“We have all seen the worrying rise in cases of Coronavirus across the country, so it is right that if the current restrictions are not proving to be enough, that the government considers every option available to protect people and stop the spread of the virus.

“However, if they are going to force another shutdown of the hospitality industry and a ban on all social gatherings, then they need to put in place proper financial support for councils and local public health teams, for business to prevent them from going under and to stop thousands of people losing their jobs through no fault of their own.

“To be effective, any announcement on further local restrictions or local lockdowns has to come with clear messaging and a package of measures to protect jobs and support the local economy, including a local furlough scheme, financial support for businesses and support for the self-employed – many of whom have not received any help at all since this crisis began.”