IN this week’s column – submitted before the Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement – Labour Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols discusses the new restrictions for the town.

When Tier 3 restrictions were introduced in Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region it felt like a grim inevitability to many that Warrington would not be far behind, with this eventually confirmed last Friday.

This is an immensely difficult time for all of us and I will do all I can as your MP to ensure that nobody loses hope. What gives me hope is the knowledge that so many in Warrington will go the extra mile to support one another in these times.

Holding the Government to account on your behalf, I will press them to be transparent with an exit strategy for Warrington, setting clear criteria for us to go back to Tier 2, and eventually Tier 1.

People will rightly feel aggrieved if decisions are being made on a whim, but a clear exit strategy will give us something to work towards and inevitably increase compliance with the rules and the hope of our town.

I will also push for far greater support to tackle the mental health crisis that these restrictions are causing in affected areas.

In addition, I will continue to fight to ensure that Warrington gets a fair financial package to support our local economy get through these restrictions.

The Government have thrown some figures into a spreadsheet in Whitehall and come up with a figure of £5.9 million for Warrington. This is nowhere near enough for our town.

Last week the Chancellor made a series of economic changes to job support programmes. Some of these are good- including backdated grants for businesses in Tier 2.

However, for too many businesses in Warrington this is simply too late. When they needed certainty weeks ago, the Government shrugged its shoulders and walked on by.

That was until the restrictions were introduced in London and then thing started to change. The programme is also far too little. The furlough scheme will still pay just two thirds of wages for those who cannot work. For many hospitality workers in Warrington this is simply not enough to live on.

Throughout the process the Government have showed a total disrespect for our town. When organising briefings for local MPs on new restrictions I was invited to the one for the Liverpool City Region, despite Warrington never having been in the LCR.

This disrespect was only compounded by the decision to appoint Claire Fox to the House of Lords. She was introduced to the Upper House this month and although Boris Johnson had the final say on it he chose not to block it.

The difficulty of these times for working people is only compounded by the Government’s callous decision not to follow Marcus Rashford’s recommendation to extend the provision of free school meals over half term and the Christmas holidays.

In my speech to the House of Commons on the issue I paid tribute to the amazing work done by Warrington Foodbank, The Station House Foodbank and Friends of Meadowside who help to support the 4,500 children in Warrington North who are eligible for Free School Meals.

Listening to the debate, I was reminded why I came into politics- it was upsetting to hear negative stereotypes and a lack of empathy for those struggling from Government MPs who just don't understand.

But what gave me hope was seeing the incredible generosity of local people in stepping up where the Government failed and offering to provide support to children on Free School Meals.

What also gave me hope was that this month the Tim Parry Jonathan Ball Peace Foundation received the £125,000 grant it needed to be able to continue its amazing work.

As your MP I will continue to champion the Centre in Parliament and ensure that there is a long-term solution for its funding.