Lincolnshire County Council leader discusses economic effects of Covid-19
In his latest column, Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill talks about the economic effects of Covid-19:
In Lincolnshire we have been implementing an economic recovery plan, putting considerable focus on trying to address the hardships faced by many businesses.
Research shows that county areas are more vulnerable to the economic effects of Covid-19. This is because of our higher proportion of staff working in sectors such as tourism, food services, manufacturing, construction and retail.
Working with training providers and employers, we’ve been helping ensure there is access to free or low cost training, especially while staff are furloughed, to boost employment opportunities.
Our Trading Standards and Business Lincolnshire teams have been supporting businesses to access financial support and to help them diversify or change how they operate so they can adapt to these incredibly challenging times.
That support is still available – because we recognise that many businesses are struggling and that times are still tough.
More investment in the county is critical for our economic recovery so I’m delighted that we have been allocated £25.8 million from the government’s ‘Getting Building’ fund for a number of projects in the Greater Lincolnshire area.
These projects are expected to support the creation of over 2,500 jobs and support more than 1000 learners.
We’ve taken action this week to support our high streets, with an easier way to process applications to use pavements for seating and trading, to allow businesses to implement social distancing.
Working with the district councils, we’ve overhauled and streamlined the previous street cafe licensing process to help kick start the local economy safely. The new policy also extends to shop owners who may wish to place a stall on the street outside their premises.
The new process is temporary to support businesses while social distancing measures are in place. Once approved, the licence will be valid until the end of September 2021.
It’s also completely free, so that’s one less bill for local businesses to worry about at this time.
Businesses can apply online and let us know where you’d like your seating or stall, when you’ll be using it, and how many tables and chairs there’ll be. You can complete the form online at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/cafelicence.
Our aim is to help businesses bounce back after three months with their doors closed, and bring life back into our town centres.
Even though in Lincolnshire we are starting to get out and about and enjoy the summertime more, we still need to be cautious.
Our infection rates continue to be low and last week we only had 21 new positive test results for Covid-19 but it’s important that we’re not complacent.
