Senior councillor in East Dunbartonshire accused of “dangerous ignorance” over new five-tiered covid plan

After a meeting of local authority leaders on Tuesday, October 27, Joint leader of East Dunbartonshire Council, Councillor Andrew Polson (Conservative) said the area will be placed in level 3 of the new system.

He described the move as “a kick in the teeth” for local business, adding there was also “confusion over non-essential travel.”

But Strathkelvin and Bearsden SNP MSP Rona Mackay said yesterday (Wednesday, October 28) that the guidance had not been passed nor even debated before the Scottish Parliament at the time of his comments.

The debate took place yesterday and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to announce later today (Thursday, October 29) which areas will be in which level of the government’s new five-tiered restrictions plan later today.

The new measures are expected to begin next week and tier 3, which East Dunbartonshire is expected to be placed in will be similar to current ones. However, restrictions for hospitality in the area are to be eased.

Ms Mackay said the latest figures for East Dunbartonshire reveal there have been 284 positive cases over the past 7 days, including a 261.4 infection rate per 100,000 population.

This contrasts with a figure of 51 positive cases in Argyll and Bute, and 59 infection rate per 100,000.

Ms Mackay said: “Councillor Polson has, again, shown his own dangerous ignorance on the COVID-19 regulations his own council is seeking to enact.

“It’s regrettable, if unsurprising, that he has ‘confusion’ about the process given he chose to make a public statement on the regulations before they had been published nor fully debated by the Scottish Parliament.

“The SNP Government is providing £40 million worth of funding for businesses, including those in East Dunbartonshire, to support them during period of decreased trading.

“Had Councillor Polson been inclined to assess the guidance for himself, he would also know that, amongst other measures, hospitality restrictions are set to be eased from November 3, ensuring all hospitality premises can operate in until 6pm.

“Instead of consistently playing politics with this pandemic and trying to undermine the Scottish Government’s attempts to keep people in East Dunbartonshire safe, I would encourage him to do what I and my colleagues in the SNP have been doing throughout – ensuring people, businesses and our communities have access to the vital help and support they need during a global pandemic.”