Following the conclusion of several days of discussions between local leaders and the government, Greater Manchester has become the first region to have the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions imposed.
The lockdown measures, which come into force at 00:01am on Friday, will see betting shops, casinos, bingo halls, adult gaming centres, and soft play areas close, alongside all pubs and bars unless they are serving substantial meals.
Those concerned must also not socialise with anybody they do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, in any indoor setting or in any private garden, or in a group of more than 6 in an outdoor public spaces, as well as being urged to avoid travelling outside the very-high alert level and staying overnight in other parts of the UK.
The decision to impose the highest level of restrictions upon the area, which will take effect across all parts of Greater Manchester: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, came after discussions over financial support for local businesses and changes to the furlough scheme broke down.
As a result it is expected that 400 betting shops and 12 casinos that employ 3,000 people will be forced to close their doors. The Betting and Gaming Council has previously estimated that these businesses contribute £80m per year in tax, while betting shops pay in the region of £12.5m in the form of levy and media rights payments.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has been locked in intense discussions with government ministers for the last nine days. The Labour mayor has vehemently opposed the government’s decision to offer a 67 per cent furlough scheme, which both himself and representatives of the hospitality and leisure industries fear will hit those on lower wages the hardest.
Speaking outside Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, Burnham said: “Is this a game of poker with people’s lives? Are the government trying to put pressure on people to take as little as they can possibly get away with?
“Let’s be clear who is most affected by a Tier 3 lockdown – it is people working in pubs, in bookies, driving taxis. People too often forgotten by those in power.”
Burnham also emphasised that tighter measures ‘would be certain to increase levels of poverty, homelessness and hardship’, adding that government ministers had ‘walked away’ from negotiations over aid earlier that day after the mayor tabled a request for £65m to be used as a business bailout package for the city to enter a Tier 3 lockdown.
The government reportedly stated that their offer of £60m for the region was non-negotiable, thus leaving the decisions to break down.
The calls for financial support have been backed by the BGC and industry leadership, who have repeatedly urged the UK government to adopt a package of financial measures to help businesses through the Autumn and Winter seasons.
