They kept that quiet

The leader of Bolton council has just been on the radio saying no new restrictions apply to Bolton, nothing has changed, it's an absolute mess.

EllanVannin

Do people have to have it spelled out now ?

It appears the government chose to EllanVannin and forgot to tell anyone they were doing it.

Chestnut

I don't really know why people would want to travel overseas during a pandemic. They should go home and stay in their own country. A holiday is not a good enough reason for travelling between countries, it increases risk of spreading.

My mistake, I read it quickly and thought it referred to international travel.

wrt do people have to have it spelled out to them

There is a surge test centre on a garden centre car park, is the garden centre still open?

EllanVannin

Do people have to have it spelled out now ?

Yes, if they are being told one thing one minute and another the next.

A friend of mine has booked a short break (UK, and nowhere near other people, before you tell her that you wouldn't be doing it) during half term, and has only today found that people in her area may be being advised not to travel. Of course it's fine to do so to work or for education, or to mix freely within the area, so not a real lockdown.

She has taken time off work, has three young children who were looking forward to going away. She has not been irresponsible in any way. The figures in her area have been rising, but all the spokespeople have concentrated on praising the vaccine programme instead of giving out sensible information.

My friend is an intelligent woman who does not need things to be 'spelled out'. She does, however, need to be told how the situation is developing in order to be able to make decisions, travel arrangements and so on.

Local authorities shouldn't have to rely on reading about restrictions in the media. They should have been informed formally and the situation discussed.

Thank you for that information Daisymae, I live in the north west and though I’m not in the affected areas I do visit them or travel through them from time to time. This could and should have been communicated far more effectively.

In any kind of organisation/hierarchy, people should be informed of changes formally. They shouldn't have to read about the changes in the paper or see it on the news.

What's happened in Bolton isn't unexpected and, by now, there really is no excuse for not having communication strategies in place.

Well, I’ve checked my information emailed by the Government and there it is. As plain as a pikestaff! I didn’t 5hink I’d imagined it.

The relevant Boroughs are named individually and the information on restrictions laid out plainly.

It’s a formal communication direct from Government

So are these Boroughs saying they haven’t signed up to all that formal communication that’s been coming every day. Or is it that they haven’t designated someone to monitor it over the weekend?

Surely they need to bear some responsibility for actually reading what is put out there.

There are obvious major implications here for businesses as well as individuals. The news has been focussing on the relaxation of the rules, here we have a complete turn around. Talk about say one thing and do another.

I agree Peasblossom unfortunately it’s easier to blame Westminster as opposed to the relevant Councillors reading and passing on the information.

Hounslow is not beside Gatwick Airport, I think you mean it's near Heathrow PippaZ

Peasblossom

Well, I’ve checked my information emailed by the Government and there it is. As plain as a pikestaff! I didn’t 5hink I’d imagined it.

The relevant Boroughs are named individually and the information on restrictions laid out plainly.

It’s a formal communication direct from Government

So are these Boroughs saying they haven’t signed up to all that formal communication that’s been coming every day. Or is it that they haven’t designated someone to monitor it over the weekend?

Surely they need to bear some responsibility for actually reading what is put out there.

Were the relevant Local Authorities actually on the circulation list, Peasblossom?

If I were running an LA I wouldn't expect to get my government information from a general mailing list. Mixed in with other information, too.

GrannyGravy13

I agree Peasblossom unfortunately it’s easier to blame Westminster as opposed to the relevant Councillors reading and passing on the information.

You know, I absolutely to refuse to believe that absolutely every-one at LA level missed the information that Peasblossom saw , IF they were getting the same mailings.

I very strongly suspect that they were getting information through a different channel.

Well, I imagine all businesses have been signed up to these communications, since that’s how the information on getting grants etc has been communicated. So it was there for them to see too.

It was there for everyone to see. My son, who has a business, in one of these areas read it. The implications were one of the things we talked about when we had our Sunday conversation.

Honestly if Hane Bloggs (me) can be bothered to cast a glance daily to see if there’s anything that affects me, don’t you think Councils should be doing the same. Specially if they’re in surge areas. Will an email with their Borough name on it not be enough?

To complain about a turnaround seems a bit weird too. Don’t you want measures to contain a surge. Should things just continue to relax?

MaizieD I wouldn’t expect any thing less from you.

As a SME the information sent out by our local council is a copy of what comes out of central government that I receive as a private citizen.

It’s the official list of all directives that are issued on a daily basis. They made them all public in the name of transparency. But it is the official communication not a different one.

Actually, because it was issued on Friday night, I expect nobody read it till Monday morning.

It is a bit more complicated then just boroughs though isn't it? Wixams and Elstow for example border on a neighbouring borough and people may work/shop/go to school in either and afaik pubs/cafes etc are still open. That's why I asked if the garden centre they are testing on is open?

They had to shut a vaccination centre here to walk ins as so many people turned up this morning.

Peasblossom

Actually, because it was issued on Friday night, I expect nobody read it till Monday morning.

Well that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest

But you can’t say it wasn’t issued, because there it is?

Someone most probably tried to phone the 0300 number and couldn't get the automated system to understand them, 'who do you want to speak to?'
<clearly> MR JOHN SMITH
<automated system 'you want to speak to Claire Smart, is that correct?'
<clearly> NO, IWANT TO SPEAK TO JOHN SMITH
<automated system> putting you through to Ronald Mcdonald <ring ring>

Sorry, but I do not agree that local councils should have to rely on the communications sent out to local businesses and the public.

At the very least, they should have been informed a few hours in advance, so that they could get their own communications up to speed.

It really doesn't take much to pick up a phone (remember them?) and make sure that a message gets through to the person or people in charge.

So the government decided to send inform the areas, with high levels of the First Found In India Variant, of the changes in policy via a general public vehicle on a Friday, when most people in the council would be elsewhere for two days but issued a press release, which put a positive slant in their favour, on a Saturday evening primed for the Sunday papers, with enough ministers around to big it up on the Sunday tv shows.

I'm not sure why anyone should be surprised. They have been using these sleights of hand ever since the first criticism of their slowness to act was countered by a 2,000 word blog tweeted out by Cabinet Ministers. Just wait for a while and they will be back with "we were just following the science" and "‘we have taken the right steps at the right time." The questions are: What science and have you because, of course, the are actually, and have been all the way through, politicians decisions for political reasons.

They are all Labour councils too aren't they? It may be a coincidence but I noticed earlier when I was watching politics today