Councils were unprepared for the Covid pandemic lockdowns, according to a survey by the Local Government Association (LGA).
The lockdown of the country in 2020 was not part of pandemic planning by the vast majority of local authorities, but almost as many felt they were able to adapt to the crisis, according to a survey of all 353 LGA members in England and Wales carried out for the national COVID-19 Inquiry.
LGA research found 90% of councils felt ‘full lockdown was never anticipated as a reasonable worst-case scenario so plans did not reflect the challenges’.
A similar proportion (87%) agreed that their preparations before the pandemic meant they were able to ‘adapt and respond well to Covid’.
Some 82% of councils in England and 86% in Wales believed they were ‘not adequately funded for a national emergency’ in January 2020.
This article was originally published by The MJ.
