Business leaders welcome fresh support for firms - but say it's vital to get the economy moving again
Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have welcomed the ‘reassurance’ of further support for firms should there be a local lockdown.
But Louise Bennett, of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the marginal growth in GDP of 2.2 per cent in August highlighted the need to get the economy moving as quickly as possible.
Louise said: “Companies across the patch will have seen the talk of local lockdowns across the country so the Chancellor’s statement today that the Government stands ready to pay two-thirds of staff wages if a business is forced to close due to restrictions placed upon them to tackle Covid-19 is welcome.
“That reassurance, along with an increase in grants available, will give ease some of the fears that many companies will have had about a local lockdown but it will still not go far enough for many.
“Should such measures be needed on our patch at any point in the coming weeks and months, we’d urge Government to work with our local authorities and to communicate to companies quickly and clearly so they can prepare and to make it as simple as possible to access the help.
“Further to that, firms across Coventry and Warwickshire want to see a plan for how we can get more of the economy open in a safe and secure way. As we can see from the economic growth figures for August, the recovery is slow, at best, and while the support on offer provides a crutch for business, it’s vital that we are able to trade our way out of this crisis as quickly as possible.”
