Getting on top of the COVID-19 spike in Leicester and protecting public health must be our first priority. I am extremely concerned about children missing school, local businesses, and jobs, but if we don’t bring infection rates down it will be worse for us all in the long run.

We can and we will beat this virus by working together. That is why I urge the Government to ensure Leicester gets all the resources needed, including more testing kits & facilities, promoting health messages in all languages, and more inspections and support in workplaces, if that is required.

Lessons must also be learnt from the handling of Leicester’s spike. The Government was too slow in giving the Council even the most basic postcode data, which is essential to tackling the problem, and over the last few days there have been off the record briefings leaving people anxious & confused.

These issues must be addressed. Because this won’t be the last local outbreak, and we need a faster and clearer strategy to grip problems and ensure we keep everyone healthy and safe.