Cheshire East leader Sam Corcoran has said it's 'disgraceful' the Government won't allow councils to meet remotely as Covid cases soar.

Cllr Corcoran (Sandbach Heath, Lab) said it's one rule for MPs and Parliament 'and another for the rest of us'.

And he urged the Government to let all councils hold decision-making meetings remotely.

"I think it's disgraceful that the Government is still not allowing remote council meetings," Cllr Corcoran told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"These worked very well during the first lockdowns and they not only reduce the risk of spreading Covid, they also saved on travel time, expense and reduced carbon emissions by reduced travel.

"It's one rule for them and another rule for the rest of us as the Government does allow remote attendance in Parliament, so why can't they allow it for council meetings?"

Last week nearly 100 people were at the full meeting of Cheshire East Council at Crewe Lifestyle Centre.

The council has 82 councillors – although not all were present – but there is also a requirement for some officers to attend as well.

Members of the public who wanted to ask questions were also there.

With regard to the latest findings regarding the Omicron variant of the virus, Cllr Corcoran said while it was good news the data shows it causes milder illness than the Delta, it is important people don't become complacent because of how quickly it transmits.

"Because we're going to get very, very high numbers in January, the hospitals could still be overloaded," he said.

"So I want to try and get the message out – yes, it is good news about Omicron, but that doesn't mean you can go to a party and not bother about all the normal social distancing stuff."