Covid-19 vaccine ‘will get us out of this emergency’ says Mid Sussex Lib Dems

And it is great the UK has two of them, the political party added.

Councillor Robert Eggleston, Mid Sussex Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesman, said: “I suspect many of us enter this third lockdown with a sense of grim resignation because we know it is our best hope of controlling the virus until the vaccine is rolled out in any scale.

“My heart goes out to everyone in Mid Sussex who have been seriously ill or lost loved ones due to Covid-19 and those whose mental wellbeing has suffered.

“I share the frustration of many people at the way that the Government has consistently been reacting to events rather than anticipating them and making too many mis-steps in dealing with the virus because the situation we face now was entirely predictable well before Christmas.”

Mr Eggleston called for an independent examination of the Government’s handling of the pandemic.

But, he said, getting through the medical emergency – and we will, he said, is only one part of the battle.

“We need a national recovery plan which delivers for Mid Sussex as much as it would for Middlesborough or Merthyr Tydfil,” Mr Eggleston added.

“It would include measures to safeguard businesses and improve high streets, improve mental health, and invest in the lost months of education.”

Mr Eggleston said a national recovery plan would include the following:

- An extension of the Covid-19 business rates relief scheme for a further 12 months so that high street businesses are not suddenly faced with a rates shock;

- A phased approach to the repayment of deferred corporation tax and value added tax liabilities to protect business cash flows;

- An extension of the government’s £4bn levelling up fund and a new funding round for High Streets, culture, leisure and hospitality all of which should be available to Mid Sussex;

- New private-public partnership schemes to enable town centre projects, such as the redevelopment of the Martlets Shopping Centre in Burgess Hill, which the pandemic has made very difficult to deliver;

- With antidepressant use at a record high, a significant financial boost to mental health services in communities, schools and colleges so that there is guaranteed timely access to professional counselling, support and medical help;

- Consolidation of the temporary universal credit increase of £20 per week so that it becomes permanent and a scheme of support for the 3 million working people that have been excluded from all covid19 financial support measures;

- An education support plan that gives pupils and students in schools and colleges the chance to make up for their lost months of education through a programme of publicly funded additional study.

In response, councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, leader of Mid Sussex Conservatives, said: “The Covid-19 vaccination programme is a great light at the end of the tunnel to protect people from the global pandemic, and the UK has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

“The roll out will greatly accelerate in the coming weeks as more vaccine becomes available.

“The last year has been incredibly hard for people, with the impacts on health, social isolation and the economy very real.

“The Conservative Government has put unprecedented support in place to help protect jobs and livelihoods.

“The furlough scheme has helped to save huge numbers of jobs, a business rate holiday is in place for the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors and Bounce Back Loans have provided emergency financial support for businesses.

“In Mid Sussex, the district council has now issued over £25million of grants to support local businesses on behalf of the Government and our discretionary business grant scheme specifically supports those not eligible for other support packages.”