East Midlands business community calls on Government to outline lockdown exit strategy

Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of a new national lockdown on Monday, January 4, businesses have been forced into another rethink of their planning for 2021.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “After a desperate 2020 for businesses and communities, a third national lockdown is another devastating blow to business confidence as it follows hard on the heels of lost trade during the festive season – not to mention the uncertainty that prevailed up until the eleventh hour of the Brexit transition period.

“The Government’s need to act in the face of spiralling threat to public health is obviously understood but after already spending billions on helping good firms to survive this crisis and save jobs, it must not let these companies fail now when the vaccine rollout provides light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has issued a fresh wave of £4.5billion in grants to help eligible businesses survive disruption to trading, adding to the earlier extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until April, but Nottinghamshire’s bosses may be pressing for more clarity beyond that.

The Prime Minister raised the prospect of some restrictions possibly being lifted in mid-February if the vaccination programme is on track, but scientists have stressed the caveats to any such predictions, leaving businesses none the wiser about a return to normal.

Scott said: “The Chancellor’s announcement of a one-off £9,000 grant for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will hopefully help keep their heads above water for a couple more months, but Westminster must remember financial support – while certainly welcomed and required – is no substitute for a fully open economy.

“It’s now time for the Government to open the lines of communication with businesses by sharing its plan for how the brakes will be lifted on the economy over the coming months to allow businesses to plan properly.”

Support grants will once again be issued via local authorities in the coming weeks.

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