Bitter row over emergency Covid funding for local authorities as Labour councillors claim austerity is responsible for ‘killing’ BAME populations

A bitter row broke out over Covid funding for councils as Labour councillors claimed austerity was responsible for ‘killing’ BAME communities.

There were furious exchanges between Conservative and Labour members during Rochdale Council’s first virtual full council meeting on Wednesday (15 July).

Councillors were debating a motion from Councillor Faisal Rana demanding ‘the government fulfils its promise to fully reimburse the authority its cost’ of fighting coronavirus.

At the time of the meeting the council’s covid funding gap stood at £26m, although a further £2.4m in emergency government cash was announced the following day.

A second part of the motion, calling for a public inquiry into the UK’s response to the pandemic, was somewhat overtaken by events, with the Prime Minister announcing one would be held ‘in future’ shortly before the meeting.

However, its assertion that any official probe must focus on ‘the disproportionate impact the virus has had on the BAME population’, was at the heart of much of the ensuing controversy.

Public Health England has found that people of Bangladeshi ethnicity were twice as likely to die of the virus than white British, while other BAME groups were at up to 50% higher risk of death.

Deputy leader Councillor Sarah Rowbotham accused the Conservatives of sowing the seeds of the devastation via the austerity policies the party pursued from 2010.

She told the meeting: “It’s absolutely proven that black and minority ethnic populations are dying from this disease unequally. They are more likely to die, they are more likely to be affected and the direct consequence of that is proven by the Marmot report.

“It’s absolutely proven that the absolute cause of that was the austerity our community has faced over the last 10 years. It’s everything to do with politics, the political decisions that were made by this Tory government, ultimately, are killing black and minority ethnic populations.”

Milkstone and Deeplish councillor Sameena Zaheer made similar remarks.

She said: “I’m a councillor for one of the most deprived wards in this borough.

“Before the pandemic we had informed that my ward had been the worst in the whole north west, health-wise. Why? Because all this austerity, why people are dying is the government’s fault. It has all surfaced now, but it was happening before. Now is the time for the government to have an inquiry.”

Councillor Zaheer also blamed the Conservative government for deaths of BAME frontline workers.

“Why have we lost so many precious doctors, nurses, bus drivers… the list goes on and on. Who is responsible? This government, for the past 10 years we have suffered it and it has surfaced because of Covid, it has come into the limelight. All these deaths we are seeing are because of austerity, because people didn’t have enough to protect themselves.”

Labour’s stance sparked fury and dismay among the Conservatives ranks.

Councillor Rina Paolucci said: “You are blaming the government for basically people dying over a pandemic that started in China and has come to us - it’s the government’s fault that the people are dying whether it’s the BAME community or people on low incomes. 

“I’m sorry, that is really, really below the belt.”

The Wardle and West Littleborough council said that despite the ‘huge list’ of measures brought forward by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, it was never enough to satisfy Labour.

Her remarks upset Labour’s Councillor Danny Meredith, who recently returned to nursing. The Balderstone and Kirkholt member said he had lost a colleague to coronavirus who did not have the PPE he needed and called on Councillor Paolucci to retract her comments.

Deputy Tory group leader Councillors Pat Sullivan later told the meeting: “It’s premature asking for a report on what has gone wrong. Things have gone wrong; how could everything go right - no one is an oracle. No one expected this.”

She added: “We have tried to work together with you and this is not helping, it’s just very unpleasant and unnecessary.”

While introducing his motion, Councillor Rana said it would be a ‘betrayal’ if Rishi Sunak did not honour his pledge to give councils ‘whatever it takes’ to defeat coronavirus.

Tory leader Councillor Ashley Dearnley insisted his party was ‘on the side of the people’, citing the multi-billion recovery package announced by the chancellor last week, as well as the millions in tax relief and grants that had benefited Rochdale specifically.

“If you don’t think that’s a commitment to the people of this country, I don’t know what on earth you think it is,” he said.

Councillor Dearnley also accused Labour of jumping the gun in their haste to criticise the government.

“Of course we’re going to get money,” he said: “The chancellor is listening to everyone and there will be more money coming to Rochdale. In his budget he is going to make an announcement so that we have a positive way forward, involving local authorities more than Labour ever did or we have done as a party.”

Labour’s Councillor Elsie Wraighte said that while the chancellor’s announcements were a small step in the direction, Councillor Dearnley would ‘know full well that the thing he listed would not cover the council’s full losses’.

“It’s still going to leave us having to absorb a really substantial loss of funding,” she added.

“What does worry me is we have a financial crisis looming over the horizon, the Conservatives aren’t doing enough to help our council and Rochdale people now and I have to say I don’t think they can be trusted to do the right thing in a few months’ time.”

The Conservatives amendment was defeated, and Labour’s original motion was carried.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter