Coronavirus: Bolton pubs and restaurants 'thrown to the lions'

Bolton's hospitality sector has been "thrown to the lions" by the government's coronavirus restrictions, the borough's Tory council leader said.

Extra measures in the town, brought in when it had the most Covid-19 cases in England, mean pubs and restaurants can only provide takeaways.

Councillor David Greenhalgh said "inequalities" in local restrictions were "breeding resentment" in the area.

The government said it "works closely" with local authorities on restrictions.

As well as pubs and restaurants being limited to a takeaway service, all hospitality venues must close between the hours of 22:00 and 05:00 and businesses such as soft play areas, casinos and bowling alleys cannot open.

Mr Greenhalgh said since restrictions were brought in on 8 September, other boroughs had experienced higher infection rates but had not seen the same measures introduced.

He questioned whether the government understood there were "huge disparities" and "inequalities" in local interventions.

He said it was "unacceptable" and urged the government to take action.

"[There] are people who have put their life savings into business ventures that are successful but are just not now being allowed to operate," he said.

People in the area felt "forgotten" with many businesses on the "brink of bankruptcy", he said.

He said residents were continuing to visit pubs in surrounding boroughs, which remain open, and the measures had not stopped the spread of Covid-19.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said Bolton had been "forgotten about" by national politicians and called for more support for businesses in the town.

He said the pandemic could "massively increase" England's north-south divide and there was a "real danger" it could do "more harm to the north of England than Margaret Thatcher and whatever she did in the 1980s".

"The sense of injustice in Bolton is very, very real today," he said.

"I would say it's simple - either the government closes hospitality in areas with higher case rates, with full compensation by the way.

"If they're not prepared to do that, they should let Bolton open. It's got to be one or the other."

Bolton recorded 595 new cases in the seven days to 26 September, the equivalent of 207 cases per 100,000 people, down from 222 per 100,000 in the seven days to 19 September.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it "worked closely" with local leaders and public health teams to make informed decisions on local interventions and "when necessary take swift targeted action to control the virus".

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