LEADERS of the West Yorkshire Councils that are under stricter lockdown measures have called for these areas to be brought in line with the rest of the UK - and the Government to instead invest in local measures to stop Covid-19 spreading.

Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale have been under stricter lockdown measures since late July - meaning people from different households cannot meet in homes or gardens.

And in Bradford gyms and other indoor fitness centres remain shut.

It was a response to high Covid 19 infection rates in these districts.

There have been calls by some local politicians and MPs for these measures to be altered. Instead of blanket measures across the entire district, they argue that tougher measures should only be imposed on areas where infection rates are high.

Today Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe and Calderdale Leader Councillor Tim Swift released a statement referring to the calls.

It said: "Our infection rates have come down significantly this week although they are still high.

"Over the last few months and weeks we, as Leaders, have taken difficult decisions and directed significant resource in our councils to make this happen. However throughout this time Government messaging has been confused and bungled.

"The latest shift in Government messaging that happened last week was that they inferred they wanted to see more localised restrictions, varying them ward by ward rather than by local authority areas.

"To add to the confusion Government want to review and change these place by place weekly leading to inconsistency in restrictions across the North.

Philip Davies MP angry Shipley included in Bradford lockdown

"In the latest guidance from Government there is a presumption that wards with a low number of cases will start to revert to the national restrictions this week. Adding and subtracting restrictions ward by ward makes the already confused local regulations almost impossible to understand for residents so it begs the question whether restrictions across partial geography can be of any use at all.

"On top of this, people’s patience is wearing thin with the confusion.

"They need to know that the restrictions are fair otherwise they won’t keep to them.

"We all know that there are wider health impacts that the restrictions are causing such as mental illness, and economic hardship that can have an equally detrimental impact and people are naturally now questioning the Government’s approach.

"We as local leaders have to have a national framework to operate within which works. As well as the confusion for members of the public, services are not delivered ward by ward.

"Police, environmental health, enforcement officers and others all work to a common regulatory framework across the local authority.

"To avoid all these pitfalls brought in by the latest Government direction, we think that Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees should join the rest of the UK in the national level of restrictions, the messaging would be clearer for the public and we’d stand a better chance of people complying.

"But going down this route also means Government needs to give us the resources and tools to ramp up our activity locally."

They go on to ask the Government to fund a local test and trace system, which would cost around £2 million a year in Bradford, provide more home testing kits and provide financial support for people on zero hours contracts.

The letter also urges the Government not to change lockdown rules week by week.

And referring to imposing different lockdown rules on neighbouring wards, they add: "Different restrictions ward by ward and place by place decided by Tory backbench MPs undermines local council leadership and is no way to lead a nation through a national pandemic."

In response to the statement, Shipley MP Philip Davies, who has called for his constituency to be exempt from any stricter lockdown measures, said: "“This confirms clearly that the Labour Council in Bradford believes that the Shipley constituency should remain in a local lockdown - even though the level of cases don’t justify it - for as long as other parts of the Bradford district with much higher rates remain in the local lockdown.

“This local lockdown is affecting the livelihoods and businesses of my constituents - and all because the Labour leadership in Bradford can’t bear to see different parts of the district treated differently.

“This shows the utter contempt the Labour Party and Council have for the Shipley constituency and will be something that will not be forgotten for a long time.

“This is why it is so urgent that the Shipley and Keighley constituencies breakaway from Bradford Council and form our own truly local authority where our needs are prioritised.

“I continue to do all I can to ensure all wards in my constituency are removed from the local lockdown ASAP as there is no good reason for them to be included in it. It is just a shame the Labour Party continue to put Bradford politics ahead of the interests of the Shipley constituency”.

Bradford Council has also today released a statement saying any restrictions would have to apply to the whole district, but argue that the restrictions should be no different than in the rest of the country.

It said: "Last Friday the Government announced that each week local authorities in an area of national intervention, such as Bradford District, would be required to bring a combined proposal which has been developed in conjunction with the local cross-party council leadership and MPs.

"This proposal would recommend the appropriate geography which fits local travel patterns, work and social behaviours for restrictions to be active in.

"This proposal would then be submitted to the Joint Biodiversity Centre (JBC) Silver meeting, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), on Wednesday, for a decision at the JBC Gold meeting, chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary with the CMO, on Thursday."

A Bradford Council spokesperson added: “Having reviewed the data, which shows a decrease in infection rates this week, and consulted widely with partners through the Outbreak Management Board, Group Leaders and the district’s five MPs, the Council’s view is that any restrictions which apply should apply to the whole district.

“We wish to move to national restrictions, to reopen gyms and to be effectively supported to ramp up testing and contact tracing and to target deep community engagement in wards of greatest concern.

“The view in the Outbreak Management Board was that restrictions should apply to the whole district in acknowledgement of the high levels of interdependence within the district in terms of travel to work areas; school, college and university catchments; acute and secondary care catchments; and use of various facilities across the district.

“The board also felt there was potential for disproportionate and further confusion, and potential for perceived unfairness, which might lower compliance levels. Geographical differences would be impossible to enforce and would distract attention from core activity of comprehensive local testing and contact tracing.

“Group Leaders agreed that the whole district should revert to national restrictions and that sports facilities should be allowed to reopen.

"This would allow for all energies to be concentrated on deep targeted engagement with communities on social distancing, hand hygiene and mask wearing, supporting businesses with COVID secure operation, and increasing comprehensive local testing and contact tracing.

“All five MPs expressed their concern about ongoing levels of infection and the need for targeted work and were very clear about what was best for their respective constituencies.

“We will now wait for the Government to consider the local leadership’s view and make its decision about future restrictions in the Bradford district.”

The Government has been contacted for a response.