THE leader of the Conservatives on St Helens Council has revealed he would have preferred the region to remain under Tier 3 restrictions to avoid complacency setting in.

On Thursday, the government announced that the Liverpool City Region, which St Helens is a part of, would be moving from Tier 3 to Tier 2 when the national lockdown ends next week.

City region leaders were quietly confident enough progress had been made in reducing infection rates since the tougher restrictions came into force in mid-October to justify the switch.

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The infection had rate already began to fall before the new restrictions were introduced, and have continued to fall ever since, albeit at a slower pace than our city region neighbours.

In the week to November 21, the rolling seven-day infection rate has dropped to 184.4 per 100,000 people, down from 290.2 a week earlier.

Following the announcement, Allan Jones, leader of the St Helens Conservatives, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he fears the move to Tier 2 could be “counter-productive” if people start to get complacent.

Cllr Jones said: “We are grateful to all those who are complying with the instructions, but until everybody does that we have still got the chance of it rising again.

“I do hope that complacency doesn’t set in because we seem to be doing well in the city region.”

Cllr Jones, who represents Rainford, said he is “grateful” for the work that has been carried out at a city region level, led by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram

But he said at a national level, Labour need to work with the government “100 per cent of the time”, accusing opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer of changing his mind on a daily basis.

Cllr Jones stressed the importance of the entire country moving in one direction to drive the crucial reproduction (R) number down and stamp out Covid-19 once and for all.

Cllr Jones said: “We’re going along with the government’s recommendations – they are going along with scientific advice.

“I can see why we’re in Tier 2, although St Helens is a semi high-risk area at the moment. Probably, I would have preferred to have stayed in Tier 3, but I’m open to anything.

“What we need to do more than anything is work together, the whole country, in stamping out this coronavirus.

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“As long as people do not follow the recommendation of hands, face, space, until everybody is doing that it’s going to be very difficult, whatever Tier you are in, stopping it from spreading.

“We’ve got to get that R below 1.

“We just want to bring Covid down, bring the R down below 1, whatever it takes, and we’ve got to get these vaccinations coming through as soon as is humanly possible.”