Bristol City Council is working out what level of financial support the city would need if it moves to Tier 2 or Tier 3 restrictions.
The mayor, Marvin Rees, announced on Wednesday (October 28) the city would be moving to ‘Tier 1 plus’ status - a local approach including new targeted measures, such as Covid marshals who will “encourage compliance”.
Mr Rees said if the new measures don't work then Bristol faced the "inevitable prospect" of Tiers 2 and 3.
Speaking at a press conference, he said he wanted to “initiate conversations” with the government so it "knows what Bristol’s businesses and people need".
“It is keeping jobs and businesses alive through this that we will have the pieces in places for our economic recovery - an inclusive and sustainable recovery,” said Mr Rees.
“It’s a challenging time for us at the moment. The cases in the city have been growing very quickly. We have to look at actions we are going to take to keep us safe and from the consequences of lockdown.”
He added: “Tiers 2 and 3 we would like to avoid. If we have to go into those tiers then that’s the path we will have to take.”
The mayor said he’d had discussions with leaders from the Core Cities - an advocacy group of large regional cities including Bristol, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield - about initiating conversations with the government over financial support.
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He also said he’d spoken to Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council, which was put into Tier 3 last week.
“[He] has been in the heart of things up north with Andy [Burnham]. We talked about how we are going to talk to national government,” he said.
“We are looking at the increasing likelihood of people facing dire situations in their finances.”
The mayor said Bristol would also be talking to the Department of Health and Social Care, neighbouring local authorities, the NHS, and Public Health England about the city’s position and how to “plan our way forward.”
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According to the council, the South West R number remains at a range of 1.3 to 1.6, meaning every 10 people with the virus pass it onto an average of 13 to 16 people.
There have been a total of 5,339 cases in Bristol to date, Mr Rees said, with 1,579 reported over the last seven days.
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He said the city was now above the average rate (222.8 cases per 100,000 people) for England, with Bristol standing at 340.70 cases per 100,000 people.
Bristol’s economic recovery
Bristol City Council has launched an economic recovery plan as it battles to remain within national Tier 1 restriction levels.
The local authority’s Economic Recovery and Renewal Strategy is built around three priorities: people and labour markets; business and investment; and Bristol’s places.
More than 300 businesses and organisations have contributed to the proposal, according to the council, which said its strategy was bench-marked against UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr Rees said: “As Bristol faces the deepest economic depression since the 1930s it is imperative that we work together now to do all we can to keep those working to stay in work, help businesses to stay open, and provide new opportunities for those who are unemployed.
“The scale of the challenge presented by Covid-19 is significant and testing every system in our city. Livelihoods are being devastated. We must support business, promote innovation and work to attract new and established businesses into the city.
“We must stimulate the economy with infrastructure and regeneration projects that offer jobs, homes and investment opportunities to the city.
“It is without doubt that working in collaboration with businesses and partners across the city was, and will continue to be, a key strength and foundation of Bristol’s long-term economic response and recovery.”
The local authority said it was planning to allocate £10million over the next two years to help businesses and residents facing the “immediate challenges” posed by Covid-19.
James Durie, chief executive of Bristol Chamber of Commerce at Business West, added: "The next step is to develop an action plan, setting out how we will meet these priorities, how much it will cost, when it will be achieved by, and who will need to get involved.
“Answering these questions will help make this more than just a document, and bring the One City Approach to life, but it will take a concerted effort from many different city partners working together.
"We are convinced that together, the city’s economy will not only be recovered, but renewed.”