The people of Leicester have sadly suffered the longest lockdown of anywhere in the UK throughout this pandemic, remaining in a long and devastating lockdown whilst other parts of the country resumed normality for long periods last year.
From the City Mayor breaking lockdown rules to factories with illegal work practices, news headlines have lifted the lid on the complete and utter failure of the Labour Council and all the organisations that were supposed to be there to help keep Leicester citizens safe.
The lack of information and support has also let down many local businesses struggling to stay afloat. Whilst other councils around the country have done everything possible to ensure the survival of their local businesses, residents in Leicester have had to stomach wasteful spending on pet projects which are a slap in the face for hardworking business owners.
Baroness Verma is leading the call for an independent investigation into the City Council. She says:
‘There are so many questions that Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and his councillors need to answer. We need a thorough independent enquiry that can get answers to the following questions—
Why was Leicester’s public health policy not fit for purpose? Who was responsible for communication and public engagement?
On what grounds were Elected Council members, including the mayor, cleared of lockdown breaches? The internal investigation notes must be made public and be part of an independent enquiry.
Why did elected City Council members take no action against unscrupulous factory owners who added to endangering the lives of Leicester people throughout the lockdown by making workers work in known abhorrently unsafe conditions? What responses have they made to the three detailed reports that have been made publicly available?
The people of Leicester have asked local Conservatives to demand an independent investigation. The city leaders must learn the lessons from the pandemic that inflicted pain, misery and embarrassment onto our city.’
Deputy Chair of the City of Leicester Conservatives, Rhys Brown, commented, ‘It is not a coincidence that Leicester has been stranded in lockdown for so long. It is a failure of local leaders in our city.
‘No other area of the country has had to put up with this, so it’s about time questions should be asked of those who were supposed to be in charge in Leicester.’
