Birmingham councillors in call to prioritise fuel for key workers

Such workers had provided "an essential lifeline" during the pandemic, council leader Ian Ward said

Key workers providing essential support should get priority access to fuel amid the current crisis, the leader of the UK's largest local authority said.

Birmingham City Council's Ian Ward said the cabinet wanted social workers, care workers, home-to-school transport teams and day centre staff prioritised.

The council asked for measures introduced during the fuel crisis of September 2000 to be replicated.

The UK fuel situation was starting to improve, PM Boris Johnson has said.

Some 37% of the forecourts represented by the Petrol Retailers Association were reportedly out of petrol on Tuesday - down from two-thirds on Sunday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A letter from the Labour-run council, also signed by cabinet members Paulette Hamilton, Sharon Thompson and Waseem Zaffar, has been sent to the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

The council said some of its staff should be treated like NHS staff, teachers and other professions, because "these workers provide essential support to people across Birmingham and the wider UK".

They urged Mr Shapps to "replicate measures introduced during the fuel crisis of September 2000 - designating specific filling stations for essential workers".

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged motorists to fill up their cars in the "normal way" and said the situation on the forecourts was "stabilising".

The Petrol Retailers Association also said there were "early signs" the pressure was starting to ease after days of queues and pump closures.

Labour said the government had let the country "crash from crisis to crisis".