East Sussex is now in Tier 2 and although many places have re-opened, the lockdown has had a serious effect on our local economy.
So, as part of The Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex we wrote to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Business, the Cabinet Office, SELEP, the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, all the East Sussex MPs and all the local councils. Since then we have been contacted personally by the Cabinet Office and the Eastbourne Council discussed our letter in detail at their full Cabinet meeting with their Local Government representative.
Many of our members in hospitality and retail have told us that they are just about hanging on and cannot afford anorther lockdown, so we have made this clear in our letter attached below.
The run up to Christmas is the busiest time of year for most shops, eateries and hair and beauty salons, so with the country locked down for the month of November, this created a lot of upset and concern amongst residents, visitors and business owners alike. Many were able to provide some kind of delivery or online service and customers took advantage of these offers to continue to shop locally and support the local economy.
But now, they are back and ready to open up properly, following COVID guidelines, with over 100 signing up to Eastbourne's very own cross-sector 'COVID-Ready Quality Scheme' to show their customers and staff that they are following the most rigorous risk assessments provided by the Primary Authority.
We are supporting the 'Love Local Shop Local' initiative and our staff team will be shopping locally, as well as pushing the 'Buy Local' message.
If you need help to restructure your business or adapt to the current market, we can help.
We can provide fully funded, bespoke assistance to provide you witth a mentor or business coach to work at your side. Paid for by the European Union via the ERDF, the Government and the local councils, click here for this free service.
