Fuming Mansfield and Bassetlaw residents brand decision to 'lump in' areas with Nottingham Tier 2 HIGH lockdown 'abject slap in the face'

The ‘uniform approach’ has seen the new restrictions, imposed in light of Nottingham’s seven-day infection rate which is the highest in the country, extend to the rest of the county where rates are considerably lower.

The decision was met with anger by residents along with Mansfield MP Ben Bradley, Ashfield MP Lee Anderson and Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith who called on council leaders not to merge the towns into a high level lockdown.

Couple Chris and Verna Stansfield, who live in Mansfield, branded the move ‘unacceptable’ and an ‘abject slap in the face’.

“We are both really annoyed and disgusted that Nottinghamshire County Council has included Mansfield and Bassetlaw in Tier 2,” they told the Chad.

"There is no scientific justification for this with outbreaks at around 80 per 100,000 and static.

"Nottingham City is now over 880 and rising. So how can anybody justify putting these together?

"There is no scientific basis for this, these areas have been following the rules and business and hospitality are gradually improving as well as people’s wellbeing.

“Nottingham will rule and the rest will suffer. Nottingham City should actually be in Tier 3.”

Barrie Shepherd, from the Bassetlaw area, said the decision to place the entirety of Nottinghamshire under Tier 2 lockdown was ‘unfair’.

He accused Nottinghamshire County Council of backing the move and viewing Bassetlaw as “a few voters' up north of Mansfield”.

“For sure the virus needs to be controlled and we all have a role to play,” said Mr Shepherd.

"Loss of freedom should be a short term penalty - but it needs to be implemented fairly and equitably. This decision has not been.

"Nottinghamshire is around the same size as Greater London with a considerably lower population and Covid case data but no areas of Greater London have been placed in Tier 2 restrictions - ask yourself why is this?”

MP for Mansfield, Ben Bradley, said he could ‘absolutely understand’ residents’ ‘worries and frustrations’ about the newly-imposed lockdown.

"I argued all last week that Mansfield should have been treated separately from the City, where figures have spiralled out of control,” said the MP.

“Our numbers are rising, but at the minute are only just more than 10 per cent of those in Nottingham itself.

“But, unfortunately, the public health officials said on Monday that these were to be Nottinghamshire-wide restrictions.

Mr Bradley added that he would ask the Prime Minister to ensure that Mansfield is not permanently linked to Nottingham’s figures and that the area can be regularly reviewed.

Worksop MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said he felt ‘let down’ by the decision, adding: “You only have to look over the border to Derbyshire to see that it is perfectly possible to have restrictions on a district by district basis.

“Nottingham was close to going into tier three restrictions, which nobody would suggest needs to be applied to Bassetlaw too, so by the same logic why do we need to have the same Tier Two restrictions?”

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