COUNCILS now have the power to create local lockdowns in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.
The change in policy was announced by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, at a press conference held on Friday, July 17.
He said: “From (Saturday, July 18), local authorities will have new powers in their areas. They will be able to close specific premises, shut public outdoor spaces, and cancel events. These powers will enable local authorities to act more quickly in response to outbreaks, where speed is paramount.”
And central Government would also be able to intervene if it felt it necessary.
“Where justified by the evidence, ministers will be able to close whole sectors or types of premises in an area, introduce local ‘stay at home’ orders, prevent people entering or leaving defined areas, reduce the maximum size of gatherings beyond national rules, or restrict transport systems serving local areas,” Johnson said.
Wokingham Borough Council leader Cllr John Halsall gave a cautious welcome to the news, saying that these powers would have been helpful at the height of the lockdown and that he hadn’t had all the details made available to him.
“We don’t know what (the announcement) means yet,” he told Wokingham.Today. “I have every sympathy with the Government as we are in uncharted territory.
“The Government is learning the course of events at the same time as the public do, and as soon as the public know, they have an expectation that something should happen. For example, with leisure centres, we know that the Government has promised to help, but we don’t know what that means.”
The Local Government Association welcomed the announcement from Downing Street, saying the councils know their local communities better than central government does.
“Locally-led responses have proven to be the best way to tackle significant outbreaks, which this framework rightly emphasises,” Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said.
“Greater powers for councils to take swift and effective action to address local outbreaks will hopefully help avoid the need for more stringent measures to be imposed locally.
“Managing local Covid-19 outbreaks will always need to build on the consent of local communities and an effective system of tracing and testing. The use of enforcement powers should be an option of last resort where individuals or organisations are unable, unwilling or opposed to taking actions that reduce the spread of this virus.”
