McLaughlin urges shoppers to support 'on their knees' local firms with £100 High Street voucher

A Derry MLA has urged people to use their £100 High Street voucher to support local shops, pubs and restaurants that were left 'on their knees' during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin was speaking as the long-awaited High Street Support Scheme went live this week.

She said many local businesses struggled as people turned to the larger supermarkets and that she had taken calls from shopkeepers, café-owners and restaurateurs in tears because they were left with no choice but to let loyal staff go due to dwindling revenues.

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"Independent, locally owned retailers and hospitality businesses have been on their knees during the pandemic, while the big supermarket chains have survived without losing turnover. In fact, many supermarkets have increased their takings.

Sinéad McLaughlinSinéad McLaughlin
Sinéad McLaughlin

"Small independents have been in crisis, despite the support from rate relief and furlough. Many businesses have contacted my office in dire straits. Some business owners have cried on the phone.

"They told me that they cannot afford to keep paying staff who have been loyal to them for many years. I plead with consumers to show their loyalty to the independent, locally owned businesses on village main streets and in town and city centres. We need them today and will need them in the future," she said.

The Foyle MLA said city centres have been severely hit by the pandemic and the lockdown measures that were necessarily imposed to stop the spread of the COVID-19 illness.

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"Just look at our high streets. I can tell you about Derry. Even before the pandemic, we had serious problems because many consumers had stopped going into the city centre. They bought their goods online or at out-of-town shopping centres. The Labour Party in Britain today announced that it wants to reduce the impact of business rates and increase the tax burden on global online retailers.

"I make this plea to every person in the Chamber and every person who is listening to this statement or reading my posts: encourage people to spend their vouchers in local businesses. We depend on them if our town centres are to survive.

"I plead with the Minister to fix the broken website and throw all the resources that he has at that. We are spending £145 million on the voucher scheme, and we cannot cock it up at this point. If the problem is operational or to do with process, it needs to be fixed now instead of waiting for a week or two into the scheme," she said.

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