Council leaders in Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester have warned the Government of 'mass-market failure, huge levels of redundancies and depleted and boarded up high streets'.
The hospitality sector faces ‘complete decimation’ in Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester if coronavirus restrictions are not reviewed, council bosses have warned.
The Government’s new crackdown will ‘result in mass-market failure, huge levels of redundancies and depleted and boarded up high streets’, the leaders and chief executives of the three city councils cautioned in a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Business Secretary Alok Sharma this week.
They have called on ministers to reconsider the 10pm curfew, allow mixing within the ‘rule of six’ in controlled environments, and compensate businesses with a package of support to save the northern industry from collapse.
It comes as figures show hotel occupancy is down to 30% and footfall has dropped by up to 70% in the three local lockdown areas, leaving some businesses ‘teetering on the brink’.
The city bosses wrote: ‘The stark reality is that these businesses are facing the prospect of a complete decimation in trade, not just in the short term but as we look ahead to the sector’s traditional lifeblood of the Christmas period and almost certainly continuing into spring/summer of next year which we know with certainty will result in mass-market failure, huge levels of redundancies and depleted and boarded up high streets.’
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It is now against the law for people in north-east England to mix with others outside their household in any setting – but this rule remains ‘guidance’ in Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester.
Councils have urged the Government to make the ‘unenforceable’ advice law, arguing it is ‘contradictory and confusing’.
Ministers must also engage with local authorities and businesses before announcing new restrictions, they claim.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has criticised the new clampdown, saying ‘we can’t have a one size fits all measure for the whole of the country’.
He said: ‘We need to find a way to adjust the restrictions to ensure a balance in protecting public health and the need to protect businesses, many of which are teetering on the brink.
‘Liverpool is a city which has built its revival on the leisure and hospitality sectors and it is a massive contributor not just to employment but also to business rates which fund vital local services.
‘The vast majority of our businesses have responded in the right way, investing heavily in providing safe, compliant environments and a place for people to enjoy themselves safely.
‘The inspections we have carried out show a very high level of compliance. People in restaurants are in Covid-safe environments with high levels of sanitisation and appropriate spacing.
‘Forcing people to leave at 10pm runs the risk that they then go on together to a house in a large group which does not have the same measures in place.
‘It is also devastating for the restaurant trade because it is depriving it of a late sitting which makes up a substantial part of its takings and is the difference between survival or going under.
‘We can’t have a one size fits all measure for the whole of the country, we need to be able to take account of local circumstances if we are to stand any chance of helping businesses through this intensely difficult period.’
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