Sunderland's leaders had no say in the city being placed into Tier 3, says MP Julie Elliott

It follows the Government’s announcement on Thursday, November 26 of what areas of England will be placed into the various tiers once lockdown ends next week.

It was confirmed that the whole of the North East would be placed into Tier 3 – meaning residents in Sunderland will be subjected to the toughest measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Julie Elliott took to Twitter to claim that there was no input on the decision from any elected officials on Wearside.

Her tweet said: “The Government has placed Sunderland into Tier 3 – neither I, nor the local authority, have had any input into this decision.”

Both Julie Elliott and Bridget Phillipson, the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, were contacted by the Echo for further comments but neither responded.

A spokesperson for Washington and Sunderland West MP, Sharon Hodgson, said that she was unable to comment at this time.

The leader of Sunderland City Council, Graeme Miller, co-signed a joint statement from 19 of the regions politicians and heath bosses urging residents to continue working towards getting the infection rate down.

The statement said: “We must continue to work together and by doing so we will put ourselves in a position to move to a tier which offers more of the freedoms we so dearly miss.

“Let’s keep going so we can once again dine out with our families and friends, help more of our local businesses reopen their doors to customers or so that we can cheer on our beloved sports teams from the stands."

Under the Tier 3 rules, bars, pubs and restaurants will remain closed, dealing a blow to the city’s hospitality sector at what would have been their busiest time of year.

Households are not permitted to mix, wedding receptions are banned and spectators are not permitted to attend live events such as football matches or theatre productions.

The Government have said that the tier system will be reviewed every two weeks, with the next review coming on December 16.

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