In response to the news that Harrow Council will receive £495,000 from a new Government fund to support COVID-19 advice programmes and vaccine take-up campaigns, local London Assembly Member, Navin Shah AM, said:
“Since the first lockdown, local authorities have stepped up to reach out to the most vulnerable in our communities, with targeted and multi-lingual COVID-19 advice.
“This is a much-needed boost for cash-strapped councils who are still not being fully compensated by the Government for their response to the pandemic.
“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 additional support will be vital for helping the council tackle misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in our borough and I am hoping further rounds of funding will be forthcoming for the rest of the capital”.