CHESHIRE'S political leaders are caught between a rock and a hard place — on one side requests for more resources and powers to curb the second wave of the coronavirus have gone unanswered.

On the other, wheels are starting to be set in motion on how the authorities will lead their respective boroughs' post-Covid recoveries.

Ultimately, the apparent lack of clarity from the government means any more robusts responses to the second wave — either short or long term — are on pause.

So, where are we now and what should we expect?

Why are local leaders angry?

There has been growing anger that local leaders have not been consulted over any more restrictions being imposed on them ever since Greater Manchester saw a ban on household mixing in July.

That was announced on Twitter on the eve of Eid, and drew ire from mayor Andy Burnham.That's not where the problem has stopped, though — Burnham's namesake, Andy Preston, Mayor of Middlesborough took to Twitter last week to 'defy' the newly imposed measures, claiming they were 'based on ignorance' and a 'frightening lack of communication'. 

Since then, Preston has asked residents to follow the rules, but that anger was re-ignited by the leaked plan to possibly close pubs and restaurants in the north earlier this week.

While not under any extra measures, Cheshire is in a more serious state than a lot of the south of England, being listed on the government's watchlist as an 'area of concern'.

In responding to the borough's rising infection rate, Cheshire West and Chester leader Cllr Louise Gittins, wrote to the Department for Health asking for extra restrictions to be placed on the borough.

A few days ago, Cllr Gittins said the authority expects a decision this week on that request, adding the council feel even stricter measures will need to be implemented in the future if cases continue to rise.

She also co-signed a detailed, nine page document along with Cheshire East leader Cllr Sam Corcoran asking for a package of support measures totalling £45 million — according to CWAC Chief Executive Andrew Lewis — which Cllr Corcoran says outlines what is necessary to bring the outbreak under control.

Additionally, Cllr Corcoran and his deputy, Cllr Craig Browne, wrote to the same government department on September 22 asking for more enforcement powers.

Those requests have gone unanswered, according to Cllr Corcoran who posted another video message to Twitter last Friday.

He added: "The sooner we act, the easier it is to bring the outbreak under control, and the fewer measures will be needed — so the delays are frustrating."

And this is the key point: council leaders do not want to be a sitting duck at all, but without some help from upstairs, there's not much that can be changed on the ground in terms of enforcement and support.

What's the next step?

Immediately, it's to hear back and see if Cheshire will see a household mixing ban — akin to Warrington and Merseyside — which was mooted at CWAC's outbreak board.

Further down the line, CWAC has also published a draft of its pandemic renewal plan, with Cllr Gittins saying in the foreword: "This is an opportunity for a reset – a fundamental change and [the plan] will focus on a renewal of the way that society, the council and our economy works."

It focuses on the climate emergency, and long-term public health, as well as the economic recovery strategy.

That aspect details how the council is working with the local enterprise partnerships to provide free online learning to help re-skill newly redundant residents, and support a series of job fairs.

Further afield, CWAC is also placing regeneration of town centres — including Winsford — at the heart of its strategy.

It will be discussed by a scrutiny committee next week before going to the full cabinet in November.

CEC has yet to unveil its own recovery plan.

Between a rock and a hard place

While it is refreshing to hear mention of a post-Covid world, it is still premature to think that councils are gearing back up for normal life.

That's because the local focus remains on bringing in three things from Westminster to Cheshire: More support for both boroughs' businesses, restrictions in CWAC, and enforcement powers in CEC.