Trafford’s Labour leader has joined forces with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and voiced his commitment to end new cases of HIV within a decade.

Trafford Council leader, Cllr Andrew Western, penned a letter to Sajid Javid MP, expressing his support for the government’s ‘HIV Action Plan’ that includes £20m worth of funding.

A move supported by his colleague, Cllr Jane Slater, Executive member for Health, Wellbeing and Equalities.

The money will pay towards providing opt-out testing in areas that have very high virus cases in addition to finding the 4,660 undiagnosed people living with HIV in England.

However, it is understood that while every NHS hospital in London will benefit from the financial package – some northern cities may not – despite those undiagnosed being twice as likely to live outside the capital.

In a joint statement, Cllrs Western and Slater, said: “If we are going to beat this – and end new cases of HIV by 2030 – we need to work together. The data is clear and opt-out testing works, but it only works if the DHSC and NHS England agree to level-up on their HIV ambitions and testing infrastructure.

“The current financial model is not fair or equal to all high prevalence areas – and that needs to change.

“There is, however, much to learn from the successful HIV testing operation in London, but we will only meet our goal as one country.

“There cannot be further delay.”

Opt-out testing has been hugely effective in parts of the UK and has been recommended by the British HIV Association and British Association of HIV and Sexual Health since 2016, and included within current NICE guidelines on HIV testing.

Those with traditionally the worst HIV outcomes are people of Black African heritage, women and older people.

More than two in five (42pc) of people diagnosed with HIV in England get their diagnosis at a late stage – this can have serious consequences for their own health and the health of others through unknowingly passing on the virus.

For further information visit the Terrance Higgins Trust website: www.tht.org