Blackburn MP Kate Hollern's fears for small business in lockdown 2

I know and understand how frustrated everyone is that we have been placed back into national lockdown, particularly since we in Blackburn and Lancashire have already been subject to strict Covid-19 restrictions for some time. We are all suffering from Covid fatigue.

However, with infection rates now so high across the country I reluctantly recognise that a national lockdown is the right thing to do, even if the Government has taken the decision far too late.

What is important though, is that it must be met with the right level of support for businesses, and the Government must use this time to tackle the persistent problems with the test and trace system.

If the Government fails to address this problem infections will rise as soon as lockdown ends and by mid-January we will be back where we started with hospitals as full as they are now and rising death rates. That is a situation none of us wish to find ourselves in.

Protecting lives and livelihoods must be our priority, and with the closure of non-essential shops it is the retail sector that will be among the hardest hit during this current lockdown.

That is truer in the North West than anywhere else. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that more than 10 per cent of jobs in the region are in retail – that’s equivalent to 350,000 people and the highest proportion anywhere in the UK.

Retailers have been hit by a double whammy. First, Covid-19, and second the Government’s flip-flop approach to restrictions. All this is having a devastating impact on jobs.

Beyond the types of jobs that exist in the North West is the length of time we’ve been under additional restrictions. Those restrictions, ranging from the rule of six to Tier 3, have inevitably impacted the vitality of our high streets and the viability of retailers.

Drilling down further still, the big food retailers have made huge profits during this pandemic. Staff have kept the nation fed and I’m proud of the hard work of our supermarket heroes, but the supermarkets hardly need support.

Instead, I’m concerned about small businesses up and down Lancashire that aren’t receiving the support they should. Businesses in Blackburn have been under additional restrictions since July. Other places in Lancashire have been affected, and the whole region entered Tier 3 restrictions three weeks ago.

The Government agreed to provide Blackburn £2 million in business support as part of a £30 million package for Lancashire – equivalent to £20 per person – but three weeks on and we are yet to see a penny.

As we enter our second lockdown, each local authority is entitled to the same amount of support for businesses – £20 per person – without ever having been under additional restrictions up until now.

For this reason, I don’t think it fair that business in Lancashire – and more broadly across the North – aren’t entitled to greater support.

The Government’s furlough extension, though welcome, shows that the Government hasn’t learned anything from the first lockdown. There is no targeted support for the most affected areas, or the most affected sectors.

That is why I asked the Chancellor these very questions last week in Parliament, why I’ve written to him, and why I will continue to press the Government for a fairer deal for Lancashire.

My question is simple. Given Lancashire was in Tier 3 – and depending on our infection rate could return to the tier structure after the national lockdown – will the Government adjust the level of support to reflect the greater impact Covid-19 has had on businesses in Blackburn and elsewhere across Lancashire?

I am still furious that the Government had the cheek to argue that firms across the North are only entitled to 67% of furlough support, only to offer the country more when it was clear we would be entering a national lockdown. The Government’s treatment wouldn’t wash with London, and we shouldn’t let is wash with the North West.

I have listened to the concerns of constituents, and no doubt similar concerns and anxieties are felt elsewhere.

As we look ahead to four weeks of lockdown, I hope that the Government will stick to its promise to lift the lockdown next month. There has always been a balancing act between protecting the economy and protecting people’s lives, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If the Government uses this time wisely and fixes test and trace, we won’t have to find ourselves in this situation once again.

If we find ourselves in another lockdown beyond December 2, then responsibility must weigh very heavy on the Government’s shoulders.