West Yorkshire lockdown: Leaders demand extra help to tackle coronavirus cases amid Tier 3 talks for 2m people

LEADERS in West Yorkshire have demanded extra Government help to combat rising Covid-19 levels in their area - as they continue talks with ministers.

Yesterday they demanded more support for "community engagement" and test and trace to try and stem the flow of infections in Bradford and Huddersfield - as Leeds hospitals were forced to cancel operations.

Matt Hancock revealed last week that West Yorkshire was one of the areas in talks with the Government over whether to move them up to Tier 3.

So far Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Liverpool City region, Warrington, Nottingham and parts of Nottinghamshire have all been pushed into the highest level of Covid restrictions.

It means people are banned from mixing between households in most outdoor settings, and pubs with don't serve alcohol, along with soft play areas, betting shops and casinos are to be shut.

There are fears 2million people in West Yorkshire could be next on the list to enter Tier 3 as infections remain high.

The coronavirus rate in Leeds is currently 415.1 per 100,000 residents - above what other areas are which are already in Tier 3.

That's up from 375.8 a week ago.

In the seven days to October 22, Bradford was on 470.0 cases per 100,000, up from 364.2.

Kirklees went up to 384 from 265.6.

And in a joint statement yesterday, West Yorkshire Combined Authority said: "Today we were invited to a meeting with senior government ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer to discuss the next steps in combating Covid-19 in West Yorkshire.

"The latest data on infections and hospital admissions shows a continued rise, and we have repeated our calls to Government that further local action needs to be taken, including strengthening community engagement and test and trace.

"There will be further discussions with government in the coming days.

"We are absolutely committed to implementing the most effective measures to protect the people and economy of West Yorkshire."

Meanwhile, managers at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust announced today they have had to postpone some operations for patients after the numbers of Covid patients in hospital in the area jumped 30 per cent over the weekend.

According to a leaked letter to the Independent, deputy chief medical officer for the Leeds trust, David Berridge said to staff: "These numbers are close to the peak seen in the first surge and prevalence data indicates it may continue to rise for at least another one to two weeks.

"Our currently overall bed occupancy is far greater than in the first wave so there is very significant pressure on our inpatient capacity.

“Unfortunately, as a result, we have had to cancel some operations and expect this to continue throughout the week due to pressures on beds in all area of our hospitals.”

But local MP Barry Sheerman said Kirklees should remain in Tier Two because there appears to be a "levelling off" of cases, suggesting the restrictions stopping households mixing indoors, which were implemented two weeks ago are working. 

He told : "I think we should remain in Tier Two - let's see the data.

"My main job as a member of parliament is the welfare of my constituents and if I saw a really big surge in admissions of hospitals and deaths, of course I would go for the strictest tier.

"At the moment, I get a feel that we may see a levelling off locally and if so we would quite rightly stay in the same tier."