Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle council leaders say local lockdowns are not working
In a letter addressed to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool leaders warned that they would not support any further lockdowns.
Leaders in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle have joined forces in an attempt to stop “counter-productive” local lockdowns – claiming they do not support the implementation of further economic restrictions in their cities.
The four northern regions are among some of the worst-hit in the country by coronavirus – with the government placing each under tighter measures in an attempt to control spiralling infection rates.
Manchester has had an ‘indoor ban‘ in place since July.
But as cases continue to rise, council leaders have called on the government to change their approach – arguing that “local lockdowns are not working”.
Leeds
In a joint letter addressed to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Leeds’ Judith Blake, Manchester’s Sir Richard Leese, Newcastle’s Nick Forbes and Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson also warned that they would not support any further “economic lockdowns.”
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Instead, the council leaders are calling for a more robust, localised test and trace system – as well as additional powers to punish those who break rules.
“The existing restrictions are not working, confusing for the public and some, like the 10pm rule, are counter-productive,” the letter states.
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“We want to be clear we do not support further economic lockdowns.”
The five-point plan proposed by the “extremely concerned” leaders includes:
Local decision-making to agree additional lockdowns before they happen and additional powers to take immediate action on non-compliance, for example closing premises.
A locally controlled Test and Trace system that is sensitive to local knowledge and needs of communities.
An improved Business Compensation Package to support those most affected.
Financial support for everyone who needs to self-isolate.
Improved monitoring of the impacts of the additional restrictions that have recently been put in place to understand their effect on COVID-19 rates
The latest figures show that the North West of England has suffered more than any other area of the UK since the pandemic began – with over 106,000 residents testing positive for COVID-19.
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Manchester currently has the highest infection rate in the country – registering 561.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Rishi Sunak, who is under fire from the hospitality sector for persisting with the 10pm curfew, has said it is too early to determine the effectiveness of the local lockdowns and enhanced restrictions.
“You need to give things a little bit of time to see how they work,” the Chancellor told ITV.
“It’s too early to tell… we need to watch and see how the numbers evolve.”
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Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport
Emily Sergeant
A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.
Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.
At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.
Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.
He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.
#JAILED | A man who deliberately drove into a police officer in Stockport has been jailed.
Harvey Bell (12/08/2005) has been sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute and was disqualified from driving for two years.
— Stockport Police (GMP) (@GMPStockport) June 4, 2025
Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.
The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.
“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.
“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”
She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.
“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”
Featured Image – GMP
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IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site
Emily Sergeant
It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.
The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.
The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.
IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.
IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.
Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.
IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.
Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.
The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)
In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.
“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.
“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”
Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester.
Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.
The Manc -
7th October 2020 
