Caravan industry ‘not out of woods’
FIRMS FACE DIRE CONSEQUENCES WITHOUT AID
HULL’S three MPS have held talks with a government minister in a bid to save the region’s caravan industry.
Diana Johnson, Karl Turner and Emma Hardy met with Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi and warned the industry faced “dire consequences” without government help.
The three MPS said in a joint statement the meeting had been productive, but one warned the industry was not “out of the woods”.
It comes as the National Caravan Council (NCC) industry body warned more than 20,000 Hull and East Riding jobs were at risk without government aid.
The NCC’S Caravan
Industry
Supply Chain In Crisis report stated the sector had lost the majority of its 2020 sales so far, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hull West and Hessle’s Emma Hardy said the government would need to support the industry through the winter if it is to survive.
Ms Hardy said: “The meeting with the minister was productive. He knows that come the spring and the rise of staycations our industry will rebound stronger than ever.
“However, it must be stressed we are not out of the woods yet and if this government is going to deliver on its promise to level up the north, it must not let the caravan industry run aground.”
Hull East MP Karl Turner said the clock was ticking to stop highquality jobs in the city being lost.
Mr Turner said: “The furlough scheme has done a great deal to assist caravan manufacturers, but if that is to mean anything the Government needs to take it further.
“This was a successful industry before the pandemic that contributed a great deal to our region and it will be again, but the consequences of inaction would be dire.”
Dame Diana, MP for Hull North, said keeping local jobs was a “pressing priority” for the city and wider region.
Dame Diana said: “In recent decades, Hull has been first and last out of each recession.
“There is serious concern about local unemployment increasing further in the coming months.
“Our most pressing priority is keeping the local jobs we already have, such as the 20,000 across the caravan industry and its supply chain.
“The industry has pointed to action that this government can easily take to save jobs, Whether or not they do is a real test of the so called Northern Powerhouse.”
Mr Zahawi posted on Twitter following the meeting: “The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will continue to work with the NCC to help secure the future of this important sector and the Great British staycation.”
The meeting comes as NCC deputy director Alicia Dunne previously warned the sector was “on its knees” after losing three prime selling months due to lockdown.
The deputy director said: “The industry is entirely dependent on the tourism sector, with the enforced closure of caravan parks, all leisure vehicle sales came to an abrupt halt.”