Grandparents WILL be able to look after children under local lockdown laws

The new restrictions currently in force in the North-East and North-West did not take into account the role family carers play in allowing people to continue working.

On Monday afternoon Health Secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged that such arrangements were a “lifeline” for many people, and without them they were unable to do their jobs.

But he said the exemption would not allow parents to send their children to “playdates or parties” with friends from another household.

Matt Hancock pictured outside Shotley Bridge Hospital last week 

Mr Hancock told MPs: “I’ve heard the concerns about the impact of local action on childcare arrangements. 

“For many, informal childcare arrangements are a lifeline without which they couldn’t do their jobs.

“So today I’m able to announce a new exemption for looking after children under the age of 14 or vulnerable adults, where that is necessary for caring purposes.

“This covers both formal and informal arrangements.

“It does not allow for playdates or parties, but it does mean that a consistent childcare relationship, that is vital for somebody to get to work, is allowed.”

The change comes after community leaders wrote to Mr Hancock to amend the local Covid-19 restrictions imposed last week to include casual arrangements.

Seven local authorities, known as the LA7, had made a joint request for stricter measures across the region in response to rapidly rising infection rates.

The initial request, from council leaders in County Durham, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and Northumberland, asked for people be able to enter other households for childcare purposes and while the main carer was at work.

The Health Secretary approved many new regulations but not this request.

In the letter, sent September 18, the region's leaders said it was deeply concerning the informal childcare request was omitted.

In separate letters, Durham City MP Mary Kelly Foy and North Durham MP Kevan Jones wrote to the Secretary of State making their own pleas for informal childcare to be allowed.

Kevan Jones MP

Mr Jones said: “Many families rely on relatives to provide childcare so that they can go to work and the new arrangements make this impossible for anyone other than single-parent families who are able to join a support bubble.

“I urge you to look again at the situation in the North East to ensure that my constituents who develop symptoms can get tested and also that childcare problems do not prevent my constituents from being able to go to work.”

Now the LA7 has issued a new statement in response to the Government’s rethink.

It said: “As soon as new Covid control measures were introduced across the North-East we began lobbying Government to include an exemption on household mixing regulations to allow families to continue their informal childcare arrangements.

“This was an exemption we asked for in our original request to Government and we’re delighted the Secretary of State has reversed his decision.

“We knew these restrictions would ask a lot of our communities, but we did not want them to hinder people unnecessarily.”

Councillor Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, added: “We’re delighted that Health Secretary Matt Hancock has listened to the concerns raised by us and our fellow local authorities in the North-East and is lifting the restrictions on informal childcare arrangements for working parents.

"We know this is something that affects families across the region and that a lot of people felt very strongly about.

"This announcement we have lobbied for will be a lifeline for many.”

Richard Holden MP

North-West Durham Richard Holden MP said he had worked with MPs from across the region to help bring about the change.

He said: “On issues like this, it’s important not to play party politics but to work cross party for the good of our communities and I’m glad to have been able to do that with other MPs from across the North-East.”

"I’m delighted that issues around childcare for families locally, and across the country, have been recognised today and that informal arrangements to look after children will be allowed."

Kevan Jones said the move was welcome but said the lack of testing for coronavirus in the region remain a problem.

He said: “This Government u-turn is welcome, but the problem was pointed out to the Health Secretary by myself and other Labour MPs last week when he made his announcement and is another example of the Government’s chaotic response to the Covid crisis.

“Lack of testing is still an issue in the North-East and needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency.”