Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) powers and (b) guidance has been given to Local Authorities to enable local lockdowns in the event of an increase in covid-19 cases in their local area.

My Department has been working with the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) and the Department of Health and Social Care to develop a framework for the local management of further outbreaks. In addition, all upper tier local authorities have been asked to develop local outbreak control plans based on the existing statutory responsibilities of their Directors of Public Health. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, alongside other relevant Departments, is considering whether further powers are required for local authorities to manage future outbreaks in line with these plans.