Hackney mayor Phillip Glanville has criticised the government’s budget, set out in the House of Commons on Wednesday, labelling its support for businesses as ‘disappointing’.
Whilst the mayor welcomed the extension of financial support, particularly the furlough scheme and a £20 weekly uplift in Universal Credit until September, he attacked the decision to reduce the business rates holiday come June.
In a public statement, released just after the budget was announced, Glanville wrote: “Reducing this discount from July is too soon for many of our businesses, who will need months to recover, even after they have reopened.”
“Today’s measures are sticking plasters rather than long-term reforms to restructure our economy.”
He chastised the government for being “late to react” throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and highlighted that many people will have been left “worrying about putting food on the table and… facing invidious decisions about furloughed staff and their financial future.”
Steve Ryan, co-founder of 40FT Brewery, Dalston, agreed with the mayor. He told Hackney Post: “It’s good to see hospitality receiving some direct support but unfortunately the budget doesn’t look very promising for us as suppliers to the hospitality industry. We are left in the dark and have had very little support to date.”
Similarly, Chantelle Nicholson, chef and owner of All’s Well on Mare Street, said: “Offering two-thirds discount still means a significant cost to a lot of operators which puts a significant strain on finances after an incredibly challenging year.
“The furlough extension, whilst welcoming, is a little concerning in terms of the government’s true belief as to how long it will take for businesses to bounce back.”
Mayor Glanville also accused the government of imposing a “public sector pay freeze” and spoke out against the four-year freeze on personal income tax allowance (at £12,570) from April 2022, describing both measures as “a kick in the teeth for our borough’s nurses, teachers and frontline waste, parks and care workers”.
