Third lockdown 'struggle' for business and families

Business owners say the next few weeks will be a "real struggle" as England enters its third national lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced stricter measures across the country on Monday evening, meaning many businesses must close their doors again.

Retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will receive new grants to help keep them afloat, the chancellor has said.

Dr Jeremy Welch, of Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said lockdown was "the right thing" to do.

He said: "I'm at home with three children so it is painful, but seeing the rise in cases and the rise in deaths I think it is the right decision."

Sandy Wilson, who owns Kondi Gifts in Henleaze High Street, Bristol, said her business lost a third of its trade in 2020.

The Treasury has said grants worth up to £9,000 per property will be made available to businesses like hers.

While she welcomed the help, "realistically this amount will barely scratch the surface of our outgoings," she said.

"There are a lot of independent businesses on the high street.

"We need to all pull together to keep the high street alive so that the face of the community does not disappear."

Wiltshire Council leader Philip Whitehead said lockdown was needed to control the risk of higher infection rate in councils surrounding the area.

"Boundaries do not work with the virus," he said.

"It's no use Wiltshire being half the national average if you're surrounded by authorities who are not national average."

Tracy Kimitri, who owns a pub as well as Corinium Health and Beauty Spa in Weston-super-Mare, supports lockdown but said her businesses were "really suffering" under the restrictions.

"The staff have been looked after in terms of the furlough scheme but the business owners are taking a critical hit," she said.

Phil Smith, director of Business West not-for-profit company, said tens of thousands of firms nationally were in a "precarious position" and lockdown was a further "body blow" following a disrupted Christmas period and uncertainty over the Brexit transition process.

"These businesses must not be allowed to fail now, when the vaccine rollout provides light at the end of this long tunnel," he added.

Paul Carpenter, of Totally Toys toyshop in Bristol, said the grant would be a "massive help" and would take care of the rent for a number of weeks.

He said, "I hope for a lot of businesses who did not have the benefit of a good Christmas it will be a help."

But Sussanna di Palma, who owns Cafe Marina in Portishead, said it was "wholly inadequate" when businesses had already been severely compromised and "with no real end date in sight".

Personal trainer Xabier Marshall, who owns Multiply Performance in Bristol, said his industry had had to adapt during lockdown.

He said he had introduced digital platforms for customers and he thought the pandemic would change the fitness industry long term.

Self-employed beautician Annie Foffano, of Bellissima beauty in Swindon, said the current climate made it very difficult for businesses to plan.

"The unknown is the problem... you are just waiting for tier reviews to happen so you're on the edge of your seat all the time."

"The only positive thing is the vaccine, so hopefully we can look at this as a beginning of getting our lives back."

As well as non-essential businesses and shops being forced to close, schools in England will close and move to online learning until at least mid-February.

Nigel Costley, regional secretary for Trades Union Congress (TUC) south west, said while they were concentrating on supporting teaching unions, working parents must also be offered the support they needed to juggle work and caring responsibilities.

"The government needs to give them the safety they need and our proposal is that the furlough scheme should apply to parents," he said.

"There is no easy solution to this and we really feel for businesses trying to cope when staff are calling in because their school has closed.

"We cannot ignore the evidence that transmission in schools is part of the problem but we cannot expect working parents to bear the brunt."

Darren Chillery-Watson has moved out of his family home in Devizes, Wiltshire, and into his van to help shield his daughter Carmella who has muscular dystrophy.

"This lockdown she's going to miss her friends. She's been on her own for so long and since March, she hasn't seen anybody.

"It's very sad for Carmella she loves going to school, she loves seeing her friends."

But he said his priority was ensuring his daughter's welfare, which is why he's shielding with her.

"I have my sleeping bag and a duvet [and] I have a guest bed with a 15 tog duvet," he said.