Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick promises to lobby 'strongly' for 'heroic' local councils ahead of Rishi Sunak's spending review

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick admitted some town halls were "undoubtedly in difficult financial positions" because of the impact of coronavirus on their funding.

And there are fears Chancellor Rishi Sunak could impose further cuts on the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government after warning of "tough choices" ahead as he prepared to deliver his spending review this autumn.

Mr Jenrick told The Yorkshire Post that local councils had done an "absolutely heroic job" during the pandemic and added: "I don't think anyone can fail to recognise the central role that local government plays and has played in recent months".

The Tory MP for Newark said: "So, I will be taking that message to the Chancellor and Prime Minister very strongly, urging them to ensure that local councils have sustainable finances as we continue to navigate our way through coronavirus, and it isn't over yet, and can also have the financial ballast to play a crucial role in our economic recovery, which they're all in my experience, itching to do."

In May The Yorkshire Post reported that a number of local authorities in Yorkshire feared effectively having to declare themselves bankrupt because of the toll the pandemic had taken on their finances.

Council chief executives discussed the prospect of many of the 22 local authorities in the Yorkshire and the Humber region making a choreographed joint declaration that they have run out of money.

Issuing so-called Section 114 notices en masse, following the example of crisis-hit Northamptonshire County Council in 2018, would mean the authorities would have to impose severe spending restrictions.

The Yorkshire Post understands that town hall leaders fear the settlement for local councils at the spending review will be "very tight" due to unforeseen public expenditure relating to the pandemic.

And without the right support services such as libraries, museums, leisure centres and youth services may see swingeing cuts as councils are forced to prioritise the rising demand from vulnerable residents.

They are also having to cope with the possibility of extra costs from managing local lockdowns, winter flu, winter weather and the consequences of a no-deal exit from the European Union.

Mr Jenrick said his department had provided local councils with £4.3bn of extra funding "which should enable them to weather the storm of the pandemic".

The Government has also promised to reimburse Covid-related expenditure including 75 per cent of lost income from car parks, leisure centres and heritage attractions.

He said: "We have a plan and that plan we believe will help councils to weather the storm, but there are some councils across the country who are undoubtedly in difficult financial positions and there are some in Yorkshire, as well.

"And I've been working closely with them, my door is always open to their political leadership and their officers to find ways of working together to ensure that they can get through this challenging year, and then move forward with greater confidence."