MP claims Leeds Council is ‘at breaking point’ due to Covid

It follows the announcement on Monday that Leeds would be placed into “tier 2” of the UK’s new lockdown rules, which forbids different households from meeting indoors.

Leeds City Council is currently facing a £119m budget shortfall for next year, partly due to extra costs and lost revenue from Covid-19, and has begun drawing up lists of services it may have to cut to make ends meet.

And, while Leeds City Council has said it will continue its discussions with the Government, Leeds North West MP Alex Sobel (Lab) has called for extra cash to compensate both the authority and local businesses.

He said: “Whilst I welcome any further restrictions to control the increase in the spread of Covid-19, the restrictions imposed need to be full-funded by the Government to ensure that our businesses and jobs are not lost and that councils across the country are full-funded, to ensure they are able to cope with the increased demand on their services.

“Sadly, this is not the case, not only is the recovery fund inadequate but we now know that the Government are no longer following the science and that the imposed local lockdown measures of the Governments three tier system appear not to go far enough to get the R number below one according to the Sage scientists.”

Mr Sobel said the hospitality and nighttime sector played a vital role in the city’s economy, and that any loss in income would need to be compensated by the Government.

He added: “Our council is at breaking point, now having to make harsh decisions on what services will be cut due to a deficit of £120m from central government. Within my own constituency of Leeds North West, it would appear that they may include Yeadon Sailing Centre and the household recycling centre in Otley.

“It is imperative that the Government step up to the mark and provide the necessary restrictions based on the science to protect lives, along with a fully supportive financial recovery package that saves businesses, jobs and our councils from having to cut or close vital services within the community. The impact of getting this wrong will be astronomical to our city.”

Leeds City Council released a statement earlier today claiming discussions with Government would be “continuing towards the end of this week”.

Morley and Outwood MP Andrea Jenkyns defended the Government, claiming Boris Johnson’s administration was doing all it could to help local authorities and individuals.

She said: “The Government has the difficult task to protect both lives and livelihoods. With the sharp rise in the number of Covid patients in Leeds, West Yorkshire and across the country, the Government is taking the hard decision to act now to control the spread of the virus and protect the NHS.

“The protection of jobs in local businesses legally required to close is my priority and so I welcome the introduction of new wage support measures. The Government will cover two-thirds of the usual wage of employees, which will help many struggling families.

“We want to keep the virus numbers low in our area and, having recently suffered the death of a friend for Covid, I know it can be fatal for anybody. We need to avoid the virus getting out of control and overwhelm our local hospitals and the aim of the three-tiers system is to do that without shutting down the economy.”