Council leaders have welcomed the news that 200 local contact tracing partnerships have now been set up across England.

Another 100 local schemes are also in the process of being implemented, to work alongside NHS Test and Trace.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: ‘It is great to see councils continue to take the lead to tackle the spread of COVID-19. More than 200 councils have now launched their own locally-supported contact tracing arrangements, which continue to reach the vast majority of complex cases assigned to them.

’As we battle to get through this winter and reduce transmission of the virus, it is vital that we build on these successful local schemes to address the current limitations of the national NHS Test and Trace system.’

The LGA is calling for councils to receive clearer and more precise information on who they should be contacting, and increased funding for contract tracing.