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# Full impact of coronavirus on Lichfield District Council finances is unquantifiable, cabinet member says
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/full-impact-of-coronavirus-on-lichfield-district-council-finances-is-unquantifiable-cabinet-member-says/
- Published: 2020-09-02T07:48:25.000Z
- Updated: 2020-09-02T07:49:31.000Z
- Description: The full impact of the coronavirus crisis on Lichfield District Council’s finances is unquantifiable, a cabinet member has said.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:14, News

![Lichfield District Council House](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/800px-lichfield_district_council_house.jpg)

Lichfield District Council House

The full impact of the coronavirus crisis on Lichfield District Council’s finances is unquantifiable, a cabinet member has said.

Cllr Rob Strachan made his comments at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting last night (1st September).

The cabinet member responsible for finance was speaking as part of his report on the way in which the pandemic was likely to impact the ability of the local authority to balance the books.

![Cllr Rob Strachan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bigpic-2.jpg)

Cllr Rob Strachan

But despite estimating an initial financial hit of between £1.2million and £4.5million, Cllr Strachan warned there were still many unknowns.

> “The impact of the outbreak so far is unquantifiable.  
>  
> “It will depend on the speed and the nature of the recovery – all of this will be driven by what happens after rather than in the acute phase.  
>  
> “However, the financial impact we forecast could be between £1.2million and £4.5million.  
>  
> “In February we envisaged a transfer to our general reserves in this financial year of £546,000 with a reducing amount going forwards to guard against volatility that was to come – unfortunately, in the current climate that appears to be highly unlikely.”  
>  
> Cllr Rob Strachan, Lichfield District Council

Despite the financial challenges facing the council going forward, Cllr Strachan said he would continue to apply the financial rules outlined before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

> “We must be very careful to deliver value even with our diminishing funds.  
>  
> “I believe the guiding principles must exist over the five years of this budget, even though the fair funding review and business rates review have been deferred for a year, because they have been replaced by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.  
>  
> “While a number of losses have been promised to be reimbursed, this is on a cost sharing basis, so we take 5% of the initial loss and then 25% of the remainder.”  
>  
> Cllr Rob Strachan, Lichfield District Council

### “We’ve done it in our pyjamas with the children in the room”

Cllr Strachan also used the meeting to pay tribute to councillors and officers who had helped ensure the local authority continued to function during the crisis.

The council has been responsible for dishing out Government funding to local businesses hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Cllr Strachan said the work in delivering this should not be underestimated – before referencing the recent row over [Cllr Derick Cross’ comments on the attire of councillors](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/vice-chairman-says-lichfield-and-burntwood-councillors-should-look-the-part-and-not-have-babies-in-their-arms-during-meetings/) at meetings.

> “I pay enormous tribute to the efforts of our finance, revenues and benefits, and the economic development teams who have worked like trojans through all of this.  
>  
> “We have passported and granted over £20million of support to businesses and residents, often designing the mechanisms that assess and deliver that from scratch.  
>  
> “We have overcome the challenges of remote working, balancing childcare our day jobs and council work, and adapted to virtual meetings while seeing unprecedented digital engagement from local residents.  
>  
> “We have – whenever possible – managed to deliver this within established timescale so that there is minimal disruption to our residents and businesses. From the outside it appears as business as usual.  
>  
> “I hope Cllr Cross will forgive me if I say that we’ve done it in our pyjamas with the children in the room!”  
>  
> Cllr Rob Strachan, Lichfield District Council