COUNCILS in Somerset have so far received an extra £134million to support vital services during the Covid-19 pandemic - an further funding has been confirmed next year.

Somerset is the second biggest recipient by county in the South West, which has secured an extra £761million overall.

The total includes £63million for Somerset County Council, £30million for North Somerset Council and £29million for Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Here's how much funding councils in Somerset received:

Bath and North East Somerset Council - £28.55m

Mendip District Council - £2.66m

North Somerset Council - £29.70m

Sedgemoor District Council - £2.63m

Somerset County Council - £63.02m

Somerset West and Taunton Council - £4.06m

South Somerset District Council - £3.22m

More than half of this funding has not been ringfenced, meaning local leaders can decide how to use the additional funds and which local services should benefit.

This could include counselling services, delivering essential supplies to vulnerable families and ensuring cherished green spaces are well maintained and Covid-secure.

Local authorities in England have also received over £2billion in further grant funding since March 2020 to deliver specific schemes, such as providing emergency support for rough sleepers, preventing children going hungry, setting up local test and trace services and measures to make care homes, high streets and town centres Covid-secure.

In total, the Government has provided local authorities with more than £7billion in additional support and introduced a range of measures to help councils manage pressures on their finances created by the pandemic, worth billions more.

A further £3billion will be allocated to councils from April onwards.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “From the start of the pandemic, we committed to ensuring that councils had the resources they needed to step up and support their communities.

“That commitment remains undimmed, which is why we have provided councils with more than £7billion of additional funding for Covid-19 expenditure and will continue to ensure they have the resources they need to provide vital local services and held their communities build back better from the pandemic.”