UPDATED (4/1/21) SCHOOLS SHUT - Think Piece: Covid-19 - Are Schools and Universities Safe? The Evidence Shows They Are Not

Standing Up For Residents

UPDATE (Monday 4/1/21): ANOTHER SPECTACULAR U-TURN BY BORIS JOHNSON IN CLOSING SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES.

Having said yesterday that schools are safe (Sunday 3/1/21), the Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now closing them in his address to the nation tonight at 8pm Monday 4/1/21.

Leader of Somerset Independents Andrew Pope responds: 

Andrew Pope

"We knew that schools and universities were not safe yesterday. In fact we knew last year. But the PM didn't. How is he so ignorant and incompetent? He is supposed to be the Prime Minister and have highly-paid advisers to guide and inform him. We do this off our own backs!

This decision proves that we were right to point out that schools and universities are NOT safe, to question the Tory councillors at Somerset County Council and that we were right to say that they should not have been opened in September.

How can it be that Somerset Independents, that is run by volunteers and with no money, can get it right, but the Prime Minister cannot with all those resources at his disposal? The same goes for the County Council!

Incredibly, the Tory-run County Council "led" by Councillor David Fothergill, went along with their mates in the Tory-run Government, and opened schools. Boris Johnson allowed universities to open, and students to be ripped off.

Neither Fothergill nor Johnson "followed the science" back in September.

The Tories' empty slogan seems to have been abandoned now.

They put our lives at risk by spreading infections. Their own Public Health Consultant Alison Bell said as much in her interview on BBC Radio Somerset last week.

This latest lockdown is clear proof of their failure to protect Somerset residents.

We know that Councillor Fothergill has received our letter, questioning his failure to act for Somerset residents. 

We await answers as to how he has acted to protect us, but at the time of writing, we are unaware of any pushback at all on the Tory Government from him, now or in September, or June last year.

At Tory-run Kent County Council, they wrote to the Tory Government to protest about the re-opening of schools. We are not aware of any such action by the Tories at Somerset County Council, prior to Johnson's VERY late announcement of their closure.

And the "opposition" from the County Liberal Democrats is still pathetic. They do not seem to offer any resistance either.

Like we often say, Labour, Lib Dem or Tory, same old story."

---

We are called Somerset Independents because we are independent of the Westminster political parties - Labour, Green, Lib Dem or Tory - they are all the same failures.

We are called independent because we encourage independent thinking and independent thought. 

We stand up for Somerset residents and we want to enable you to make your own decisions, armed with the facts.

Once again, there is a debate about whether schools and universities should re-open for the new terms. This follows similar debates in June and September in 2020.

On all three occasions - June, September and now, there were and are significant differences between what the authorities - the Tory Government and Tory County Council - and what the people of Somerset - thought and think.

In July last year, Somerset Independents asked Somerset residents what they thought of our Think Piece: Education Is Compulsory - School Is Not, where we reminded parents that they can choose how their child was educated - at home or at school. We received support.

And this was evidenced by the fact that children stayed at home, because responsible parents wanted to protect their children.

Somerset Independents also asked whether you thought it was the right decision that 94% of children did NOT return to school in June, despite the Conservative Government and Conservative County Council wanting them to put their children, families and communities in danger. The feedback that we received was very positive.

This 94% figure was obtained by us with questions that we put to Somerset County Council, who are responsible for education in Somerset*.

It was clear to us then from our sources that the vast majority of parents did NOT trust the Government or County Council to protect them from Coronavirus/Covid-19.

This is unsurprising when there were so many critics of the Conservative Government and County Council. National newspapers and campaigners were critical. Residents were critical.

The Times June 2020

Campaign Group Led By Donkeys
Showing the Hypocrisy of the Government
(Dominic Cummings Scandal)

 

Children were being educated at home, by responsible parents and by school teachers and staff. Teachers, children, parents and communities were being kept safe from infection. It was obvious to the vast majority of people that this was the right thing to do - EXCEPT FOR THE TORIES AND DIE-HARD TORY SUPPORTERS!

Then during the summer school holidays, there was time for the Government and County Council to get their act together to plan for the new school year and for the new university year which would start later.

Instead of making the right decisions, the Government threatened parents with fines if they did not send their children back to school.

The Conservative Government and the Conservative-run County Council failed to get it right. Infections rose, as the graphs show, almost in tandem with the returns to schools and universities.  

It was obvious to everyone except the Government and County Council that this would happen.

Yet as we noted at the time, and as is very clear now, instead of making the right call - the Government was threatening to fine parents who did not send their children back to school.

As we wrote in October, because the Government failed to get it right, and the evidence showed that infections rose due to the wrong decisions, Somerset Independents decided that we should stand candidates against the Conservatives at the next County Council elections due in May 2021. 

We successfully registered Somerset Independents as a political party, and we then announced our first candidate Andrew Pope. Other candidates are still under consideration, and we are about to announce our second candidate, Denise Wyatt.

Then incredibly the Conservative councillors on the County Council voted to cancel the elections in May 2021. It is perhaps unsurprising, when they are running scared of the views of the people of Somerset.

Also in October, SomersetLive surveyed Somerset residents to ask whether they thought schools and universities should be open. 

The majority of respondents said that both schools and universities should NOT be open. It was obvious to Somerset residents, but not obvious to the Tory Government and Tory County Council. Why?

Looking at the results of this poll should allow for the possibility that the respondents may not have been a representative sample of the views of Somerset residents as a whole. They could be biased. Nevertheless they point to a substantial number of people who hold this view. 

Other respondents to the survey thought that pubs, restaurants, schools and universities should be open and that we have to learn to "live with the virus", and that the economy should be prioritised over public health.

Now that we have had Lockdown 2, and the attempts at the confusing tiered restrictions, it is clear that these have failed to stop the NHS being under "pressure", as is being reported.

The vaccinations are not preventing this from happening. And now we hear that the Government is not even following the advice from the trials over vaccinations. This is another decision that they have got wrong.

The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 is now worse than ever during the pandemic. Deaths are mounting. Infections are increasing. And the Tories are still getting it wrong.

The military are once again coming to the rescue of the Government, the NHS and schools, with reports that they will be running testing before schools return. We appreciate the military's efforts, but why should they need to be involved - this is a sign of a Government in panic mode.

Students at university are demanding refunds, as they feel they were duped into going to university and getting a sub-standard education. One student in Bristol, who is supplementing their income by delivering for courier firm Hermes, told us that they had JUST ONE PHYSICAL LECTURE in their first term. What is the point of them going to University. paying tuition fees for lectures and fees for lodgings? They may as well have stayed at home!

The situation clearly points to a terrible and lasting failure of the Conservative Government to take the right steps to protect us.

People do not feel safe, and they feel that opening schools and universities puts everyone at even more risk.

And the teaching unions, and members of the Cabinet, do not want schools to open without additional steps.

Somerset Independents therefore suggests that schools and universities DO NOT OPEN this term, and that all learning should be done remotely. This will give time for the vaccinations to be carried out, and for testing to be set-up. Do you agree or not? Tell us.

Our view is informed and supported by the views of the unions and health scientists:

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “What is right for London is right for the rest of the country." Dr Bousted was referring to the u-turn by the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to keep London primary schools closed, when he recently instructed some to stay open and some to close! This was despite all of London being in the Tier 4 restrictions. London councils pushed back, forcing the u-turn. 

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said:"The government appears to be following neither the science nor the advice of education professionals on how best to preserve the quality of education for young people."

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the NAHT have started legal action to get the Department for Education to share any information showing "why they think it is safe to reopen schools on Monday, given the higher transmissibility of the new Covid-19 variant.

It is interesting to note that Somerset is also in Tier 4 - BUT WHERE IS SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL'S PUSHBACK? Missing in action, that's Tory Council Leader David Fothergill and his Cabinet member for Education, Councillor Faye Purbrick. Councillor Purbrick is the one who we have put under pressure to stand up for parents. But she hasn't and the local Tory councillors don't - because like all Westminster parties, these Somerset Tories put themselves and their Party ahead of the safety of Somerset residents.

Still more have criticised the Government's decisions and their u-turns.

Prof Mark Harris, Professor of Virology, University of Leeds, said:"We need to learn from the lessons of the past year and recognise that by delaying and failing to act decisively our efforts to control the pandemic are less effective, and ultimately lives are at risk."

The Government's own SAGE group of scientists Children’s Task and Finish Group said, in their update to their 4th Nov 2020 paper on children, schools and transmission, on 17 December 2020:

"Overall, accumulating evidence is consistent with increased transmission occurring amongst school children when schools are open, particularly in children of secondary school age (high confidence): multiple data sources show a reduction in transmission in children following schools closing for half term, and transmission rates increasing again following the post-half term return to school (medium confidence)."  

 

Denise Wyatt, Somerset Independents Spokesperson for Education, says:

"The Conservative Government and the Conservative County Council should have prepared the country for this back in the summer holidays, when they had the time. 

But they didn't. Instead, they dithered and delayed - and lives have been put at risk.

So the Government got the advice from "the science", but it did NOT "follow the science" as they have so famously claimed and repeatedly claimed. They did the opposite - u-turned when they wanted to.

And the reasons are not sufficiently clear. 

For all their failures, they need to be held to account - and voted out when the time comes."

 

* excluding the North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset areas, whose unitary authority councils are responsible in those areas.

COVID-19: Somerset County Council Officer Blames Johnson's Tory Government Relaxation

 

Johnson Late For The Bus Again
The Times, June 2020

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced a mountain of criticism for the way he and his Government have handled the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK. We have written about these serial, continuing and grave failures on this website. 

An example is in the cartoon from The Times in June 2020, when the Pandemic was relatively early on, compared to the public health and anti-democratic horrors we have faced since, and now the figures are worse than ever. 

Another example is from Private Eye below, also in June 2020, pointing out Johnson's record of failure on a multitude of issues:

Private Eye, June 2020

Throughout the Pandemic of this terrible "Novel Coronavirus" as it used to be called, the majority of Somerset* has been covered by the public health responsibilities of Somerset County Council. 

Yet, decisions that affect us all have been made centrally, by the same Government that has failed us. And it has been the local teams that have had to deal with the fallout from the monumentally serious Government failures. 

Local teams should understand local communities better than faceless bureaucrats in the Department of Health and Social Care or serial failure Health Secretary Matt Hancock. But they are constantly undermined by the Government, instead of being empowered. Don't take our word for it, this is the view of many health experts, including local expert Dr Gabriel Scally, Visiting Professor of Public Health at the University of Bristol.

Somerset Independents has sympathy for the local teams in this situation. We will support them when they get things right. And we have told them that.

But like the national Government, local public servants and elected representatives must be held to account if they get things wrong. They should be standing up for Somerset residents, not simply doing what they are told by the national Government and parroting their failures, especially when it puts us at risk. 

This includes local councils blaming local people, instead of standing up for them when they have worked hard to do the right thing. And blaming local people, instead of standing up to the national Government.

And don't just take our word for it on the Government failings. Yesterday (31/12/20) on BBC Radio Somerset, an officer of Conservative-controlled Somerset County Council - Alison Bell, Public Health Consultant - openly blamed the relaxation of restrictions for the increase in infections in Somerset.

Ms Bell said on the Charlie Taylor programme:

"From a Public Health perspective, we welcome these stricter
control measures. In the last 7 days reported, we had 1299 new cases of
Covid in Somerset. That puts us as the third highest area in the
South-West. That's a significant change in Somerset and I think it is a
result of the relaxation in control measures. We haven't even seen the
effects of the Christmas bubbles yet. So the virus has really
capitalised on that relaxation and that's translated in people being
really sick in Somerset. So we needed to do something different and the
Tier 4 restrictions will hopefully deliver that for us."

Ms Bell also said, in praise of local people:

"I think we know that our population has been really good. They've done
everything we've asked of them. They recognise that the County Council
and the NHS can do everything we can but it is down to each and every
individual. And they've been really good to date."

So it is official, from a Somerset County Council Public Health Consultant - that WE, THE SOMERSET RESIDENTS, HAVE DONE EVERYTHING WE'VE ASKED.

AND IT IS THE TORY GOVERNMENT THAT HAS FAILED US.

A full transcript of the interview, produced by us, will be made available in the public interest and in the interest of Somerset residents. Update: NOW AVAILABLE HERE.

Somerset residents are supposed to be protected from the outbreak by the Director of Public Health, the local NHS and the Conservative-led Administration of the County Council. Enforcement of the law is supposed to be carried out by Avon and Somerset Police.

In 2020, Somerset Independents put all of these authorities under pressure, to hold them to account on behalf of all Somerset residents. We listened to the concerns of residents and put these to:

• the Director of Public Health, Trudi Grant, and her staff
  
• the elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, and the Police and Crime Panel who are supposed to assist in holding her to account on behalf of Somerset residents
  
• the Leader of Somerset County Council, Conservative Councillor David Fothergill and other members of his Cabinet responsible for Education, Health and Social Care, and the Council finances
  
• boards of the local NHS hospitals
  

Sadly, it seems that too many of these local teams are not serving you, the Somerset public.

They are not standing up for you enough. This is especially the case with Somerset County Council.

Sadly, when you have a Tory County Council and Tory Government, they are unlikely to put residents first. It is unlikely to happen, because the Conservatives put themselves and their Party first, and residents last.

County Council elections are due to be held in May 2021. We ask you to VOTE THE CONSERVATIVES OUT. Somerset Independents intends to stand candidates.

But the Tory councillors and the Tory Government are trying to get the elections cancelled!

Yes, Conservative County councillors voted to ask the Conservative Government to cancel the 2021 elections. They voted to extend their own terms of election and get allowances.

They claim that it is because your councils are going to be re-organised. Who by? By the Conservative Government with the permission of the local Conservative and Lib Dem councillors who are in control of the fours district councils! 

Did they ask you? NO! Somerset Independents has consistently called on all district and county councillors to support a Referendum before any changes are made.

So as we always say here at Somerset Independents - the national parties - Labour, Lib Dems, Greens and Tories - let you down.

VOTE THEM OUT AND VOTE SOMERSET INDEPENDENTS COUNCILLORS IN.

Only then will you get proper representation by people who care about the people of Somerset, instead of doing what they are told by the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrat Party, the Green Party or the Conservative Party.

Only then will you get councillors who stand up for you.

Only then will you get councillors who stand up to the Government when they fail you again.

And if there is no Independent councillor or candidate in your area - contact us to see whether you could be a candidate. 

* excluding the two unitary authorities for North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES)

COVID-19: Full Transcript of Somerset County Council Interview On BBC Radio Somerset

 

Boris Johnson's Government Blamed AGAIN

As we have written elsewhere, Boris Johnson's Government has been persistently blamed, apart from by die-hard Tory supporters, for their COVID-19 failures. 

This time, it is a radical change from the lack of criticism from Conservative Council Leader Councillor David Fothergill. Councillor Fothergill regularly praises and defends his Party's hopeless Government. That's what Party Puppets like him do.

This time a Somerset County Council Public Health Consultant is doing the criticising, when she blames the relaxation on restrictions for the increase in infection, during an interview on local BBC Radio Somerset.

This time, the Consultant also praises Somerset's residents for their behaviour to date.

On 31st December 2020, Alison Bell, a Public Health Consultant at Somerset County Council, was interviewed on BBC Radio Somerset by Charlie Taylor.

Her interview was very illuminating about what officers at the Tory-run County Council really feel about the Government's failures. Ms Bell's comments are revealing and we have provided comment elsewhere on this website, via Twitter and on our Facebook page.

We are providing this transcript in the public interest, as the BBC does not keep episodes for long on BBC Sounds, and there are no transcripts available by the BBC.

Full Transcript of interview with Alison Bell (AB), Public Health Consultant
at Somerset County Council on Charlie Taylor (CT) Programme

00:00
CT - As we've been hearing, Somerset will end 2020 in Tier 4, the
toughest level of Coronavirus restrictions. People should stay at home
unless they have a reasonable excuse, such as work or education to
leave. All non-essential shops must close - hairdressers and nail bars,
along with gyms and swimming pools must close. People should not leave
Tier 4 areas and those that are clinically extremely vulnerable are
advised to stay at home as much as possible.
Bath and North East Somerset has moved up into Tier 3. The BBC's Alex
Littlewood has been speaking to people in Taunton...
...(vox pop interviews in Taunton)...

02:04 CT
Let's find out now from Alison Bell a bit more about it. She's a public
health consultant at Somerset County Council. Alison, Good Morning,
thank you for being with us this morning, as we find out a bit more
about Tier 4. We know it's very strict, it's pretty much a lockdown in
all but name really, Tier 4, from what what we can tell.
CT 02:24
Was this needed here in Somerset?
AB 02:26
Yeah, Good Morning Charlie.
AB 02:30 From a Public Health perspective, we welcome these stricter
control measures. In the last 7 days reported, we had 1299 new cases of
Covid in Somerset. That puts us as the third highest area in the
South-West. That's a significant change in Somerset and I think it is a
result of the relaxation in control measures and we haven't even seen
the effects of the Christmas bubbles yet. So the virus has really
capitalised on that relaxation and that's translated in people being
really sick in Somerset. So we needed to do something different and the
Tier 4 restrictions will hopefully deliver that for us.
AB 03:19
But we recognise that's gonna have an impact on people's lives.
And you know, we're waking up on a really cold icy morning, so the real
ask of our population is to really look after people around you, don't
meet them physically but reach out to them and make sure they've got
groceries and they're warm enough. And use the Coronavirus Helpline if
you're on your own and you need help.
03:46 CT
It was one thing when we were in lockdown in Summer and Spring and the
weather was nice and it's very different when we've got long nights,
we've got very cold weather as well. You've mentioned there about the
cases, about there being around 1300 new cases. Is the infection rate,
do we know if that's still growing, I know you said about Christmas
coming up as well, what do we know more about the infection rate?
04:10 AB
Yeah, so our 7 day rate has increased dramatically since so we're up to
231 per 100,000 population in 7 days. The national average is about 400
so we're closer to that which is a very different picture. And currently
our cases are doubling in about 2 weeks. So we will expect to see this
trend increasing for probably another week, maybe 2, looking at the
incubation period. But then this effect of the lockdown will take a
week or two to have its effect, so cases will probably continue to rise
for a week or two but then the lockdown will take effect and hopefully
by stopping people coming into contact with each other, we will be
breaking the chain of infection which is down to each and every one of
us. Every time we meet someone, we run the risk of coming into contact
with the virus and using all those prevention measures - the wearing the
 mask, the washing the hands, the keeping the physical distance between
 us, will really try and break the chain. So if you do have a
 reasonable excuse to go, be that at work, or education, or visiting
 your support bubble, erm, really remember the preventative measures
 as well. Because just because you CAN do something, we want people to
 think twice about whether they should be doing things. Erm, every time
 we mingle, every time we mix with someone or meet someone, we give the
 virus a chance of spreading.
05:51 CT
How worried are you about how bad things could get, if people
don't stick to the rules? We heard in Taunton with Alex a bit earlier on
 there were people who were completely disappointed, can't go and
 celebrate, people who feel strongly enough will continue to do it, even
  against the rules. How bad could that be for Somerset?
06:13 AB
I think we know that our population has been really good. They've done
everything we've asked of them. They recognise that the County Council
and the NHS can do everything we can but it is down to each and every
individual. And they've been really good to date. So we're relying on
them listening to the rules and sticking to those but our colleagues
in the Police are issuing enforcement notices. And they will come down
on people that break the rules, though there are significant fines, I
think £1,000 I've heard mentioned if you're in contravention of the
rules. That's a massive amount of money and would be, hopefully people
will do the right thing. There is that threat in the background there,
that disincentive, if you are caught breaking the rules. It's in all of
our interest to try and stick to the rules. Let's get through this
together and have a brighter 2021. We've got the new vaccine registered.
And you know, hopefully 2021 will be a brighter year. We've just got
to get through this sticky period now. And we need everyone to help us.
Yes, I think the population has been brilliant.
07:31 CT
You mentioned the vaccine there Alison. Where would you like to see that
prioritised in Somerset?
07:36 AB
Well it's not down to me sadly. It's down to a National Committee but
I think they've taken, they're experts and are prioritising it to the
elderly, people in care homes, and our health and care staff. And as you
know, that's already being rolled out in Somerset. We've got the new
vaccine that was registered yesterday. And that's really good news.
That will mean we can reach more people with the vaccine more quickly.
08:07 CT
We know there's been a particularly high rate of Covid in Axbridge. It
seems to be a breakout there, a small town in the County. Do we know
what's behind that and what measures are being taken to try and stop
that?
08:21 AB
Yeah, what we've said all along with this virus is it really does
cluster and you see these little peaks come up in small communities or
areas and you know we've done focussed work in West Somerset before and
in Sedgemoor. So I think it's just Axbridge's turn. We've got a couple
of settings there with outbreaks and the leaders of those settings are
doing everything we ask them and the people that are affected by those
have been communicated with. But I think it is time for the population
in Axbridge to understand that they have got quite a high rate and to
really stick to the rules. We go back to the hands, space, face message
again (laughs nervously).
09:08 CT
We've heard about schools yesterday set to re-open later in January for
most pupils to help cut the transmission rate and to help schools to
prepare for mass testing. That's what we've heard. A lot of schools
have welcomed this. Is that another effort to try and stem the spread
of it that you welcome at the Public Health team?
09:31 AB
Yeah that's an interesting question. So I think our schools in Somerset
have done a fantastic job working to minimise childrens' time away from
education and maximise their learning. As parents and grandparents and
guardians, we've all got a role, don't send children to school with
symptoms. And if your children are in close contact with a case, please
don't send them to school, because they might be incubating the
infection. In terms of the school testing, we've actually got a
meeting with education leaders later on today to talk about the testing
guidance that was released at the end of term last year and see how
that's gonna be developed. It's a voluntary initiative in terms of the
testing and we need to decide carefully as to how we make that
available.
10:24 CT
Alison thanks for your time, I'm sure we'll get the latest from the
meeting as more news becomes available about the testing in schools.
Alison Bell there, Public Health Consultant at Somerset County Council.