Lord praises Pendle for 'heroic' response on front line of COVID-19 battle

The Conservative Government Health Minister Lord Bethell praised Pendle Council on two successive days for its local work on the coronavirus pandemic after Pendle-based Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Tony Greaves had said “council staff and the council leadership are working heroically in the front line of the COVID battle.”

In recent weeks, Pendle has been under local restrictions after having one of the highest rates of coronavirus infections in the country.

Lord Bethell first said: “I pay tribute to the council in Pendle, which is well known for its energetic approach in dealing with the epidemic. I honestly say a massive thank you to all those in Pendle who are working so hard.

"Despite what the noble Lord has just said, they are being successful. The strategy is working and they are fighting the disease and breaking the chains of transmission, and we are all hopeful that Pendle will be restored to normal life as soon as possible.”

Lord Greaves had earlier said that Pendle’s “determination to test, test, test and find positive cases is greatly hindered by the inefficient and failing national tracking, contact and isolate system and by the complex, obscure and bureaucratic way in which decisions on local restrictions and support are being made.

“Give us the tools and we will get on with the job.”

The following day Lord Bethell said: “Once again I pay tribute to Pendle Borough Council, which is an absolute model of local collaboration in the handling of a local outbreak. I am greatly encouraged that Pendle has stepped forward to do local tracing.”

Lord Greaves has now asked why Pendle and other districxt councils were not being provided with sufficient funding to cover all the costs of the coronavirus-related work, describing it as "a serious problem."