‘Brexit and Covid disaster’
A year on, ex-pat talks of the double whammy suffered by her French holiday let business
ONE year ago, as the UK was about to go into its first national lockdown, the Newbury Weekly News spoke to Allison Feeley, who runs a B&B and holiday let business in southwest France with her husband Nick.
They had already been under strict regulations on the Continent for a week and Allison was able to provide an insight into lockdown life.
We caught up with Mrs Feeley last week, to find out what life in France is like a year on, when coronavirus has not only taken its hold across the globe, but the effects of Brexit have also started to be felt for ex-pats living and working abroad.
Mrs Feeley grew up in Thatcham, attending Kennet School, before moving to France with husband Nick and their two daughters, Megan and Abigail, 10 years ago.
A year ago, when the bookings for their gites and B&B business had all but dried up, Mrs Feeley was pragmatic and optimistic for the future.
She said at the time: “We are lucky. We have some land and we have plenty to do. We’re getting the vegetable beds in good order, because growing our own means we don’t have to go out.”
But this year, the outlook is still bleak.
She said: “We transferred everyone who had booked last summer to this summer.
“I kept the prices at 2020 rates and everybody was happy and confident they would be enjoying their summer break here in 2021.
“But there is still so much uncertainty and we can’t afford to have another empty summer.
“People understandably will want to leave the decision as to whether they come here or not to the last minute, but from a business point of view that is not possible.”
France is also currently experiencing another surge in coronavirus cases, particularly in Paris and other bigger cities.
“In the last week, Paris and surrounding areas are now in full lockdown, as well as an area of SE France,” she explained.
“The rest of France just has a curfew from 7pm to 6am. Stupidly, people were given prior warning of lockdown so many thousands have dispersed from Paris into the wider countryside.”
When Covid-19 hit, the Feeleys were already having to deal with the UK’s pending break away from the European Union.
“The combination of Covid and Brexit has been an absolute nightmare,” said Mrs Feeley.
“There are so many things that have not been thought through and ex-pats like us living abroad have been caught out with so many day-to-day things that we have to sort out and we don’t feel we have a voice at all.
“The UK Government are not interested, the French are sympathetic, but seem hand-tied or unable to help.”
Many things that were taken for granted when the UK was an EU member have now been taken away, such as UK driving licences are no longer valid in France for ex-pat residents and UK-registered cars are now liable for duty and VAT.
Mrs Feeley has not seen her daughters, who are now in the UK, or the rest of her family, who are still in Thatcham, for more than a year either.
“I don’t know when we will be able to visit friends and family again as well as stock up on those well-loved food items that are our little luxuries,” she said.
“We have no voice and no vote. “Brexit and Covid is a double whammy – the two together are a disaster.”
But there is still so much uncertainty and we can’t afford to have another empty summer