South Ribble seeks private Covid tests as shortages bite in the borough

Paul Foster said he had made the move after it emerged that residents were struggling to book tests via the national system – even if they are displaying coronavirus symptoms.

That is in spite of the only permanent testing facility in the Lancashire County Council area now actually being located within the borough at the park and ride site in Walton-le-Dale.

“I’m beginning to get uptight and angry about this – because you get the feeling that things are out of control,” Cllr Foster said.

“You’ve got kids in South Ribble being sent home from school - and because you don’t know whether it’s a cold or coronavirus, they’ve got to stay at home for 14 days as they can’t get a test.

“You’ve got hardworking parents in the same position - and the whole of South Ribble is going to come to a grinding halt if we don’t get this sorted out.”

Unlike neighbouring Preston, South Ribble does not have any walk-in testing facilities, because it is not classed as an “area of intervention” by the government. That means that its residents are only eligible for a test when they are displaying symptoms.

Demand on the facilities in Preston has meant that they are restricted to residents in the city council area – leaving people in South Ribble with the option of the appointment-only drive-through centre at Walton-le-Dale or the possibility of a mobile testing unit arriving in the borough. However, earlier this week, a public health official at County Hall told a health scrutiny committee meeting that such facilities are either "switched off or at very low capacity", because of issues in the national testing system.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that there was a steady flow of vehicles passing through the Walton-le-Dale site on Wednesday lunchtime for pre-booked appointments - but not at a comparable rate to the more than 600 who turned up for a test at Preston's two walk-in facilities on Monday alone.

Meanwhile, Covid cases in South Ribble have almost doubled in a week – with 58 recorded in the seven days to 12th September, compared to 32 the week before. That gives the district a case rate of 52.4 per 100,000 people over the same period.

Cllr Foster says he fears the data shows that country is already “in the midst of a second wave” – and that is why South Ribble wants to take matters into its own hands.

“Our residents need tests - I can’t guarantee the quantity we might be able to get, but we’re going to look at it.

“That’s what the council is here for, to support the community – so if the government can’t supply the tests, then we’ll try to,”

“This isn’t about political point-scoring – but we’ve got to be frank and honest with our residents, because you can sense that people have had enough and tempers are getting frayed.

“But this isn’t going to be fixed quickly,” said Cllr Foster, who also floated the idea of sharing any private capacity the authority can find with other districts in Central Lancashire.