All low income and vulnerable in Milton Keynes must be provided with free face masks, says councillor

Shery Delfani, who is on West Bletchley Town Council says poverty levels are increasing in MK as Covid continues to strike.

"We know of many cases where the families cannot afford to feed themselves and so buying face masks and hand sanitisers is simply a luxury. But because it is now a legal requirement, I believe that we have a duty to protect our community from breaking the law," she said.

"I am very concerned about the how Covid-19 seems to be spiralling out of control, we are all having to brace for tougher restrictions but there still seems to be critical issues around PPE. "

Shery is currently in talks with several councillors and they have agreed to talk to others to see if they can help with funds from their parish budgets.

"Councillor Mohammed Khan, the deputy Mayor, has even suggested that a distribution point for the masks would be via the Food Banks and community centres. If we have the resources and support, we could extend our work to support with care homes, schools and private nursing homes."

Another issue Shery wants to address is "Covid waste".

She said: "Gloves, masks and bottles of hand sanitiser are set become an environmental nightmare after millions around the world have turned to single-use plastics to combat the coronavirus. An estimated 194 billion disposable masks and gloves are being used worldwide every month."