Waterways Parliamentary group urges support for businesses hit by lockdown
AN URGENT meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways was recently convened via Zoom to discuss the problems facing businesses under the coronavirus lockdown.
IWA national chairman Paul Rodgers gave an impassioned opening address outlining the key issues and providing a timeline of activity since March 23 when a joint letter was sent by the IWA, British Marine, Broads Authority and the Canal & River Trust to Defra Secretary of State George Eustice MP asking for support for the sector, which faces a potential loss of 20,000 jobs.
He stressed the disappointing response to that letter from Rebecca Pow, Under-Secretary of State for Defra, which seemed to indicate a lack of understanding of the particular circumstances of the waterways, where 90% of businesses rely on the summer months of April to September for income and to build up reserves.
Since then, the three organisations have repeated their call for a support package of £20 million to cover all commercial boat licences and mooring fees for a year from April 1. They have also provided in-depth analysis of the huge challenges faced by waterway businesses and cautiously greeted the Bounce Back Loans Scheme and Small Business Grants Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, while stressing the burden on businesses of taking on additional debt when they face three off-seasons in a row.
“My assessment of the government response so far can best be summarised by my view that waterway businesses should be seen as a patient with critical, life-changing injuries that should be in ICU but is still in triage six weeks after the case was presented to those that could help,” said Paul Rodgers.
He went on soberly: “My view is that this patient is effectively being left to die. This is not unacceptable after the sector lobbied for help at an early stage and provided detailed data and information to Defra.”
CRT chief executive Richard Parry and John Packman, CEO of Broads Authority, also spoke, with Richard pointing out that the evident government intent to aid the waterways is lacking a mechanism to deliver. “There needs to be dedicated, sector-specific support. Most businesses do not currently qualify for government schemes and support and their futures are in doubt.”
John Packman added his voice to the call for £20 million support for the sector, with a specific fund of £3.6 million for the Broads businesses. Without it, he said, there would be terrible consequences for a sector providing 7000 jobs and worth £600 million to the economies of Suffolk and Norfolk.
Brian Clark, head of public affairs, policy and research at British Marine, stressed that additional fiscal packages were vital as social distancing rules will have an impact on the sector.
A number of MPs attended and immediately after the meeting Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield and APPG chairman, with the support of MPs Heather Wheeler, Jerome Mayhew, Simon Baynes and Lord German who were all at the meeting, wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.
In the letter it was stressed that the meeting had heard directly from waterways businesses affected by the lockdown and that the information supplied by the IWA, Broads Authority, British Marine and CRT to Defra should leave no doubt of the desperate need for assistance.
The letter concluded: “The meeting acknowledged that the Government has responded at pace and with considerable financial resources to support business due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We appreciate that it is not possible for the Government to have considered every eventuality in such a short period of time.
“It is however clear to APPG for the Waterways that this sector is not getting the attention and support it most desperately needs and from its commendable actions to date, we believe the UK and Wales government will no doubt want to support waterways businesses. Therefore we support the dedicated fund of £20 million to waterways businesses and ask for this matter to be given the utmost urgency.”
No reply has yet been received but is not expected for between four to six weeks from sending the letter, in accordance with the usual working response time.
In the address that opened the meeting, Paul Rodgers had made the grim assessment that the window of opportunity to offer support was closing. “My assessment of the current situation suggests that what we now face is at least as significant as what we were tackling in the late 1940s in terms of the change of use and the decline of the waterways.
“I urge the Government to intervene at the earliest possible opportunity to save this vital sector of the British economy and what could be a core element of the British stay-at-home leisure and holiday sectors in the coming years.”