Tier 3 restrictions in Greater Manchester close the region's betting shops
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Oct 22, 2020
The prime minister said: "Despite the failure to reach an agreement I hope the mayor and council leaders in Greater Manchester will now work with us to implement these measures".
In a joint statement yesterday, Mayor Burnham and Sir Richard said they had written to the Prime Minister reiterating their willingness to continue to work towards an agreement but reminding him that Greater Manchester has been in Tier 2 style restrictions for nearly three months.
Mr Johnson said Greater Manchester has had £160m of extra funding. The former Opposition Labour Party MP added he was still willing to do a deal with the government "but it can not be on the terms the government has offered today". "But as a government, we have to act with fairness and be proportionate to what we're doing elsewhere in the country", he added.
After several days of negotiations between local leaders and Downing Street, Greater Manchester has become the latest city to enter a tier 3 lockdown, forcing betting shops and casinos across the region to close their doors.
In a statement, Jenrick accused Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has been holding out for greater financial support for the local economy, of being "unwilling to take the action that is required to get the spread of the virus under control".
The government reportedly stated that their offer of £60 million for the region was non-negotiable, thus leaving the decisions to break down. London was placed in Tier 2 (high alert), on 17 October.
Different households will be banned from mixing indoors and outdoors, including in private gardens.
The measures impact 1,031 pubs in the Liverpool City Region, 1,127 across Lancashire and now, 1,809 in Greater Manchester.
The UK's Department of Health and Social Care on 19 October confirmed that the country's official case total and death toll now sit at 741,212 and 43,726, respectively.
Mr Burnham said politicians in Greater Manchester had originally wanted £90m - £15m a month until the end of the financial year - to protect the incomes of people affected by business closures. While Northern Ireland is already under strict measures with a circuit breaker lockdown for four weeks starting last Friday, Wales went into its firebreak lockdown for two weeks this week and Scotland continues to draw up plans for a three-tier framework of restrictions, similar to England's.
The calls for financial support have been backed by the BGC and industry leadership, who have repeatedly urged the United Kingdom government to adopt a package of financial measures to help businesses through the Autumn and Winter seasons.
Addressing the people of Greater Manchester, Burnham said: "Please, everybody, observe the law at all times and follow the public health advice".