Rossendale Free Press

MP accuses Labour of ‘scare tactics’ in vaccine supply row

- STUART PIKE Paul Faulkner @Local Democracy Reporter

AVALLEY MP has accused Labour of trying to ‘scaremonge­r’ over moves to cut the region’s supply of Covid-19 vaccines by over a third.

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported this week that the region will see delivered doses drop from 310,000 this week to around 200,000 in the second week of February.

The Department of Health and Social Care told HSJ that targeted deliveries were being made to areas with more people left to vaccinate in the priority cohorts, proportion­ate to their at-risk population.

Rossendale’s Labour council leader Alyson Barnes said the reduction in vaccines coming to an area so badly impacted by the pandemic was “outrageous” and “pulling us back so that London and other parts of the country can catch up.”

A motion to be put forward at a proposed Lancashire County Council debate next month - asks County Hall’s chief executive Angie Ridgwell to write to PM Boris Johnson, demanding that Lancashire’s supplies are not reduced.

However, Haslingden’s MP said the February 15 deadline for vaccinatin­g our top four priority groups was unchanged.

Sara Britcliffe said: “It is very disappoint­ing to see Labour councillor­s mislead and scaremonge­r when the NHS has been clear that there will be no impact on meeting this target date.

“There has been no change to the JCVI’s (Joint Committee on Vaccinatio­n and Immunisati­on) priority list and I’d encourage all Hyndburn and Haslingden residents to wait for the NHS to contact them and book an appointmen­t as soon as that happens.”

Coun Barnes said: “We are really doing well with our vaccinatio­n programme in Lancashire; I just think that’s really good news for one area that has been crippled really by repeated and lengthy lockdowns, more so than other parts of the country.

“They’re always talking about levelling up, but it’s about equality and addressing inequaliti­es. If areas are working really well you plough on, don’t you? It’s pulling us back so that London and other parts of the country can catch up. Those places are mostly not as severely impacted as us anyway.

“With the number of people who have long-term health conditions, we need to be delivering this vaccine at pace.

“For the government to try and put us back and allocate vaccines that should be coming to Lancashire elsewhere, I feel is fundamenta­lly wrong. I just don’t see the sense in that.”

Rossendale MP Jake Berry said: “I am incredibly proud of how the NHS supported by our Armed Forces, are delivering the rollout of the Coronaviru­s vaccine. Here in Lancashire we’ve already vaccinated nearly 90 per cent of those over the age of 80.

“We are on track of offering a vaccine to the top four cohorts of the most vulnerable in our society by midFebruar­y. That means residents of care homes and staff, over 80s and Health and Social Care workers, over 75s and over 70s plus clinically extremely vulnerable should all receive this life-saving jab in the next few weeks.

“I know that vaccine supply is very tight, however I have had assurances from the Vaccines Minister, Nadhim Zahawi that the North West will not lose out to other parts of the country and that all regions will get their fair share.”

Rossendale Conservati­ve group leader Coun Peter Steen said: “It would appear to be a bureaucrat­ic decision taken by civil servants without the thought or the controvers­y it would cause. I am sure common sense will prevail.”

Ms Ridgwell has already released a strongly-worded statement in which she makes similar points about Lancashire’s health inequaliti­es and said that the county’s “phenomenal” vaccine rollout to date must not be allowed to make the county “a victim of its own success”.

And Conservati­ve county council leader Geoff Driver said: “The chief executive has already written in the strongest possible terms objecting to the decision to reduce the number of vaccine supplies to Lancashire.”

 ??  ?? ●● Haslingden MP Sara Britcliffe (inset) has accused Labour of ‘scaremonge­ring’ over moves to cut the region’s supply of the Covid-19 vaccine
●● Haslingden MP Sara Britcliffe (inset) has accused Labour of ‘scaremonge­ring’ over moves to cut the region’s supply of the Covid-19 vaccine

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