Andy Burnham calls for ‘clarity before Christmas’ on Covid measures

Andy Burnham has called for ‘clarity before Christmas’ from the government on any further Covid measures it plans to put in place over the coming weeks.

The Greater Manchester mayor welcomed the £1bn fund announced today by Chancellor Rishi Sunak to help businesses affected by the rise in Covid cases.

But he urged the government to close a ‘gaping hole’ in the support package.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (21 December), the Labour mayor said support should be offered to individuals affected, not just to businesses.

Burnham also called on the government to make a decision and ‘just be honest’ with people about any further Covid restrictions it has planned.

He said: “Given the situation that we’ve got and the uncertainty that people are feeling, we do believe there needs to be clarity before Christmas on what the decisions are with regard to any further measures – and certainly soon after Christmas if they can’t do it before.

“But it is something that needs to be dealt with quickly so that people know where they stand going into the Christmas break.”

The metro mayor said any additional Covid-related restrictions should be ‘proportionate’, taking into consideration the vaccination programme.

Around 33,000 doses of the Covid vaccine were administered in Greater Manchester on Saturday (18 December) – a new record for the city region.

However, Burnham said he does not have access to ‘expert analysis’ about the Omicron variant and how effective vaccinations will be in stopping the spread.

The Greater Manchester mayor also criticised the £1bn support package aimed at helping hard-hit businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector.

Businesses in these sectors will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises and more than £100m will available for councils to support other businesses, the government announced before Burnham’s press conference.

The government will also cover the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for Covid-related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK.

And a further £30m of funding will be made available for cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter, the government announced.
 

Read more: Additional support announced for businesses impacted by Omicron Published: 21 December 2021

But Burnham said there is no guarantee that businesses will pass on this support to their staff who may be facing a cut in pay or reduced hours.

He said: “For those staff who are being sent home from pubs, bars and restaurants because there isn’t any work, there’s no guarantee that those people will see any support passed on.

“That is a real concern because many individuals across Greater Manchester who work in hospitality, events, conferences, music and in other creative industries, are seeing a huge drop in their income at a pretty devastating time of the year.

“Bear in mind a number of these individuals were excluded from public support last year so have really struggled this year as well.”

Burnham said there is a ‘real gaping hole’ in the support package and urged the Chancellor to close it and support people ahead of the Christmas period.

Joseph Timan, Local Democracy Reporter