Fears have been raised that local jobs and hospitality businesses will be lost as the industry’s shutdown was extended.
Allan Wright, who runs several pubs in the Vale, says there’s no light at the end of the tunnel for the industry.
Licensed premises in Dumbarton, the Vale and Balloch had hoped to reopen yesterday (Monday) after the 16-day Covid reset came to an end.
But last week the First Minister announced a week-long extension.
And restrictions are likely to remain in place when a new five-tier system comes into force next Monday, November 2.
Financial support will be increased to businesses impacted by the extension of restrictions.
Allan, who owns The Dilly, McKenzie’s Bar and the Fountain Tavern, said: “It didn’t come as a surprise at all.
“When the 16 days was first announced, I thought it would end up being much longer – it was said to make business owners think it wasn’t too long.
“The latest extension is until November 2 and I expect it will be extended another two weeks at least when the new five- tier rules come in.
“Being an area with high levels of virus cases, I think we’ll be in the top tier so they’ll keep us shut.”
Allan says he is concerned for his staff who are currently being paid 80 percent of their wages on furlough.
However, this scheme comes to an end on October 31 with a less generous scheme taking its place. It will be replaced by the Jobs Support Scheme, where the government will pay up to 22 percent of wages for workers who come back part-time.
This won’t be applicable to businesses like Allan’s which are unable to operate at all.
The UK Government has confirmed it will pay two thirds of wages of staff in pubs, restaurants and other businesses if they have to shut under coronavirus restrictions but it is still less than what they are currently receiving.
Allan continued: “Being closed is costing us more this time round because we’re still having to pay things like the pensions, which we didn’t do before.
“We did get a £2000 grant but that doesn’t last long, especially when you take bills like gas and electricity into account. We still have to pay those.
“ It’s a worry that some jobs might not be here when we reopen. When we do open we don’t know how much work will be available for the staff because we might be on restricted hours and only half-shifts are available.”
He warned that many businesses could close across the area without adequate support, stating: “There are a lot of smaller one-man band businesses that rely solely on that one income stream and they will struggle to survive.”
Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie agreed that many businesses will not be able to cope.
She said: “Business owners and workers in the hospitality industry accepted these extreme restrictions on the promise that they would only last two weeks. This further extension will have come as a real blow for thousands of people in this industry and I fear that many businesses will not survive as
a result.
“Local restaurants, pubs and cafes went to exceptional lengths – and spent a lot of money – to ensure that all safety measures were met and that customers are safe on their premises.
“If Nicola Sturgeon thinks it is not safe for these businesses to open then she must ensure that long-term financial support is in place so that businesses are not forced to close their doors for good and make their staff redundant.”
West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare (WDCF) is meanwhile preparing for the potential fallout.
Clair Coyle told the Lennox Herald she predicts the charity, which has been working around the clock to address rising demand, will see another surge in demand over the coming months.
She said: “We’ve been busy up to now, but we are aware of the changes happening with the furlough scheme and we feel that a lot of businesses could end up closing and we could see unemployment rising.
“We think we could be needed by a whole host of new people but we realise that if we go back into lockdown or if further restrictions are imposed, it could result in restrictions at supermarkets and availability of food.”
Ms Baillie says the replacement scheme doesn’t go far enough, adding: “When the deadline for the job retention scheme was agreed, it was on the assumption that we would be in a much better place and that Covid-19 would not be posing as big a risk as is currently the case.
“We are in the second wave of the pandemic and if the government deems it necessary to close down areas of the economy then it must ensure that support is provided to businesses and their employees who are forced
to close.”
