Teaching staff should be prioritised for vaccine, MP tells ministers

In Parliament last night, South Lakes MP Tim Farron urged ministers to include teaching staff in the priority lists for the COVID-19 vaccines.

Tim also pushed for more vaccination centres in rural areas in the South Lakes so people who are elderly or have mobility issues are able to access the vaccine more easily.

Speaking during a debate on Public Health, Tim said: "The vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel. It is wonderful and I pay tribute to everyone involved in making that come to be and in administering the vaccines as we speak.

"However, the Government are making that tunnel a little bit longer than they need to.

"It is clear that supply of vaccine to places in South Cumbria is not as fulsome as it might be. Places such as Sedbergh and Windermere have not yet got vaccination centres. Those sites need to be approved.

"I also want to say that as our teachers are teaching the children of key workers, they should also be vaccinated as a priority."