Sign the Petition: Let local people run test & trace

The government’s approach to test and trace in England is in chaos. SAGE, the government’s own scientific advisory committee, has said that the test and trace system is only having a ‘marginal impact’ on the transmission of Covid-19.

Rather than using the knowledge of local government and the NHS, the government has outsourced the test and trace programme to private companies with little healthcare expertise.

It is vital that we have an effective test and trace system to avoid ongoing lockdowns – but the government’s approach is failing badly. We need a different approach, as called for by Independent SAGE and Sir David King, a former Government Chief Scientific Officer, of using the public sector through local government and the NHS.

It is time for the local NHS and councils to run test and trace. This approach is supported by Labour, the Mayors of London, Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City region and many others at the frontline of dealing with Covid. Open Labour has launched a petition calling for this.

Click here to sign Open Labour’s petition calling for test and trace to be run by the local NHS and councils. 

Councillor George Lindars-Hammond, a councillor on Sheffield City Council, says:

“An effective test and trace system is vital to being able to loosen the Covid lockdowns but the government’s approach to it is failing. The local NHS and local councils need to have control over the running of the test and test system, rather than continuing to waste money on private companies.”

Petition supporters

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford, Chair of the Open Labour councillors network
Councillor Alice Perry, Islington Borough Council and Labour Party National Executive Committee
Councillor George Lindars-Hammond, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, Sheffield City Council
Councillor Ben Curran, Sheffield City Council
Councillor Adèle Douglas, Manchester City Council
Councillor Marcus Johns, Manchester City Council
Councillor James Roberts, Liverpool City Council
Councillor Gillian Wood, Wirral Council
Councillor Liam O’Rourke, Rochdale Borough Council
Councillor James Barber, Cheshire East Council
Ann Black, Labour NEC candidate
Omar Salem, Open Labour National Committee
Amrita Rose, Open Labour National Committee
Abi Barinski, Open Labour National Committee