Third MP makes case for a lower tier to city
BOSWORTH’S DR EVANS SAYS GOOD CASE FOR ‘UNCOUPLING’
A THIRD county MP has pledged to lobby the government to detach his constituency from Leicester in the coronavirus tier system.
Dr Luke Evans said he is not happy that Hinckley and Bosworth, which has one of the lowest case rates in the county, is linked with the city.
The region was in Tier 1 before the second national lockdown and will be in the new Tier 3 from Wednesday.
Dr Evans joins fellow Conservative MPs Andrew Bridgen, who represents North West Leicestershire, and Alicia Kearns, MP for Melton, in calling for their areas to be separated from Leicester
He said: “From December 16, what I want to see is us uncoupled from Leicester, like we had in the summer, because my worry is we could be locked in for a full lockdown based on Leicester rather than what is going on in Leicestershire.
“This is something I’m not happy with, and will be making that case with the public health data, the evidence of what happened before and the precedent we’ve set before.”
Stuart Bray, leader of Hinckley and Bosworth Council, said he will call on the government for the region to be moved down the tier system.
He said: “This is a devastating blow for our businesses. I am gravely concerned about the impact of this extended closure on hospitality businesses and on jobs, particularly at a time of year that would usually be their busiest.
“While we all want to avoid overwhelming the NHS and see infection rates kept under control, this regional tiered system will hit our area hard.
“This approach effectively links areas with lower infection rates, like Hinckley and Bosworth, with areas that have much, much higher infection rates, making it impossible for our businesses to make any real impact on regional infection levels.
“It’s a bitter blow when our businesses have already invested so much money and effort into operating safely, and particularly so when we’ve already seen the results of everyone’s combined efforts to bring infection rates down in this area.
“I will be pushing for a review at the earliest possible opportunity and trust the review in two weeks’ time will see enough progress to allow for a move down the tier system.
“I’d remind everyone it’s never been more important to keep supporting our local businesses.”