporting local businesses.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "It's vital that we keep ourselves fighting fit through the winter months and local authority leisure centres are crucial to this. This £100 million fund will help keep leisure centres across the country open. I urge leisure centres to bid for the money and people to make the most of these precious local facilities."

Spending pressure funding has been allocated based on levels of population and deprivation, whilst also considering the amount of funding each council has received from the government so far.

Recognising that councils are best placed to decide how to meet pressures in their local area, this funding has not been ringfenced.