At midnight London will enter Tier 2 of COVID restrictions.
This means that from Saturday morning you will no longer be able to mix with others outside of your household in any indoor setting – including pubs and restaurants. Cases are continuing to rise at an alarming rate, including in Hackney. Please continue to be vigilant against the virus and if you can spend money in local businesses, please do. See here for the latest COVID-19 data for Hackney and London, and see here for the latest Government guidance.
Also this week I challenged the most senior civil servant at the Department for Transport over the removal of free travel for under-18s in London. I made clear free travel is a lifeline for cash-strapped families. Paying for travel is a cost many simply can't afford to backfill. I am also clear there are safety considerations that must be taken into account; many parents specifically choose bus routes so their children will be safe from gangs. I'll continue to press the case.
And I chaired a National Association of Headteachers panel on education funding. I raised concerns about the decade of cuts to school funding and the money schools will need to remain COVID-secure.