District leader defends Tier 2 lockdown decision for Bassetlaw

The leader told how during a meeting with Nottinghamshire County Council leader Kay Cutts on Tuesday last week he and other district council leaders were told ‘in clear terms’ the whole of Nottinghamshire was at risk of an acceleration in virus cases.

It was announced yesterday (Monday) that the district will be under ‘high alert’ lockdown restriction as of Wednesday - meaning a ban on households mixing indoors in any setting.

Non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants will remain open - although under the same rules regarding people from different households.

The new rules came into place as Nottingham city’s infection rate was recorded as the highest in the country - with 2,777 new COVID-19 cases in the seven days to 9 October.

However Bassetlaw recorded just 121 new cases over the same period.

Reacting to the lockdown news Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said he was ‘disappointed’ council leaders in Bassetlaw, Mansfield and Ashfield failed to support his campaign to ‘push back’ against the new lockdown.

Speaking about the decision he said it was ‘ridiculous’ that the district - which has an infection rate ‘ten times lower’ than Nottingham city - should have the same restrictions.

He said: “Our rate has been consistently lower and Bassetlaw is well over an hour from Nottingham.”

“Pubs are already struggling with the 10pm curfew and drinking outside in beer gardens isn’t really viable in October.”

Brendan told how many landlords he had spoken to would have preferred to be placed in the more severe Tier 3 and close - attracting more financial help from the Government.

Reacting to the restrictions on Twitter Brendan wrote: “Our rates are much lower and I don’t believe it’s right at this moment in time.”

Nottinghamshire County Council leader Kay Cutts said on Newsnight on Monday that the leaders of all district councils had agreed they should be included in the Tier 2 restrictions.

However speaking to Worksop Guardian after Monday’s announcement Simon said: “The truth is that the reality of the data presented to us by public health directors showed the picture for Bassetlaw was increasingly-alarming.

"It was clear that the decision had already been taken by the Government and these measures were going to be introduced.

“Public health officials have been left on the back foot by after Covid data was lost last week and there’s a huge concern that there will be an acceleration in the rate of infection four weeks from now.”

However Simon added he was ‘appalled’ that Brendan was ‘trying to deflect’ on a public health issue – after already having been briefed that the new measures would apply ‘across Nottinghamshire’.

He added: “People must now ‘act together to save lives”.

The Bassetlaw leader claims the ‘acceleration’ in cases has been caused by failures at a national level - after news emerged last week that nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases went unreported.

He said: “It’s clear the Government is trying to perform a balancing act but it’s also clear the rate of infection is accelerating.”

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