VITAL council services across Gwent will be shored up through the rest of an already hugely difficult, coronavirus-disrupted year with the help of a share of of another multi-million Wales-wide funding package from the Welsh Government.

A £260m fund to be formally announced today is intended to provide Wales's 22 councils with the certainty they need in order to plan for the remainder of the year.

The latest package takes the total amount of Welsh Government coronavirus-related support for councils to almost half a billion pounds.

It will help cover increased costs, and manage pressures arising out of loss of income - for instance from leisure and other facilities that have had to remain closed for several months.

And it will pay for the additional cleaning requirements needed for schools, so they can be ready to welcome back pupils next month.

The money will be allocated on the basis of claims from individual councils and is also intended to provide them with the confidence to prepare budgets through the autumn and winter with a potential second wave of coronavirus in mind.

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Minister for housing and local government Julie James said councils have done a "fantastic job" of rising to the challenges posed by coronavirus.

“We have been working closely with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and local authority leaders to understand the pressures and challenges they are facing, and the support needed to continue delivering good quality, integrated public services to communities across Wales,” she said.

Finance minister Rebecca Evans the new support package "recognises the scale of the unprecedented challenges being faced by authorities across Wales and provides them with the certainty they need to continue to respond to the crisis and prepare for the rest of the financial year.”

Torfaen County Borough Council leader councillor Anthony Hunt, who is also finance and resources spokesman for the WLGA said: “Councils, and the vital local services we provide, are at the forefront of tackling this pandemic and have been under extreme financial pressure.

"This funding guarantee will give them the confidence to plan with greater certainty for the remainder of the financial year.

“I want to thank Welsh Government for working closely with local government on this funding package, and for taking the time to understand the pressures facing local services.”