Not A Single Covid Marshal Has Been Recruited In The Six Areas Hardest-Hit By Coronavirus
Not a single Covid marshal has been recruited in the six areas of England with the highest levels of coronavirus.
In September, Boris Johnson announced that a force of “Covid-secure” marshals would be introduced to ensure social distancing rules were being followed in town and city centres.
But more than a month on, and amid surging levels of Covid-19, councils in the very hardest hit areas have said that a delay in government funds has tied their hands when it comes to recruiting the marshals.
Manchester – 504.5 cases per 100,000 population
Knowsley – 488.7 cases per 100,000 population
Liverpool – 464.0 cases per 100,000 population
Newcastle upon Tyne – 427.4 cases per 100,000 population
Nottingham – 380.6 cases per 100,000 population
Leeds – 311.5 cases per 100,000 population
*Summary data from September 27 to October 3
It was only on Thursday – a full month after the prime minister’s speech – that the government announced £30 million to help cash-strapped councils to cover the cost of the new roles.
Manchester City Council, Leeds City Council and Nottingham City Council are among the local authorities that told HuffPost UK they had been unable to recruit marshals due to the hold-up in funding and lack of any guidance from central government.
“We do not have dedicated Covid marshals,” a spokesperson for Manchester City Council said ahead of the funding announcement. “The reason why is one that’s been well documented across other local authority areas – the government has not made any money available to do so.
“That isn’t to say that we would never be able to get them in place, but until we are given the resources it’s an unlikely prospect.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said they had been unable to hire marshals due to the “current financial challenges”.
Also speaking before the government’s cash pledge, they said: “We do have a range of...
