Laws underpinning West Yorkshire coronavirus restrictions not in place, Government admits

Four days after bans were placed on people from different households meeting in parts of West Yorkshire, east Lancashire, and Greater Manchester - following a spike in coronavirus cases – ministers said the rules were still not in place.

When the changes were announced, officials said new regulations were needed to make them legally enforceable.

And guidance published on Friday stated that it would be against the law for people from different households to meet in a private home or garden – unless they are part of a support bubble – and warned of £100 fines for those who flout the rules.

Officials said the laws were due to be signed off and published later that night.

But on Monday afternoon the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed it was yet to implement laws bringing the rules into force.

It was also unable to confirm a time frame for the legislation to be signed off and implemented other than to say it was expected to take place early this week.

It said it was trying to make the changes legally enforceable as soon as possible but insisted the rules still applied from July 31.

When asked by the PA news agency why there was a delay and on what legal basis the rules were currently being enforced, the department refused to comment.

Police leaders have been issuing guidance to forces on how to enforce restrictions each time a new coronavirus law has been introduced during the pandemic, so officers know the powers available and in what circumstances they can impose fines in a bid to ensure any action taken is fair and proportionate.

But on this occasion, so far this has been unable to happen due to the delay in publishing the laws, it is understood.

The new restrictions apply to Greater Manchester, including the City of Manchester, Trafford, Stockport, Oldham, Bury, Wigan, Bolton, Tameside, Rochdale and Salford.

They also apply to Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale in Lancashire, and Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees in West Yorkshire.

It comes as Keighley MP Robbie Moore said he had been told by Health Secretary Matt Hancock that he would address the geographical areas covered by the restrictions.

In a video posted on Twitter, Mr Moore said his constituency was included in the local restrictions because it fell under the Bradford local authority area, but in some parts there had been zero cases recorded in some days.

He said he shared constituents' frustrations and that "we have been working incredibly hard to keep our transmission rates as low as possible and indeed across many parts of the constituency we are seeing no new Covid cases coming through".

He said: "The decision for the whole constituency to be included within these new restrictions was made by Bradford Council but signed off by Government and I am now having regular conversations with our Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock, who has assured me that he'll be reviewing the situation within a week's time because I want to see restrictions much more localised geographically so that places within the constituency that are not exposed to high transmission rates can be excluded."

During the election Mr Moore said he wished to remove Keighley from the Bradford local authority area.

Similar restrictions will also apply to Leicester, which saw the first so-called “local lockdown” imposed on June 29.

Mr Hancock announced the decision in a series of tweets on Thursday after there had been an increasing rate of transmission in parts of Northern England.

Muslims celebrating Eid in the affected areas were urged not to host or visit friends and family in each other’s homes or gardens and not to meet friends and family in other venues – including restaurants or cafes.

The Government faced criticism for unveiling the new restrictions late at night and just hours before they came into force, with some saying this prompted confusion in the communities affected.

While supportive of the measures, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC on Friday he had concerns about the way they were announced and said the lack of immediate detail was “disorientating” for the public.