COVID-19 and councils: impacts, responses and recovery

This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science. Click here for information on other festival events.

The COVID-19 crisis has been a perfect financial storm for councils, pushing up spending and hitting local income streams. At the same time, councils have had to take on new responsibilities to support and protect their communities and businesses. And looking ahead, they will play a vital role in supporting social and economic recovery – but are likely to face ongoing funding pressures.

The event, part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, brought together researchers from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and leading experts from local government to explain how the COVID-19 crisis has been affecting local finances and economies, how councils have been responding, and key issues for the next few years as we seek to recover.

You can watch the full event below, or download the slides here.