Chamber leaders meet with MP to feed back Coronavirus business concerns to Westminster

Emma Hardy - feeding back Chamber business leaders' concerns to Westminster.

SEVERAL of the Chamber of Commerce’s senior business leaders and Chamber Council members have met with one of the Humber’s most active MPs and Hull City Council to feed back business issues to Westminster amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Chaired by Chamber President Phil Jones, Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy listened to the concerns of, for example, HullBID director Kathryn Shillito representing the city centre’s business community as well as a variety of business leaders from both sides of the Humber.

The implications for the hospitality, rail and bus industries were all discussed, along with Hull Trains prospects operating as an open access operator rather than a franchised operator which the Government has already said will be protected.

St Stephen’s Shopping Centre, Trinity Market and Hessle Road were all mentioned as well with the meeting being advised that sole traders were particularly worried about the impact on their cashflow, businesses and livelihoods.

Questions were raised over how quickly measures to offset the financial impact of the coronavirus including mortgage and loan payment holidays, utility payments as well as measures to support people’s incomes would take to kick in.

Emma Hardy also heard how the self-employed business community in particular was extremely worried and are not yet being provided for in the measures that have been announced to date.

Discussions also considered what extra help we needed from the DWP and how quickly Universal Credit payments should be paid.