Scottish Conservative Candidate Craig Hoy is inviting residents and businesses to offer their views about how the East Lothian economy can be given a much-needed boost as it prepares to enter the Covid-19 recovery phase.
Launching a constituency-wide survey and information resource, Hoy says: “While the focus is currently on the crisis response phase, it is also vital that we get ahead and start to focus on the recovery phase too. To help achieve this I would like to hear from local residents and businesses. I will make sure your views are acted on locally and passed to my colleagues at Holyrood and in the House of Commons."
Hoy, who is an East Lothian Councillor and Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for next year's Scottish election, said the Covid-19 crisis had forced the county’s residents to adapt to new ways of living.
“We are all in this together, but for many this will have been an especially anxious or lonely period. Residents are worried about their health, their jobs, their finances and their families,” he says. “And many are suffering the effects of social isolation. Local businesses remain very concerned about their future and it's vital we start to identify a route-map to recovery in East Lothian.”
Among measures Mr Hoy is suggesting would be an East Lothian Council-led initiative to identify outside spaces allowing cafes, restaurants and bars to expand their service, allowing them to return to work while ensuring social distancing takes place.
In his Haddington and Lammermuir ward, Craig has identified areas including the square outside the Corn Exchange and the road in front of the Waterside Bistro as locations where permission could be given for local businesses to develop outside trade.
"As business starts to return we all need to consider how we reconfigure the way we operate to ensure we achieve the social distancing measures which will be essential to prevent a second wave of the virus. With summer approaching the Council could help do this by granting temporary permissions and licences to encourage more open-air activity in our streets and open spaces," Hoy added.
Important Links:
- Visit Craig's online Covid-19 information portal
- Download Craig's four-page Covid-19 Community Advice and Information Leaflet
- Take part in Craig's Covid-19 survey