Leader says minority are flouting rules
BUT YOUNG SHOULD NOT BE DEMONISED
THE leader of the city council has today condemned people organising and attending illicit house parties in the city, but said students shouldn’t be singled out for criticism, and that the “overwhelming majority” were following the rules.
It comes after reports by police that several house parties have had to be broken up in the city, with organisers receiving hefty fines.
In a meeting of the full council yesterday, council leader Councillor David Mellen, pictured, was asked by the leader of the opposition to condemn the partying.
Councillor Kevin Clarke, leader of the Clifton Independents, said: “No-one here, or indeed likely anywhere in the country, will be unaware of the scale or severity of the challenge this country is currently facing.
“It is therefore with some sadness that we viewed the large numbers of young people partying long passed the 10pm pub closing time and failing to social distance, before the Tier Three restrictions came into place.
“Since then, we’ve also seen frankly disgraceful house parties forcing the police to waste their time and resources in breaking them up.
“I will stress that I believe the vast majority of young people are adhering to the rules and contributing to helping the rest of our community to remain safe.
“However, will the leader of the council join us in condemning such irresponsible behaviour, and appeal to the people of Nottingham to put others first and stick to the rules when it comes to protecting the lives of our citizens?”
Councillor Mellen replied: “I agree wholeheartedly that the vast majority of young people are adhering to the Covid-19 rules in our city, helping to keep our communities safe.
“For this, Nottingham City Council would like to thank our young people, an all our citizens for demonstrating civic responsibility and helping to save lives at this difficult time.
“There are, however, a very small minority of young people who continue to organise and attend parties, ignoring and flouting the rules that are designed to ensure public safety.
“Like you, Councillor Clarke, I condemn this irresponsible behaviour, as it contributes to the spread of Covid-19 and gives rise to additional pressure on our hospitals at this busy time of year.”
He went on to say: “Sadly there are individuals of all age groups who have not been as careful as they could be during this time.
“Some have deliberately ignored the warnings that have been given.
“That has contributed to our case numbers going up to the highest in the country at the beginning of October. I’m glad to say those numbers are going down now, and part of that is because of people’s adherence to the rules.
“I don’t want our young people, and people coming to the city for the first time, to be demonised.”