THE Isle of Wight Council will be given a further £1.1 million to help support the local community, local government secretary Robert Jenrick has announced.

£1,110,378 has been allocated to the Island, from the £1 billion of additional support announced by the Prime Minister earlier this month.

This takes the total Covid-19 additional funding allocated to the Isle of Wight to £11,387,943.

Nationally, it brings the total funding given to councils since the start of the pandemic to £5.7 billion, including a £1.1 billion Infection Control Fund.

"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," said Robert Jenrick.

"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 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.

The government has asked councils use this funding to prioritise the running of vital services and protecting the most vulnerable and public health.