Leeds council leader calls for more clarity from Boris Johnson

It follows the televised public address by the Prime Minister on Sunday evening, and a speech in the commons on Monday, which set out rules

Coun Judith Blake added that Mr Johnson’s advice for people to favour travelling to work by car over public transport was ‘difficult’, but added work was being done to make buses and trains safe to use.

Speaking at an online press conference, Coun Blake said: “My response to the Prime Minister’s announcements is that there was a lack of clarity in what the messaging was saying.

“In common with other local authorities, we were very struck that the stay at home and stay safe message is one that was clearly understood.

“We are trying to make it clear from our perspective. What is difficult in these circumstances is when [councils] get announcements through the briefings late on an afternoon, or in this case on an evening, without the guidance attached to it.

“It makes it difficult for us to immediately respond because we don’t know the detail, we don’t know the implications and we don’t know how it will be worked through.

“We will pick a practical view of these matters. The strongest message that we can all give out as local authorities is staying safe.”

As part of advice from the Prime Minister, it was suggested that those who cannot work from home be ‘encouraged’ to return to work, but advised people to walk, cycle or use a car to commute if possible.

Coun Blake added: “The message on people travelling in cars has been a difficult one to accept. The day before, [transport secretary] Grant Shapps emphasised the desire for the government to get more people to walk and cycle more.

“That fits with what we are doing in the city to reduce the dependency on the car, but I think we have to be realistic – we are working with bus and rail operators making sure that we can run safe public transport services.

“One of the things we are not clear on yet is what the demand will be. We know offices coming back where people have been working from home – where they put in the social distancing, there will be a dramatic reduction in the number of staff they can have in a building at any one time.

“We need to come up with a way of managing how our public transport systems work, so we can encourage as many people as possible to encourage safe travel.”