LONDON
ASSEMBLY
LABOUR
Press office: 020 7983 4952
News release
25.01.2021
For immediate use
In response to the news that Hillingdon will receive £39,100 from a new Government fund to support COVID-19 advice programmes and vaccine take-up campaigns, local London Assembly Member, Dr Onkar Sahota AM, said:
“I recently called upon the Government to provide dedicated funding to councils so they can tackle misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in our borough, so whilst this new funding stream is very welcome, there is still a clear need for further support going forward.
“Since the first lockdown, cash-strapped local authorities have stepped up to reach out to the most vulnerable in our communities, with targeted and multi-lingual COVID-19 advice.
“We have seen some very concerning research from City Hall shows that around a quarter of Londoners may refuse the vaccine, and this figure is disproportionately higher in our BAME communities.
“This is why I am disappointed to see Ealing and other diverse parts of our capital missed off the funding list this time around. The Government must urgently rollout another round of this vital scheme to fill in these gaps”.
ENDS