Title

FINANCE

Money matters to the extent that it supports life and wellbeing

Gary Fielding says we will all have to pay for the economic consequences of COVID-19, but perhaps more of us will be prepared to accept investing more in communities and social care.

One thing is for sure – this crisis will change the way people think about things forever. It provides an opportunity to recalibrate things and understand value as opposed to price. We will have become acclimatised to focused shopping for food and essentials; avoiding waste; and spending time connecting with those around us in a more meaningful fashion than perhaps we have for a while?

The endless examples of selflessness in helping those less fortunate cannot help but to move you and the sacrifices many make in their day to day jobs (across all public services) is visible like it has never been before. It would be nice to think that public service, empathy and community spirit become even more embedded values in the post COVID-19 world.

Discussions have already started about how will all this be paid for and there is no doubt there will be a financial reckoning but long term thinking is needed. We still have some nutty issues to crack - how are we to care for our ageing population? And we have some new welcome dilemmas - how do we harness this surge in volunteering for the greater good? Maybe this gives us an opportunity to seriously re-evaluate a situation where a carer does what they do for the minimum wage while the average professional footballer took home over £3m last year.

Let's be honest now, we will all have to pay for the economic consequences of COVID-19 but perhaps more of us will be prepared to accept that after this crisis rather than looking for cuts to many of the services that stepped up to the plate we can invest more in communities and social care in particular? As the column says, money matters -  but only in so far as it supports life and wellbeing.

Gary Fielding is corporate director of strategic resources at North Yorkshire CC and president of the Society of County Treasurers

FINANCE

How councils will fare under Fair Funding 2.0

By Jonathan Meek | 04 September 2025

Simon Christian and Jonathan Meek analyse the impact of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on different council types and highlight the winners and losers among the...

FINANCE

What finance leaders can learn from Unai Emery's Aston Villa success

By Rob Powell | 04 September 2025

Rob Powell says finance leaders can build high-performing teams despite sector challenges, inspired by Premier League excellence.

FINANCE

The mission-led landscape: A CEO's view

By Adele Gritten | 04 September 2025

Adele Gritten looks at the difficulties of strategic alignment with both national missions and the reality on front line of service delivery.

FINANCE

Inclusive leadership for a resilient tomorrow

By Dawn Faulkner | 04 September 2025

Dawn Faulkner says it’s time to celebrate the contributions of women in the public sector landscape and that the stories we tell will help shape the leaders ...

Popular articles by Gary Fielding