A Nottinghamshire council leader is calling for a public inquiry into a "disproportionately high" number of deaths in the area.
Milan Radulovic, leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, feels his residents have been "let down" by the slow roll out of testing centres and a vaccine hub.
He wants to see an inquiry, which would be convened by a government minister, to examine issues of serious public concern, as well as scrutinising past decisions and events.
Councillor Radulovic said Broxtowe was left without a vaccine centre for months with residents having to travel as far as Gamston and Retford for an appointment.
The council said a new vaccine centre at The Village Hotel in Chilwell is still miles away from places like Eastwood and not accessible by public transport.
He wants to determine whether there is a direct link between the lack of testing facilities and the number of deaths the borough has reported and also whether respiratory illnesses caused by mining in the north of Broxtowe has contributed to the number of Covid deaths there.
The decision to progress with a public inquiry will be discussed at a Broxtowe Borough Council meeting on Wednesday, March 24.
The report shows there has been 172 Covid deaths registered by the week ending February 21 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Most deaths have been reported in Eastwood Hall and Brinsley (32 deaths), Kimberley South Trowell and Awsworth (28 deaths), Chilwell West (20 deaths), Eastwood Town (18 deaths) and Bramcote (14 deaths).
Cases of Covid in Broxtowe are also higher than the national average with around 22 daily reports compared to a median for all English district local authorities at 11.
Councillor Radulovic told Nottinghamshire Live: "The small village of Brinsley and the ward of Eastwood Hall has suffered a disproportionate number of fatalities relative to its size.
"I am aware of things such as age profile that have impacted on numbers together with ethnicity but the statistics clearly show that something has gone wrong.
"I therefore call upon the CCG and Public Health (England) to carry out an inquiry into this disproportionate number of Covid related deaths.
"Every death is a tragedy and it does not just affect family and friends but the whole community feel it. I think Browtowe has been let down.
"Many people without access to some transport found it difficult to get tested and vaccinated. I want them to hold a public inquiry into the suffering in our borough.
"We have had a system where we have felt isolated - and is that a contributory factor why death rates are so high?
"If we do go into a third lockdown we will have a better understanding then of how transmissions and deaths occurred here and how to prepare for any future outbreaks of Covid."
A spokeswoman for the CCG said: "Broxtowe now has a permanent vaccination site at The Village Hotel in Chilwell.
"We have also been operating a number of pop-up vaccination clinics across the area.
"According to the latest vaccination figures released on March 18, Broxtowe's uptake is in line with elsewhere in Nottinghamshire and above the national average."
Jonathan Gribbin, Public Health director for Nottinghamshire added: "We understand that it has been suggested that Broxtowe borough has the highest number of deaths due to Covid-19 when compared to other districts in Nottinghamshire.
"The official data provided by the Office of National Statistics shows that the rate of Covid-related deaths in Broxtowe is similar to that seen across Nottinghamshire.
"As we look back on the last year, we are conscious of tragic loss which every death represents and that there is no part of Nottinghamshire which has been spared the terrible loss which coronavirus has inflicted.
"Widescale uptake of the vaccines will help protect our communities against further loss.
"But it will also require all of us to continue to play our part. For the time being that means following the guidance around social distancing and isolating and getting a test if we develop symptoms.
"Until March 29 it also means not mixing with more than one person and that must be out of doors."
