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“Local knowledge and expertise has proved vital in combating COVID-19 and councils want to work with the Government to develop testing strategies which contain and reduce the virus in every area of the country, and for every section of our diverse communities."

“This second lockdown will be tough for many, but councils are stepping up again to support residents, especially those who are more vulnerable, businesses and education settings.

"Councils want to make sure that everybody who needs fuel can access it safely and swiftly. We encourage people to be considerate of our essential workers such as health and care staff, so they can get the fuel they need to do their vital daily roles caring for our older and most vulnerable members of our communities."

“COVID-19 has cruelly exposed and exacerbated the many social and health problems which existed before the pandemic, that need to be urgently addressed as part of our national recovery."

Making more digital health checks available is a useful tool to detect certain illnesses but it should be treated as an addition to not a replacement of a physical health check

Councils across the country continue to lead the local fight against the pandemic. However, the Government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund is set to end in March 2022, which poses a threat to councils' ability to ramp-up efforts in response to the Omicron variant.

"All of us in local government, across the political divide, want to see the Queen’s Speech finally set out the plans we have been waiting for and make good on the Prime Minister’s promise to ‘fix social care’, once and for all."

The report, based on 22 effective HWBs across the country, shows the boards are driving health and social care integration and making sure that prevention is at the heart of this - helping to keep people well in the first place, rather than managing ill health better.

“This tragic milestone is a heartbreaking reminder of how many people have lost their lives to this dreadful disease and the terrible toll it has placed on family and friends.”

The LGA said the Government and NHS must utilise the knowledge and experience of directors of public health when it comes to distributing a potential COVID-19 vaccine.