The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Call for clarity over help for Tayside businesses
The announcement of a second national lockdown has triggered calls for clarity on financial support for struggling businesses across Tayside.
The region’s hospitality sector was badly hit when tougher Level 3 restrictions were introduced towards the end of 2020.
Vicki Unite, chief executive of Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Companies should not be penalised for m a tt e r s outside their control when they have been doing ever ything within their power to comply and survive and today’s announcement is yet another bitter blow.
“It is critical that the Scottish Government implements measures to suppor t private sector recovery once this period of restriction is lifted, and assists them meantime.
“Without urgent cash support, many businesses will be unable to survive.”
Alison Henderson, Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce CEO, warned school closures would leave workers juggling childcare commitments while trying to keep companies afloat.
She said: “T his new lockdown will be a blow to many and a major worry for survival.
“It ’ s imperative that targeted business support gets to those who need it quickly, and we’re calling on government to help businesses understand how the exit from restrictions and work to recovery in our economies will be communicated, and to work with businesses to do that as safely and quickly as possible.” in the
Angus Council leader David Fairweather said the stricter rules were necessary.
He said: “The figures are suggesting it is the right call.
“Obviously it is going to cause a lot of hardship to businesses but the way things are going, it’s a must.”
In Dundee, council leader John Alexander said: “This is clearly an alarming situation for everyone and not a position that we’d want to be in.
“However, the significant and accelerating infection rates require immediate actions.
“D u n d e e ’s rate per 100,000 people now stands at 366, more than double where we were just a couple of weeks ago.
“I know these restrictions are causing stress and strain and the council will continue to do all that can to support the city.”
Fife Council’s co-leaders reacted in very different ways to Ms Sturgeon’s announcement.
SNP leader David Alexander said the decision to extend school closures was driven by uncertainty over the new Covid-19 variant but stressed council services were more prepared than they were before the first lockdown in March and would react accordingly.
However, Labour leader David Ross said more clarity was needed on what support would be put in place for vulnerable people during the weeks of lockdown.
He added that school closures would place strain on school staff and families.
Mr Alexander said: “The big difference is there is a lack of information about it this new variant and the impact it can have on kids.
“We’ve done most of this before so we can put it in place a lot quicker this time.
“Bringing everyone back up to speed will be easier than putting it all in place for the first time.
“We have the hope of the new vaccine on the horizon so my m e s s a g e is if everyone in Fife sticks with it for now, we’ll get back to better times more quickly.”
Mr Ross said the announcement was “not what anyone wanted to hear”.
He added: “Hopefully we’ll get clarity on some of the issues like support for people who are shielding and support for businesses over the next few days.
“No matter how well we plan for remote learning it’s not the same as face-toface teaching.”