Coronavirus business update: Latest news across the North West

ACC Liverpool this week hosted its first site visit since closing its doors in March when organisers from The Gin to My Tonic Show, who have held their event at the venue twice, met with members of the venue team to discuss their forthcoming event in November.

Paul Hudson-Jones, co-founder of The Gin to My Tonic Show, said: “We are delighted to be planning the return of the award-winning ‘Gin to My Tonic Show’ to ACC Liverpool, and launching our very first Christmas-themed event.

“It’s been a challenging year for the event industry, and while things may look a little different in the short term with social distancing, we are excited about delivering a safe yet fun experience for guests old and new.”

Following the recent easing of restrictions the venue campus is starting to host a number of small meetings for under 30 people and is among a number of venues due to host the UKickstart Event 2020 on September 8.

The event will bring together meeting professionals to demonstrate the power of events, showcase the industry, inspire confidence and aims to help to kick-start the events industry.

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Cllr Geoff Driver

A £12.8m economic recovery and growth programme aimed at tackling some of the economic impacts of COVID-19 has been unveiled by Lancashire County Council.

The proposed funding, which will be discussed by members of the cabinet next week, will be used to accelerate projects and schemes designed to support the county’s economy.

Work will also take place to fully understand and tackle the impact COVID-19 has had on businesses and communities.

Already the council has submitted a recovery plan to the Government to redefine and re-invigorate the local economy.

And In July, Lancashire secured £34.1m from government towards ‘shovel ready’ projects as part of strategic development and infrastructure pipeline projects.

The new proposed finance will support projects that have the dual benefit of tackling the immediate impacts of COVID-19, together with unlocking economic recovery and growth in the longer term.

It is proposed that the funding will be allocated to projects by the end of March 2021, with the aim of completing the majority of schemes by March 2024.

The move comes as officers have already started to identify major projects that could bring billions of pounds into Lancashire.

The county council’s own major project and strategic development plans also have the potential to deliver a significant portion of investment to the area.

Coun Geoff Driver, leader of the council, said: “At the beginning of the year we were in the process of bringing forward ambitious plans for economic growth together with setting out our vision for the whole of Lancashire to become the UK City of Culture in 2025.

“Work had already begun on plans for major development and infrastructure to transform our economy and fully realise our potential for the benefit of all our residents, businesses and communities.

“Unfortunately, we are all aware of the huge impact coronavirus has had in Lancashire since then, both in terms of the tragic human cost as well as the economic impact.

“But we are determined to build on the foundations we already had in place to help our towns, attractions, countryside and destinations, while supporting industry, stimulating business growth and creating new jobs.”

The proposed funding is due to be discussed by members of the cabinet at their meeting on Thursday, September 3.

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The public is being encouraged to use their local arch businesses in August as part of a #loveyourlocalarches campaign to help those small businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The campaign is running throughout August, culminating in an Arch Day this Saturday, August 29.

It aims to increase the visibility of railway arch businesses within their communities and increase footfall to help thousands of small companies to recover from the pandemic and its impacts.

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) research suggests that more people than ever are keen to shop local, with 63p of every £1 spent in a small business remaining in the local economy.

Many small businesses went the extra mile for their customers during lockdown, with 11% of those that remained open introducing deliveries directly to their homes, and a further 15% diversifying to offer new products and services.

Mike Cherry, national chair of the FSB, said: “We’re delighted to support the love your local arches campaign.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities, providing jobs, donating time and expertise to support local causes, and creating strong community business networks.

“These businesses were particularly hard hit by the recent lockdown, with four in 10 closing temporarily and one quarter reporting that their turnover dropped by more than 50%. Now that they are reopening, it’s incredibly important that we help these small businesses get back on their feet by buying locally wherever possible.”