Northern uproar as strictest virus restrictions are imposed
Yorkshire awaits a decision as neighbour is putin Tier3
TRUST BETWEEN Northern leaders and the Government has been described as “at rock bottom”, after Boris Johnson overruled politicians in Greater Manchester to force a further 2.8 million people into the highest level of coronavirus restrictions yesterday.
The Prime Minister said talks were ongoing in some areas of Yorkshire over moving into Tier 3, where pubs would have to close and all household mixing banned. One Sheffield MP said: “We recognise we are likely to move to Tier 3.” Leaders in West Yorkshire confirmed last night the decision had been made to remain in Tier 2.
But after Greater Manchester was pushed into the measures yesterday, Mr Johnson said he expected local leaders to work with Government, raising fears the rules may be imposed on Yorkshire too regardless of pleas for better financial support.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said talks collapsed after the Government refused to meet his demand for £ 65m to support the livelihoods of people in the region as they face the closure of pubs, bookmakers and other premises.
ButWhitehall insiders accused the Labour mayor of “intransigence” and claimed his “pride” had scuppered a deal.
Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership lobbying group, said: “It is ill- advised that the Prime Minister has imposed Tier 3 in Greater Manchester, with areas of Yorkshire next in its list of places being considered and imposition should not be declared again.
“An approach based on agreement with local leaders would be a more effective one. A Government that briefs national newspapers before speaking to metro
mayors and civic leaders themselves is setting itself up to fail in dealing with this crisis effectively.
“Yesterday’s events will no doubt leave trust between Northern leaders and the Government at rock bottom. More people than ever are waking up to the fact that devolution – which allows areas to have the powers and funding to act as well as the mandate to represent their communities – is the way forward.”
Leaders of West Yorkshire councils said last night: “Government Ministers did not meet leaders today. Local and national public health experts agree that there is not a case to move West Yorkshire to Tier 3 this week.”
But they continued to push for better financial support, saying: “We urge the Government to respond to our proposals to protect businesses, jobs and incomes.”
Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis and the four South Yorkshire council leaders – Sir Steve Houghton, Mayor Ros Jones, Coun Chris Read and Coun Julie Dore – sent a message to the Government reiterating that a “lockdown lifeline” was needed if Tier 3 restrictions were imposed there. And Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield South East,
said: “We recognise we are likely to move to Tier 3 but we need an arrangement and a package of measures to help local businesses and employers who lose income.
“We need money for a local track and test system because we need to get that right or it won’t make a difference. We also need more financial help for people who are supposed to be selfisolating.”
Mr Burnham said: “I don’t believe that we can proceed as a country on this basis through the pandemic by grinding communities down, through punishing financial negotiations. I am still willing to do a deal but it cannot be on the terms that the Government offered today.”
It is ill- advised that the PM has imposed Tier 3 in Greater Manchester. Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
BRITAIN IS still “relatively slow” in the “style” of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organisation’s special envoy on Covid- 19 has said.
Dr David Nabarro told the AllParty Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus yesterday that there is “a resistance to taking the kind of robust and rapid action that is necessary for a mix of political reasons”.
And he added: “The action is not simply doing lockdowns, a lockdown basically freezes the virus where it is, but to get rid of virus, in our view, you must institute the process of detection, isolation, contact tracing.”
Dr Nabarro told MPs test and trace efforts were “best always done locally”, because it helped build confidence, co- operation and trust among local people rather than doing it through “instruction or even coercion”.
But he warned countries like the UK that “prevaricated” over responding to Covid- 19 face dealing with “much more virus” in their communities.
He said: “What we saw earlier on this year, is that if no action is taken the size of an outbreak doubles every two and a half days.”