THE LEADER of the council pleaded with the Prime Minister over fears there is not enough money to keep the authority afloat through the coronavirus crisis.

Nancy Platts wrote to Boris Johnson ahead of a national £1.6 billion Government bailout announced on Saturday, asking for help to cope with the “extreme pressures and costs” of the lockdown.

In a letter sent on Friday, she laid bare the extent of the financial turmoil the authority faces.

She said it had been struggling with costs on many fronts including putting up rough sleepers in hotel accommodation and getting hold of personal protective equipment as well as extra expenses for coroners. Together, these were set to exceed £5 million, she warned.

There had also been “very substantial income losses” due to council tax and business rate reductions, she said.

The council has also lost out due to a slump in visitor numbers and a fall in revenue from parking fines and car park fees.

All together, she feared this could lead to an estimated loss in income of between £30-40 million.

As part of an initial rescue package announced last month, the Government gave the council £8.157 million.

But this was not enough, and after pressure from local authorities the Government announced the second wave of funding this weekend.

Lead finance councillor Daniel Yates believes that even this new pot of money will not be sufficient.

Speaking to The Argus, he said: “Even if the lockdown doesn’t last past the early summer we’re likely to end up tens of millions of pounds out of pocket – and we’re not a council with huge resources we can rely on.

“Nancy made this very clear in her letter. We’ve got to see some response or commitment more than an interim step to keep the council afloat.”

He fears that without further funds, the council may have to slash its services.

And the council worries that it may have to borrow money in advance, which Ms Platts said could “over-ride our normal, sensible treasury management decisions”.

Ms Platts has been writing to the Government worried about gaps in funding for several weeks, and the Government’s latest cash injection comes after pressure and complaints from local authorities across the country.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said the dire funding situation could cause some councils to “take extreme cost-cutting and rationing measures soon”.

But the leader of Brighton and Hove City Council’s conservative group, Steve Bell, said he was “delighted that yet another grant from the Conservative Government for Brighton and Hove is on its way.”

And the Government’s local government secretary Robert Jenrick said the extra money would boost the backing councils have already received.

Mr Jenrick said: “I promised local government would have the resources they need to meet this challenge.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with local government and my priority is to make sure they are supported so they can continue to support their communities through this challenging time.

“Up and down the country council workers are the unsung heroes as we tackle this virus.

“They are in the front line of the national effort to keep the public safe and deliver the services people need.”

In a letter to Mr Jenrick before the extra funding was announced, the LGA said “radical action” to prevent councils “rationing spending” was needed.

The organisation said that unless more funding was received, the situation would end up “harming both the long-term continuity of existing services and the Covid-19 response at a time when both are so vitally needed, something we all wish to avoid”.

The letter also stressed the loss of income normally being generated by councils.

It said: “Local authorities are suffering severe income loss from a range of services from leisure, parking, bus operations, planning and commercial waste.

“Many councils rely heavily on this income to fund their annual expenditure - on average, 10 per cent of total gross service costs are funded through fees and charges, going up to 25 per cent on average for shire districts in particular.”

Following the funding announcement, LGA chairman James Jamieson said: “We are pleased the Government continues to recognise the huge efforts councils and our staff are making and has responded quickly to our deep concerns about the financial strains being placed on them by providing more desperately-needed new funding.”

Labour’s shadow local government secretary Steve Reed said: “The additional money announced today is a welcome start, but it is nowhere near enough.

“Councils are facing a financial black hole because of the costs of getting emergency help to vulnerable people and years of the underfunding of local government.

“If the Government breaks their promise to fund whatever is necessary, then cuts will follow and some of the frontline workers we’re all cheering will lose their jobs.”