York Police and Council: #LetKeyWorkersWork!

York Police and Council

Dear friends and supporters of the IWGB,

In this time of crisis, our members are reliant on your digital activism to help their voices be heard.

Please sign our petition to urge the City of York Council & North Yorkshire Police to: (1) Cancel the recent fines on local couriers who are recognised as KEY WORKERS, and (2) Allow these couriers access to the city centre to carry out their duties. Couriers are performing a vital service delivering to those shielding and self-isolating right now.

We really need as many of you as possible to:

1. Sign the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/yorkfines/

2. Share it on social media with your #LetKeyWorkersWork selfie,

3. Tag 3 friends to do the same!

Some background information:

Local couriers have recently been issued with £50 fines by North Yorkshire Police for carrying out deliveries by bicycle, in the city centre. These fines can be an entire day’s wage. Couriers had been told by both council and police staff that they were allowed to cycle in the otherwise restricted area during lockdown because enforcement had been relaxed.

On the 18th April, IWGB member Ethan Bradley was mishandled and threatened with arrest by a PSCO who wasn’t wearing PPE, potentially exposing Ethan, and the public, to the virus. After a public backlash, a letter of support from York Central MP Rachel Maskell and extensive media coverage, North Yorkshire Police and the City of York Council have resorted to claiming restrictions were never lifted and shifting responsibility onto one another. This is completely unacceptable!

These workers have been risking their health for pitiful wages in order to provide an invaluable service to members of the public, and are rightly classified as key workers. The City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police should rescind the fines, clarify the rules and lift the access restrictions for key workers, as previously promised.

The IWGB welcomes future discussions with the City of York Council about future access to the City Centre. For now though, the CYC and NYP should #LetKeyWorkersWork.

Many thanks, stay safe and please continue your invaluable support!

The IWGB Couriers and Logistics Branch


To: York Police and Council
From: [Your Name]

To York Police & Council,

We, the undersigned, ask that without further delay, you:

1. Cancel fines handed to couriers who are recognised KEY WORKERS,
2. Allow these couriers access to the city centre to carry out their integral duties.

Couriers are providing essential services to vulnerable people and those shielding during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

#LetKeyWorkersWork.