A COUNCILLOR in the running for the West Yorkshire Mayor role has compared the Government's local lockdown approach to the 'hokey cokey'.

From Tuesday, September 22, the whole of Bradford will be brought back under the same local restrictions following four weeks of relative normality for nine of the district's wards.

The Government's decision to lift restrictions in those select areas was widely criticised and partly blamed for a high infection rate earlier this week by Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, the leader of Bradford Council. 

"Some of the places which have been taken out of local restrictions are now amongst the highest infected in the district – notably Silsden, Steeton, Bingley, Shipley and Windhill," she said.

"I worry that coming out of local restrictions has given people in these places a false sense of security."

Following today's announcement councillor Andrew Cooper, the Green Party's West Yorkshire Mayoral Candidate, has pleaded that changes should now be done on a national basis and "communicated in a much better fashion than they are now".

He has also criticised the Government's current track and trace system and the public's low usage of facemasks in public.

Cllr Cooper said: "This Hokey Cokey method of taking some areas in and out of local lockdowns is not working. If we make changes they should be done on a national basis and communicated in a much better fashion than they are now.

“People are already confused with the ever-changing rules and the reasons behind them. There is a real concern that if we keep chopping and changing the rules from one week to the next that people will stop paying attention.

“Even today, the news has been a drop feed of changes rather than a single announcement.

“What we need is better observance of national restrictions such as social distancing and use of facemasks in public transport and in shops.

"We have been promised again and again a world beating track and trace system instead we have an expensive shamble.”