The negotiations have not concluded.
It’s been reported that Greater Manchester has ‘refused’ to go into a Tier 3 lockdown this morning, with a conclusion to this morning’s government negotiations now postponed.
Health Officials reportedly agreed just last night that the region should be placed on the ‘Very High’ risk alert level alongside Merseyside, however, Mayor Andy Burnham and a number of council officials for Greater Manchester remain united in declining any further restrictions without additional funding. The Treasury has reportedly declined the request for extra funding.
"No conclusion has been made yet about putting Greater Manchester under Tier 3 lockdown… it has been postponed" says Sky's @BethRigby.
Read the latest here: https://t.co/Ln5UnaOmJ3 pic.twitter.com/m8PzGlONab
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 15, 2020
In a statement to the public earlier this week, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority – which includes Andy Burnham and Sir Richard Leese – said: “We are also clear that, alongside managing the virus, we need to protect people’s jobs and businesses. We will not let Greater Manchester be levelled down by this pandemic and the response to it.”
The statement also outlined the reasons the Council does not believe Manchester should be subject to tier three restrictions, saying “we believe the Tier 3 proposal is fundamentally flawed”.
Adding: “If the Government pursues its current strategy, we believe it will leave large parts of the North of England trapped in Tier 3 for much of the winter with all the damage that will do. If cases continue to rise as predicted, and the Government continues to refuse to provide the substantial economic support that Tier 3 areas will need, then a number of Leaders in Greater Manchester believe a national circuit break, with the required financial support would be a preferable option. This would create the conditions for a re-set of the Test and Trace service into a more locally-controlled operation which, with cases driven down to a lower level, would be more likely to succeed.”
Nighttime Economy Advisor Sacha Lord outlined his concerns earlier this week when speaking to Good Morning Britain, saying: “When the UK went down into national lockdown, it was 80% furlough. But now, if you live in the North and work in hospitality, you’ll see 67%. I mean, it doesn’t make sense. It’s not fair. And for us and for many, many other operators, it feels reckless and like we’re thrown under the bus.”
Further meetings are set to take place on the matter today, with no further statement given by Mayor Andy Burnham just yet.