A letter from Make It York’s Managing Director Sean Bullick have been sent to the Business Secretary and Minister of State this week in support of a localised track and trace system to help avoid further lockdowns.
Highlighting the severe negative impact a further lockdown would have on York businesses and our local economy, the letter urges government ministers to divert the £10 billion allocated for a track and trace system and allow local authorities such as City of York Council to put in place their own cost-effective and comprehensive solution.
The letter highlights the importance of protecting York’s key industries including tourism, retail, hospitality, transport, cultural and creative industries which would be impacted by a further lockdown. It reads: “The Covid-19 pandemic has created a unique set of challenges, unlike anything that has been seen in recent times. The lockdown restrictions saw many businesses in the city forced to shut down, and the subsequent social distancing measures mean that many are still unable to operate as normal. This has had a severe economic impact on the city.”
The letter calls for an effective track and trace system to be put in place in order to ensure the success of key sectors in the city: “The economic outlook for the city is dependent on the measures that are rolled out over the coming months to avoid a resurgence in cases and a further lockdown. We have been working hard with businesses to support their reopening plans, putting measures in place to ensure consumers feel confident and secure in returning to the city. This must be backed up by an effective track and trace system in order to ensure the survival of key sectors in the city.”
It concludes by urging the Government to ‘do everything in its power to strengthen that system to help protect our local economy and York’s diverse business community’, highlighting that ‘in the absence of a vaccine, a comprehensive track and trace system is the only way to keep people safe as we continue to reopen our city.’
The letter follows on from earlier correspondence to the health secretary by City of York Council Leader, Cllr Keith Aspden to express concerns over the centralised track and trace system and urge government to introduce a devolved and localised track and trace system which would provide a more sustainable, cost-effective and comprehensive solution.
For further information please contact:
Katie Parsons, Corporate Communications Manager
Email: katie.parsons@makeityork.com
Amy Goodman, Consumer Communications Manager
Email: amy.goodman@makeityork.com
Notes to editors:
About Make It York
Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our four corporate strategic priorities. These are:
- City positioning and profile-raising
- Inward Investment and network building
- Ensuring an exciting city centre
- Delivering the city’s ground-breaking Cultural Strategy
