Burnley Council leader calls for hardest hit Covid towns to be given vaccine priority

Coun. Townsend said it was vital towns like Burnley, disproportionately hit by stricter measures throughout the pandemic, were able to exit lockdown at the same rate as other areas.

He said: "It’s fantastic that the vaccination programme is progressing well and thanks go to the NHS and the army of local volunteers who are doing a wonderful job.

"Going forward, in order to assure equality of risk to life and livelihoods from the consequences of the pandemic areas like Burnley need to be prioritised for vaccination.

"Burnley, and the wider East Lancashire, has been harder hit by the pandemic and under stricter measures for longer than the vast majority of areas in the country.

"If vaccination rates are not prioritised towards the hard hit areas like ours we will spend longer in lockdown and in higher tiers than other less impacted areas as we exit the pandemic.

"The calculations will be complicated but the need to do this is critical and we need a clear plan from Government to ensure Burnley exits the pandemic at the same rate as all other areas."