Pressure mounting on Kirklees Council to make unaffected areas exempt from Covid restrictions

Conservative MPs Mark Eastwood and Jason McCartney have called for an urgent meeting with Council Leader Shabir Pandor and Chief Executive Jacqui Gedman to identify a “consensual view” of the Covid-19 situation in the borough.

They want that to be presented to a silver meeting of the Government’s Joint Biosecurity Centre in London on Wednesday prior to being taken to a gold meeting chaired by Health

Secretary Matt Hancock and Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty on Thursday for consideration.

However no timescale for a local meeting has been given, and there are fears that time is running out for the opportunity to relax restrictions in some parts of the borough.

Councillor Pandor said he was aiming to come to a consensus over which places in the borough should still be under restrictions and which should not.

He added: “We’ll be having conversations with our political leaders so we can tackle this together in the best possible way for local people and I remain optimistic we’ll work through this.”

One council source said concerns over community tensions could force the Government to act if no consensus was forthcoming.

The individual, who asked not to be named, said applying special restrictions to the whole of Kirklees was a mistake.

They said: “I think the Government will force the council to do something.

“Local Conservative MPs have been applying pressure on the Government, and there’s the same situation in Bradford where places like Ilkley and parts of Shipley are affected by restrictions but infection rates are low or non-existent.

“Those large rural areas are miles away from infection, yet they’re in lockdown. Why are they subject to the same restrictions?

“I know that there has been concerted pressure brought to bear on the Government to do something.

“Keeping areas in lockdown where there is no evidence of increased levels of Covid-19 to provide cover for other areas is going to increase the feeling of ‘us and them’.

“That creates community tensions. Saying we’re all in it together – a ‘One Kirklees’ approach – is a mistake.”

The Government announced last week that it was introducing a new method of targeting local authorities, which could see parts of Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford where Covid-19 is less prevalent exempted from restrictions.

Mr McCartney, MP for Colne Valley, said the next 48 hours were crucial.

“We have got today and tomorrow to work on which recommendations we can put forward.

“We need to deal with areas where there are cases and look to ease the restrictions where there are no cases.

“That’s what my constituents want.

“The Secretary of State has given us an excellent opportunity here. We need to get cracking.”

He was backed by party colleague Mark Eastwood, who represents Dewsbury.

He said: “I have written to Clr Pandor requesting an urgent meeting this week, and he has agreed.

“We all want the whole of Kirklees to come out of restrictions but the data over the last two weeks has shown a gradual increase [in infection rates]. That suggests it’s unlikely that Kirklees will come out as a whole.

“We need to come to a consensus on certain areas that could be released. I hope that the council will cooperate.”

Leader of the Conservative group on Kirklees Council, Coun David Hall, has previously called for the authority to implement special restrictions at postcode level based on low infection rates.

He said: “We will be pressing the council to take up this offer.

“What resources the council has need to be highly concentrated in those areas of highest infection, for the sake of those residents and for the reassurance of the general public.”

He added: “I will work with the other local parties to try and achieve this, and I hope that such an approach will give this virus a short, sharp shock, in time for schools reopening in a fortnight.”

The Government expects local leadership to seek consensus between councils and local MPs and to recommend the appropriate geography that fits local travel patterns, work and social behaviours for restrictions to be active in.

Areas within the local authority where coronavirus is less prevalent are expected to be exempt from any restrictions.

Mr Hancock and Professor Whitty will make a final decision on Thursday based on the local recommendation, or recommendations if consensus cannot be reached.