Gillian Keegan

Throughout this pandemic, we have all had to make sacrifices and for some of us that has meant putting major life decisions on hold, not least getting married. Last week, I visited Upwaltham Barns, which is a wedding venue set in the idyllic location of South Downs.

As with much of the industry they lost out on their busiest time of year, the summer season, due to restrictions on gatherings due to coronavirus.

On my visit, we discussed the pressures the industry is facing but also the level of support that has been offered to local businesses throughout the pandemic.

In Chichester, 2,644 loans worth £104,474,055 have been awarded via both the Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Getting this support and all the other packages such as rates relief to where it needs to be has been a mammoth task.

I want to thank our brilliant team at Chichester District

Council who were the highest performing council in providing business grants in the whole country.

In Chichester, and across West Sussex, we are at a ‘medium’ alert level, meaning that we are currently at the lower level, Tier One, of restrictions.

However, we know how rapidly this virus spreads so it’s vital we all continue to do the basics of hands, face, space and follow the rule of six – as this is the only way we know to control the virus.

I understand everyone is tired of our new way of life, but following the restrictions has never been more important as we head into winter.

Already hospital admissions are rising so we must again focus on keeping this virus under control to protect our NHS. Of course, work is still underway to develop rapid turnaround testing and a vaccine, which in time I hope will allow us to return to our new normal.

On a more celebratory note, I want to congratulate Shelagh Legrave and her team at the Chichester College Group who have been named as a ‘centre of excellence for world skills’ as part of by the Association of Colleges’ National Colleges Week.

As you can imagine as the Minister responsible for further education, it’s been a busy week – but I couldn’t be happier that our local college is yet again a shining example within the sector.

Well done to everyone at the college!