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Leicester mayor accuses Government of ‘sledgehammer approach’ as city’s pubs and restaurants stay shut
LEICESTER'S mayor has accused the Government of taking a "sledgehammer approach" after its partial lockdown ease means pubs and restaurants will stay shut.
Sir Peter Soulsby slammed Health Secretary Matt Hancock's decision to keep some restrictions in force across the Labour-run city and Liberal Democrat-controlled Oadby and Wigston suburbs.
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Mr Hancock announced that schools and some shops will reopen from July 24 in the city which had been hit with a surge in Covid-19 cases.
But Sir Peter accused the Government of penalising Leicester's economy by not lifting restrictions further.
He previously claimed that data provided to city officials highlighted that only 10% of Leicester had shown higher transmission rates and added he was "bitterly disappointed" by the announcement.
Sir Peter said: "I am not surprised by this decision but remain extremely frustrated that a sledgehammer approach is being taken to deal with an issue in a very small part of the city.
"SLEDGEHAMMER APPROACH"
"Now that we finally have the very detailed data we have been calling for over the past few months, we can take targeted local action to get the virus under control, without the need for the force of law or a full city lockdown.
"We have already showed the Government what can be achieved when they work with local councils on the ground, by helping them to set up the biggest testing operation in the country which is now responsible for more than 10% of all testing in England.
"If the Government allowed us to focus on the 10% of the city where infection rates are higher, we are more than capable of doing what is needed."
I am not surprised by this decision but remain extremely frustrated that a sledgehammer approach is being taken to deal with an issue in a very small part of the city.
Sir Peter Soulsby
He added: "They have chosen to focus on the city geographical area - effectively the area of the county that votes Labour and that's just scandalous.
"If they were going to alter the boundary, they should have gone down to the area that they now know where the virus is.
"They have left two areas in there - one that has a Liberal Democrat council, the other that has a Labour mayor.
"SCANDALOUS"
"The fact is they have focused in a way that is clearly party political and that's not a way to deal with the virus.
"They are prepared not just to penalise this city, but also to penalise its economy.”
Mr Hancock said last night that the local city-wide lockdown would be partially lifted from July 24, but other measures would stay in place.
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The seven day infection rate is now 119 per 100,000 people - down from 135 per 100,000.
Mr Hancock said testing had doubled in the city, but stressed it was too soon to lift all the "vital" measures to control the spread.
He chaired several meetings to decide on the latest moves.
And he stressed that a more targeted local area would now be the focus of the local lockdown.
The rules will only apply to Oadby and Wigston area of Leicestershire from next Friday - as well as the city of Leicester itself.
Mr Hancock said yesterday in the House of Commons: "We are now in a position to relax some, but not all, of the measures.
"From July 24 we will remove restrictions on schools and early years childcare, taking a more targeted approach to non-essential retail.
"Travel restrictions will remain and people will still only be able to have gatherings with six people.
"And those measures introduced on the fourth of July will also not apply," he added.
It comes as Boris Johnson prepares to set out how he wants to see the economy and society slowly adapt back to some form of normality over the next three to six months.
He will also flesh out the Government's "whack-a-mole" strategy, spelling out extra measures to stop outbreaks over the coming months.
In Leicester, most schools have already broken up for the summer break.
The measures would be reviewed again in two weeks to see if more progress has been made, and more rules can be relaxed.
Mr Hancock also confirmed that some types of coronavirus swab tests would stop being used for the meantime as the Government assesses their safety.
Some were "not up to the usual high standards", the health secretary says - but stressed that there is no evidence of harm or impact on test results.
The Health Secretary said: "I hope these careful easing of restrictions will provide some comfort to the people of Leicester and Leciestershire.
"I say this directly to the people... I pay tribute to you. You have all shown respect for one another.
"I understand this hasn't been easy.
"There is still a lot to do and the public health messages remain critical.
"Please do not lose your resolve. The sooner we get this virus under control, the sooner we can restore life in Leicester."
The city was the first in the UK to be put back into lockdown last month after a spike in cases.
Testing centres swooped on the city and people were encouraged to stay home.
Shops were shut up again and pubs and restaurants did not open on July 4 as in the rest of the country.
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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "As this data confirms, coronavirus cases in Leicester were significantly higher than other parts of the country – and we took clear and decisive action to save lives.
“We are working closely with the local authorities to ensure that these measures are only in place as long as is necessary, and we will set out the next steps by 18 July.”
The Government has stressed that data has been provided to the Directors of Public Health throughout the incident.
The lockdown currently covers the city of Leicester as well as surrounding areas including Birstall, Beaumont Leys, Glenfield and South Wigston.
It has been suggested that families living in closer quarters, combined with a higher population of people whose English is a second language, may have contributed to the spike in cases.
Workers in cramped clothing factories have also been blamed, with Police and the National Crime Agency investigating possible links to modern slavery.
But Sir Peter told Sky News there is "no evidence whatsoever" to show coronavirus was being transmitted in clothing factories.
"There's nothing in the data that suggests it is transmitting in places of work," he said.
Mr Hancock revealed flare-ups are being "swiftly and silently" dealt with.
He said more than 100 "local actions" are being taken across the country each week.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam told the BBC that data published on Saturday showed the city is "really quite an outlier" compared with anywhere else in the country.
Prof Van-Tam told the BBC: "The situation has improved but it needs to go further."
He said that, while it would not be his decision to end the lockdown, doing so "can't be rushed".
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Most read in Politics
Pressed on whether Leicester's lockdown is likely to be lifted, Prof Van-Tam said: "With any of these things, usually the way that one approaches them from a public health perspective is to take a phased approach.
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"Normally you don't just go from having the brakes on heavily to just taking the brakes off completely.
"I think that's a reasonable expectation to set."
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