Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis is for keeping additional covid-19 restrictions on (a) Batley and (b) other parts of Kirklees Council while removing restrictions from other areas in that local authority area.

Local areas have been encouraged to take a new, collaborative approach to advise on the geographical boundaries of local restrictions. Local leaders make proposals to the Gold Local Action committee based on the latest data available. This means restrictions in some areas will only apply to certain wards, rather than the entire local authority area. Following a review of the epidemiological and contextual evidence, and in consideration of the suggestions made by local leaders, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care alongside the Chief Medical Officer and members of the Gold Local Action Committee agreed that rules must remain in place for some areas to protect local residents, and allow more time for the changes to have an effect, cutting transmission among households and businesses.