Leaders in the north of England and the Midlands have expressed intense frustration over the details and financial support offered under the government’s new three-tier coronavirus lockdown system.
On Monday, Boris Johnson warned those in the areas with the highest rates of infection that a failure to agree on tougher restrictions within days would be “unforgivable”. But what exactly do MPs and metro mayors want?
Evidence for pub closures
Greater Manchester and the north-east fought hard against attempts to close their hospitality sectors, saying ministers had provided no scientific evidence that it would stem the spread of the virus. On Monday, Andy Burnham said he was pleased the government had agreed not to close pubs and bars in the region for now. “It’s mixing that spreads the disease and we don’t have evidence that hospitality is the main cause,” he said.
Meanwhile, council leaders in north-east England thwarted a late attempt by the government to place the region in tier 3, telling the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, on Monday they had seen little evidence that pubs, bars and other venues were driving up the infection rate.
Household mixing
While few leaders have resisted tighter restrictions on household mixing at home, the Conservative mayor of the West Midlands combined authority, Andy Street, had called for a more “flexible” approach to socialising measures in hospitality venues.
“The most important change between our current restrictions and the new ones announced today is the ban on households mixing in hospitality venues. This is something the latest local epidemiology does not support, and I am disappointed that the government is pressing ahead with this despite the united view of local leaders,” he said on Monday.
More support for tier 2
One of the main issues for leaders is that significant financial support under the new tier system – such as cash grants for businesses, funding for local test and trace and enforcement – is being offered only to tier 3 areas.
The mayor of the Sheffield city region, Dan Jarvis, speaking to Times Radio, said it created a “perverse incentive” for leaders to agree to more stringent measures. “We’ve in a sense [in tier 2], got the worst of all worlds that we’ve got some restrictions in place, which will quite significantly impact on certain sectors of our economy. But the government hasn’t yet brought forward what we think is needed, which is an accompanying economic support package to back up our businesses,” he said.
Money for businesses
Leaders have asked for financial support for businesses that are not required to close but whose trade is likely to collapse, such as companies supplying the hospitality sector.
The leaders of West Yorkshire councils have asked for an enhanced local restrictions support grant of up to £5,000 every three weeks for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses that have lost at least 25% of their income.
More money for employees
Labour metro mayors – including Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, Liverpool city region’s Steve Rotheram, Sheffield city region’s Jarvis, and Jamie Driscoll of North of Tyne – have asked for support under the government’s local furlough scheme to be increased from two-thirds of each employee’s salary – or 67% – to 80% of wages.
The leaders of West Yorkshire councils have also asked the government to continue its current furlough scheme, which they say could support 113,000 jobs.
North-south divide
Over the weekend, the mayors of Greater Manchester, the North of Tyne, and the Sheffield city and Liverpool city regions said the government’s financial package for areas in local lockdown was insufficient, and warned it would cause long-term economic devastation and exacerbate pre-existing regional inequalities.
Burnham said accepting the package, including a reduced furlough scheme and the monthly cash grants for businesses, would “level down and worsen the north-south divide”.
