THE GOVERNMENT needs to do more to support small businesses and the fitness industry, which have both needed to close as a result of the new Tier 4 restrictions.
Bracknell MP James Sunderland was speaking during a parliamentary debate on the lockdown measures held during its recall on Wednesday, December 30.
While he said that he backed the Government’s measures, as they were being imposed for public health, he wanted more help for the non-essential retail sectors that have had to close their doors.
Mr Sunderland, whose constituency includes parts of Crowthorne and Wokingham Without, sympathised with constituents who had their Christmas plans derailed by the sudden imposition of Tier 4: households were no longer allowed to mix on for five days over the festive season. It had been, he added, a difficult few weeks as the virus ripped through his constituency.
“Nobody takes any pleasure at all in restricting people from seeing their loved ones, but it is the duty of any responsible Government to take tough and unpopular decisions to protect lives. It is a sign of good leadership that the Government are making these decisions,” he told the chamber.
“I commend my constituents. The public have been resolute in the main in abiding by the rules, and the self-discipline we have seen across the UK this year has been phenomenal.”
The pressures on the health service were raised. “Wexham Park, Royal Berkshire and Frimley Park Hospitals are at max capacity, and today the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum was almost at the point of declaring a major incident in Berkshire because it has got that bad,” he said.
Calling himself a critical friend of the government, Mr Sunderland called for a review of the rules of gyms and exercise.
“We need to make sure we do not curtail freedoms to the extent that people cannot exercise,” he said.
He urged for more support for small businesses, pointing out that some of them have “had it really bad and some are on their last legs”.
“We have seen giant online corporations such as Amazon and Google dominating the market, continuing to sell goods with impunity and making it increasingly difficult for the high street to survive. There must please be more support for those businesses,” Mr Sunderland warned.
The plans to keep schools open was welcomed as a necessity for children and parents, and the MP hoped that testing and vaccinations for teachers would be implemented at the earliest opportunity.
He ended his speech on an optimistic note citing a visit last week to Bracknell’s vaccination centre, saying it was amazing.
“I want to share … the hope that I saw, which was quite staggering,” he said.
“What I saw there was magnificent, and I commend everyone in the NHS, key workers and other key staff across the UK for what they are doing.
“We will get through this.”
