Harrogate leaders call on Government for more support as town enters ‘Tier 3’

Harrogate mum makes a stand for her beautiful little boy against 'outdated perceptions'

Independent traders may be saying a big thank you to the Harrogate public who returned to the shops in encouraging numbers during the Christmas run-up.

But yesterday’s announcement that North Yorkshire, including Harrogate, is to move from ‘Tier 2’ rules to ‘Tier 3’, has put a dampner on recovery hopes and acted as a hammerblow for the town’s hospitality sector, in particular.

Despite the revival of hope brought by the introduction of new vaccines against coronavirus, the absence of a clear timetable out of the pandemic means voices in Harrogate pleading for extra support for the economy hit a new peak this week.

The chief executive of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce told the Harrogate Advertiser Government support schemes, while welcome in themselves, did not go far enough as the crisis drags on.

Sandra Doherty said: “When we go into another lockdown, the problems of many businesses will escalate. The extension of the offers in place while vital still fail to cover many of the difficulties faced by especially new starters and those who have made little or no profit due to reinvesting in their businesses.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones said he would support more Government help for businesses.

He said: “We have a situation with Covid-19 that changes rapidly and our response in supporting businesses needs to be flexible, too. I favour continuing the expansion of the Government’s business support measures where we can and where and when it is necessary.

“The key here is to be agile so that we can put in place new support measures or extend others quickly.

"That means listening to business, to employees and to customers to introduce the right measures at the right time and being ready to change those measures quickly when the situation changes.”

But Judith Rogerson, the Harrogate & Knaresborough Lib Dems, parliamentary spokesperson, argues the Government is lagging behind the pace when it comes to saving people’s livelihoods.

She said: “Boris Johnson urgently needs to set out his plans to support business to show he has a grip on the situation.”

Lib Dem councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition party on Harrogate Borough Council, said businesses deserved better from the Government while the Covid crisis continued to grip Britain.

Coun Marsh said: “It is very simple, the Government needs to do more, it needs to stop awarding contracts to friends and colleagues and concentrate on true businesses who need a lifeline if they are to survive.

“The Government need to give financial packages which do really help their survival."

Harrogate mum makes a stand for her beautiful little boy against 'outdated perceptions'

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