MP COLUMN
VIEWS FROM RICHARD FULLER, YOUR LOCAL MP...
As countries emerge from the medical emergency caused by COVID19 the focus is changing to how best to enable economies to recover saving businesses, jobs and livelihoods.
As the virus hit, the UK government embarked on the most extensive intervention programmes in our history. Grants, income support, benefit extensions, mortgage and rent holidays, coinvestment programmes and business loans have all played a role in providing security to household incomes and hope for survival to businesses large and small. Throughout the medical emergency I have spoken and corresponded with hundreds of constituents who while coping with their immediate needs have also had a wary eye on what the future will hold for them after lockdown. The recovery inevitably sees the withdrawal of these programmes – the annual cost of which has already required increased borrowing by the government in excess of the financial crash in 2007. Many parts of the economy will accept this and find a way to manage, but for those in sectors with continuing restrictions, help must be extended. This withdrawal will put more pressure on local businesses and jobs. Unemployment in North East
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Bedfordshire has already doubled since January and I fear that there will be further job losses with our local reliance on small businesses, aviation and hospitality. Many politicians will use this time to herald a new beginning, saying that growth has to be greener, fairer, more evenly spread across the country, give more balance to home as well as work. All of these are important debates, but they must not impede the immediate challenge of creating jobs and preserving family incomes. Government needs to encourage the private sector to do what it does best: innovate, take risks and serve customers profitably. It should prioritise investment in skills and reshape infrastructure expenditures in light of new patterns of demand. We can all play our part too by responding to the lifting of restrictions with a clear purpose to make the recovery a reality. We cannot have three haircuts instead of one and should not triple our food and alcohol order when restaurants re-open but if our incomes and jobs are secure we each do something to secure a local job, support a local business or help get someone back into work. The coming months are likely to be tough for the economy and for many families. Let us work hard together to win through.
