GREEN councillors have been accused of fuelling vaccine hesitancy amid the rise of the Omicron variant - with questions raised over how many of them have received the Covid jab.

The Greens have hit back after Conservatives claimed it was unclear if all members of the ruling administration had received the coronavirus vaccine.

Councillor Samer Bagaeen accused the party of being "quiet" when it came to the Covid jab - suggesting that they needed to "set an example by campaigning for the vaccination programme".

The Greens say Cllr Bagaeen has "politicised" a national programme led by the NHS, branding his comments as "deeply irresponsible".

Figures on how many of the city's 54 representatives have been vaccinated could not be provided to The Argus, as this information is regarded by the council as personal.

Cllr Bagaeen, a member of the health and wellbeing board, said: "After one year of the vaccination drive in the UK, we can now clearly see where the gaps in our defence lie, and Brighton and Hove is a glaring example.

"As we have seen in other places where vaccine hesitancy has been overcome, the role of local leadership is crucial, it’s time the administration got their act together and set an example by campaigning for the vaccination programme.

"In order to turn around Brighton and Hove’s low vaccination rates and overcome Brighton’s vaccine hesitancy, it may help if Green administration councillors are seen to be leading from the front in getting their own vaccines.

The Argus: The Greens say they have been "absolutely clear" on their position and Cllr Bagaeen's comments are "irresponsible".The Greens say they have been "absolutely clear" on their position and Cllr Bagaeen's comments are "irresponsible".

"Green social media accounts, usually a-buzz with self-reflective posts, remain fairly quiet on this topic.

"This is more important now than ever given the potentially more transmissible nature of Omicron and certainly more important then public posturing about masks."

Cllr Bagaeen's claims come as official data shows that 215,103 people in the city have been given a first dose of the vaccine by the end of 28 November, with 196,066 people getting double jabbed.

He pointed out that this is lower than figures for the UK on the whole, with around 60,000 residents yet to have either jab.

The Greens claim he has "incorrectly interpreted" national data and that "rates in the city are on par with areas with similar demographics, particularly those with a high student population".

Meanwhile, new figures suggest that just two in five people aged 50 and over in Brighton and Hove have received an extra dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

The booster is now set to be offered to all over-18s in the UK to help stop a potential wave of infections driven by the new Omicron variant.

Green councillor Sue Shanks, chairwoman of the health and wellbeing board, said: "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our NHS in promoting the national vaccine campaign in our city.

The Argus: Cllr Samer Bagaeen and Cllr Sue ShanksCllr Samer Bagaeen and Cllr Sue Shanks

"It’s deeply irresponsible, particularly in light of concerns about the Omicron variant, that Cllr Bagaeen has not used his position to help promote the benefits of vaccination, and has instead politicised what is a national vaccine programme led by the NHS.

“We’ve been absolutely clear on our position – the pandemic is not over and we need to do everything possible to protect the most vulnerable and our NHS, including encouraging take up of the vaccine.

"All councillors should be doing this – regardless of their political affiliation.”

Cllr Shanks said Green councillors had taken a number of steps to encourage vaccinations, including on social media.

She said the Conservatives had "unhelpfully used their time to object to even basic preventative measures like advice to wear masks in meetings".

Cllr Bagaeen also accused the Greens of "hesitancy in returning to full council meetings and in opening up the town halls to our residents".

A council spokesman said all meetings were being held in person in accordance with current regulations, with the exception of some licensing panels which are allowed to meet virtually.

He said the last full council meeting ended when a councillor tested positive for Covid.

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