North East leaders seek legal powers for face masks on public transport

North East council leaders want to make face masks a legal requirement on the region's public transport after 19 July.

Seven councils have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeking similar powers to Transport for London, which has made masks compulsory after national rules are eased on Monday.

Gateshead leader Martin Gannon said masks are "not a huge imposition".

Mr Johnson has advised people should wear masks in crowded public places.

Mr Gannon said he had written to the government on behalf of Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham councils.

He said the rise in infections across the region is "really significant" and measures such as face masks on public transport should still be kept in place to attempt to reduce the spread.

Doctors have also called for masks to remain mandatory in the region, which has nine of the top 10 worst-affected areas of England.

Mr Gannon, the transport lead for the seven councils, told BBC Radio Newcastle: "I absolutely understand London's position. That's something we would want to see here."

He said the North East councils do not have the power to legally require and enforce mask wearing, adding: "Having different rules across different operators would only create further confusion and resistance.

"We need consistency across the whole service. We are advising people [to use masks] but we haven't got the power to legally enforce it."

Mr Gannon said he hoped the "pressure will mount" on the government to "do the right thing" and making masks legally required was a "really important signal" which "makes it socially unacceptable to breach it".

"It's not a huge imposition to wear a face mask," he said.

"There's a lot of people who want to use public transport but will be put off if we don't have adequate enforcement of face masks."

The Confederation of Public Transport, which represents bus operators, said clear guidance for workers and customers is needed, but added: "In the absence of regulations, it is important that we respect everyone's right to choose whether to wear a face covering."

Nexus, which runs the Tyne and Wear Metro, said passengers will be "encouraged" to wear masks from Monday but it will not be mandatory as, unlike TfL, the service does not have enforcement officers.

Customer services director Huw Lewis said: "We are all expected and recommended to keep wearing face coverings in busy indoor settings, including shops and on public transport.

"We will be encouraging customers to follow this advice when making journeys and we will have extra teams out on Monday to talk with customers about why that's the right thing to do for everyone."

The seven council leaders have also urged the public to adopt a "slow and steady" approach when restrictions relax.

They said: "Restrictions we have become accustomed to are about to be lifted, but we are not heading back to life as we knew it.

"We will need to continue to work together to carry on saving lives and protecting our communities."

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