Letters - Thursday December 10 2020

Sleeping rough is no way to spend Christmas – especially in a pandemic.

Twenty five. That’s the Government’s cautious estimate of number of people that sleeping rough on the Fylde coast tonight.

Local homeless charities strongly believe the figure is much higher than reported.

Even before the crisis, rough sleeping was a shameful sign of Tory government failure.

In the North West, rough sleeping has increased 249 per cent since 2010 according to Government figures.

And the number of people dying homeless has risen by half in the last five years, to 726 in 2018.

This winter, rough sleeping threatens to be more desperate than ever.

The weather is turning cold, and rough sleepers face a fight for survival this winter, as Covid restrictions are likely to dramatically reduce the most basic support for people sleeping on the streets.

Local organisations in Blackpool has told me about the impact of the pandemic on their ability to provide services.

Rough sleeping is not inevitable. Homelessness fell at an unprecedented rate, falling by almost two-thirds between 1998 to 2010. Unfortunately since then, the Tories have slashed investment for affordable homes, cut back housing benefit, reduce funding for homelessness services, and deny protection to private renters, the number of rough sleepers has soared.

At the last election, our MP and his Government promised to end rough sleeping for good. Before this crisis, they were already failing to meet their targets. There can be no return to business as usual.

That’s why I’m calling on our MP Scott Benton to keep his promise and make sure everyone has a safe, Covid-secure place to stay this winter.

Chris Webb

Blackpool

Appeal

Young cancer sufferers hit hard

Every day, seven teenagers and young people in the UK hear the devastating news that they have cancer.

I have worked as a nurse with this group for many years, and the way they adapt to such challenging circumstances at such a young age never fails to amaze me.  

But they have been hit harder than most by the coronavirus pandemic. Many have been unable to see their friends and have worries that their treatment could be disrupted. Others fear catching the virus while their immune system is lowered and some have had to face hospital visits and stays without loved ones due to infection control measures.

Donations to the charity I work for, Teenage Cancer Trust, mean that we can provide young people with expert nurses to support them through treatment and dedicated youth support coordinators to help them cope with anxiety and isolation – and at this difficult time they need our help more than ever.  That’s why I’m writing to ask you to consider donating a few pounds to our Christmas appeal, to help us continue our work www.teenagecancertrust.org/xmas

Dr Louise Soane

Chief Nurse

Teenage Cancer Trust

Virus

Legal to travel out of Tier 3 area

I note that the recent change in the coronavirus restrictions seems to be causing confusion in the minds of some.

People seem to be confusing guidance, which does not have the force of law, and regulation, which does. The legal restrictions imposed on members of the public are set out in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020. They do not impose travel restrictions within England.

The Government has supplemented the regulations by guidance, and that guidance does clearly ask members of the public in a Tier 3 area to avoid travelling outside their area other than for a list of reasons, including work, education etc.

It should be stressed, however, that this is guidance: it is not a legal requirement that the public follow it and there is no penalty for breach.

If the Government had wanted to impose travel restrictions as a legal requirement, it could have included them in the latest version of the regulations. It has chosen not to do so.

It is not for anyone, including the police, to seek to convert guidance into regulation. It is, of course, correct that the effect of the Tier 3 regulations travels with the person, so if a member of the public travels from Tier 3 to Tier 2 and visits a pub or restaurant, they are breaking the law.

However to travel across the border, as thousands do every day, to go for a walk on your own, with your dog, or with members of your own household remains legal as, indeed, it has been throughout the whole of this difficult period.

Chris Cousins

address supplied

Virus

Social distancing in supermarket

Why have supermarkets stopped enforcing social distancing? I fear this is contributing to the spread of the virus – despite a surge in profits. Do others agree?

Henry Cobden

address supplied