NEW Government funding for local councils to fight the coronavirus is nowhere near enough, according to Trafford Council’s leader.

Cllr Andrew Western slammed the recent handout of £1.6 billion to English local authorities, saying it was only around a third of what is required, as part of a co-ordinated attack by regional Labour council chiefs.

In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Cllr Western said the cost of the crisis to Trafford Council would “run into the tens of millions” this financial year alone.

Other nearby councils had huge budget shortfalls after the coronavirus forced the closure of local businesses, which they rely on for business rates, he wrote.

Cllr Western said: “New funding is welcome but still only a third of what we need in total. The Government is failing miserably on personal protective equipment, failing badly on testing, and now failing to fund councils who are key to overall response (and responding better than government). Enough excuses, they must correct this.”

A Whitehall spokesman said Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick had made clear support would be offered to councils to provide services to their communities during the pandemic.

“We’ve already provided £1.6bn of additional funding and have announced new measures to help ease immediate cashflow pressures faced by councils in England,” he added.