Covid: Hull City Hall to become mass vaccine centre

Work is due to begin on Monday 8 February to transform Hull City Hall into a mass vaccination hub

Hull City Hall is to be transformed into a Covid-19 mass vaccination centre serving East Yorkshire.

The city council confirmed the move after a homelessness charity was told it would no longer be able to operate from the steps of the building.

At present, the nearest Covid-19 mass vaccination centre is 40 miles away at a former park and ride site in York.

Other mass vaccination centres in Yorkshire are currently in Wakefield, Sheffield, Bradford and Huddersfield.

Work to prepare the Hull centre will begin on Monday 8 February, but no official opening date has been confirmed.

However, the BBC has been contacted by local residents saying they had been offered vaccination appointments at Hull City Hall on Wednesday 10 February.

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The Raise The Roof Hull Homeless Project, which provides food, advice and support, has been operating a hub in Queen Victoria Square on the steps of Hull City Hall, but will now relocate.

A council spokesperson said: "Work is currently under way to convert Hull City Hall into a mass vaccination centre as we continue to respond to the Covid-19 crisis.

"Unfortunately, as part of this important work, this group can no longer operate from the steps of City Hall."

Across the UK, almost 11 million people have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine up to 5 February, with 506,000 having had a second dose.