ENFORCING social distancing in town centres with “Covid secure marshals” will be almost impossible without funding, say councillors.

Rising cases of coronavirus across England has prompted the Government to introduce tighter restrictions, including the “rule of six” - which means restricting gatherings to a maximum of six people.

Along with giving police the power to issue fines or make arrests, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said councils would introduce “Covid secure marshals” to monitor social distancing.

However, a spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said councils would not receive specific funding.

Now councillors have hit back, saying “local government is on the verge of collapse in many parts of this country”.

Southend councillor Martin Terry, who oversees public safety in the borough, said they don’t have a bottomless pit of money.

He said: "We’ve made sacrifices, we haven’t overspent and we have treated our accounts diligently but we are at risk that if the Government keeps piling things on, cuts will have to be made elsewhere.”

He explained that the council’s team of community safety officers was recently doubled and along with tackling anti-social behaviour and other problems in the town, they have already taken on a form of coronavirus marshalling.

But the budget for the team was only increased up until the end of September.

Basildon Council’s deputy leader Councillor Kerry Smith said the Government’s announcement was the latest of many where councils have not been consulted first.

He said: “Local government is on the verge of collapse in many parts of this country. Basildon has fortunately been doing a bit better but for the Government to come out with this grand idea without speak to local authorities first, it just shows they are slowly losing grip with reality.”

Mr Smith said the principle of the idea is good and it could allow councils to help people who have faced unemployment during the pandemic by offering them a job as a marshal.

But this can only happen if the Government gives funding.

The pandemic has already cost Southend Council £22.3million and the Government has only helped pay half of this, meaning the rest may have to be picked up by Southend taxpayers.