CHESHIRE East Council leader Sam Corcoran claims it is "disgraceful" the government won't allow councils to meet remotely as Covid cases soar.

The Sandbach Heath councillor said it was "one rule for MPs and Parliament and another for the rest of us" as he urged the government to let all councils hold decision-making meetings remotely.

"I think it's disgraceful the government is still not allowing remote council meetings. These worked very well during the first lockdowns and they not only reduce the risk of spreading Covid, they also saved on travel time, expense and reduced carbon emissions by reduced travel." Cllr Corcoran told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It's one rule for them and another rule for the rest of us. The government does allow remote attendance in Parliament, so why can't they allow it for council meetings?"

Last week nearly 100 people were at the full meeting of Cheshire East Council at Crewe Lifestyle Centre.

The council has 82 councillors – although not all were present at the meeting – but there is also a requirement for some officers to attend as well.

There were also members of the public present who had been listed to ask questions.

With regard to the latest findings regarding the Omicron variant of the virus, Cllr Corcoran said while it was good news the data shows it causes milder illness than the Delta, it is important people don't become complacent because of how quickly it transmits.

"Because we're going to get very, very high numbers in January, the hospitals could still be overloaded," he said.

"So I want to try and get the message out – yes, it is good news about Omicron, but that doesn't mean you can go to a party and not bother about all the normal social distancing stuff."