"We have been politically hung out to dry": Worries of Lancashire businesses as borough could face possible Tier 3 lockdown status

A move to Tier 3 would see a complete ban on the mixing of households both indoors and outdoors - and pub and bar owners would be forced to close their doors once again.

It would also place the responsibility in the hands of local politicians who would decide whether to pull down the shutters on gyms, hairdressers and beauty salons as well as other leisure facilities.

For Danielle Joyce, owner of Infinity Fitness, Longridge, being forced to close would send her back to ‘square one’.

She thinks that the government would need to provide increased support to enable them to be better prepared for another lockdown.

She said: “If gyms are forced to close again it would send us back to where we were in March at the start of lockdown and we would be at square one again.

“We will need an action plan in place such as taking classes online if that was the case, but definitely need to see more support from the government.

"Financially there are worries because we would need to make sure we are getting enough to cover our staff wages, rent and bills to carry on operating as we are.

“I think if gyms close again it would be absolutely ridiculous, gyms are some of the safest and cleanest places to be.”

Gyms in Liverpool, where Tier 3 restrictions are already in place due to rising coronavirus cases, are fighting back against their new temporary closures.

And following suit is James Calderbank, CEO of Team Training Preston. He has used social media site Facebook to spread his message and pleaded with council officials over the possible re-closure of gyms.

He said: “If the gyms had reason for closing and the spread of Covid was rife in gyms and backed up by science, I would support us closing because we don’t want to make anyone unsafe.

“The science doesn’t lie, there is so much uproar about gyms closing which we have seen in Liverpool, because there just isn’t the science to back it up.

“This isn’t about gyms rebelling, it is about standing up for what’s right. There should be much clearer guidance and better financial support for independent gyms to help pay the full wages of the staff and consider rent, leases and the contracts we have to keep paying.

“The support package from the government has been feeble and we have constantly received mixed messages. I don’t think that it makes any sense because gyms have a huge impact on the mental health of people. One of my clients even told me that if it wasn’t for the transformation hub I run, then she wouldn’t be here. That says it all, it is one of the biggest things to help people cope.”

Chris Richards, Owner and head coach of 29Ten Fitness, Blackpool, is also concerned about the possiblilty of a shift to a 'high risk' tier for the borough. He said: “My biggest frustration as a gym owner is that when they make these decisions, it appears to be a blanket decision across an entire industry.

"We lost our ability to grow as a business and are still trying to recover and already playing catch up so for us to close again now would be devastating.

“When you look at gyms and fitness centres, they are all run very differently to bigger chain gyms. We are a private facility and have been able to operate on a booking system with social distancing and hygiene processes.

"All of this wasn’t a great deal different to what we did before lockdown because we always had a handle on how many people were using our facilities and kept them clean.

“The gym sector has been treated unfairly - we’ve even had a number of our members that have told us they feel safer in the gym than their own workplaces.

“If we moved to a Tier 3, then there’s no clarity to how long this might last for us. If we had a circuit breaker and was told how long we would be closed for, for example two weeks, then we would manage because our members would stand by us.

“If it went on for longer, then we would need to see some form of government grant that could mimic at least some of our turnover because our outgoings don’t stop. At the start of lockdown, we qualified for the £10,000 government grant because like many small businesses, we don’t have a huge cushion of money to fall back on or a huge budget.

“No one can plan or prepare for something like this and whilst the grant helped, it was quickly swallowed up as the lockdown months went on.”

Under Tier 3 lockdown restrictions, pubs and bars that cannot operate as restaurants will be ordered to close their doors once more.

Tom Jackson, owner of Applejacks Microbar, Longridge, has made the tough decision to shut before new restrictions are announced, claiming it 'isn't viable' for him to stay open.

He said: "The rules don't make any sense because I just don't think you can fully lock a virus down. The first time, it took me three days to actually find out what our rules were from the council. It’s so unclear.

"There's only so much debt small bars and pubs like ours can get into. When you only operate with half your customers, it is difficult because there's still rent to pay and wages to pay.

"At the moment, we can only have eight people in my bar so it just isn't viable for us to stay open because of the electricity and stock I need to invest in. I think there is another lockdown coming and that is concerning as the hospitality industry relies on Christmas trade to help you over into the new year."

The Guild Ale House, on Lancaster Road, Preston has not yet reopened their doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jane Briscoe, who manages the venue alongside Gary Quinn, says that every time they plan to reopen, they are ‘hit with more restrictions’ and think that the possibility of moving Lancashire into Tier 3 would mean the government would need to provide more support.

She said: “The government should do so much more, just paying two thirds of staff wages isn’t enough and they need to do more to help.

“I think the hospitality industry is being so penalised and has been throughout the pandemic when in reality, we are only a small part of the reasons for the spread of covid.

“We need to see more money given to pubs and bars going forward that needs to cover the rents and the wages because those outgoings don’t stop. We need staff for when we do open back up again and don’t want them to move to find safer jobs. These people need more security financially.”

Richard Powell of Kuckoo, Fox Street, Preston added: "It will be a bit of a relief to know either way what’s going on. Uncertainty is the biggest problem at the minute and makes it extremely difficult to plan. In addition, we think it’s a real shame how Preston has been politically hung out to dry.

"We have been under oppressive restrictions longer than most other places with no word on progression from these restrictions or support that could be offered."

Lancashire has been trying to negotiate a funding package worth nearly £50m more than the £12m believed to be on offer from the government – including a massive discretionary grant scheme to support businesses directly or indirectly affected by a tougher lockdown.