ELECTION 2021: Time to free businesses from 'cycle of lockdowns', says Freedom Alliance's Jason Duncan
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THIS week we have asked the candidates contesting Banffshire and Buchan Coast to share their thoughts as to how the area can emerge fro the effects of the Covid pandemic.
The Freedom Alliance's Jason Duncan says freeing businesses from pandemic restrictions as soon as possible is vital:
Health and the economy are intrinsically linked. The fact is a strong economy supports better health.
A study by The Health Foundation found a gap in healthy life expectancy of 18 years between the most and least deprived areas of the country, citing things like better resources, education, career prospects, and socio-economic factors like strong family and community ties.
So, to borrow a slogan from the 1992 US elections, "It’s the economy, stupid!".
The reaction to the pandemic saw many good businesses close, some forever. Small-to-medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the local economy and must have the freedom to trade and grow for the area to recover.
Those businesses, and the entrepreneurs that built them, create opportunity for their local communities to prosper.
They have proved their resilience, but must now be freed from the cycle of lockdowns and punitive regulations so that they can drive the local economic recovery.
Poor broadband in our rural area is a barrier to trade. More businesses have had to rely on online trading, so this must be urgently addressed in order for them to compete.
The hospitality sector has also been unfairly targeted by the government’s response. This is a key industry, both for jobs and its socio-economic benefits, so it must be allowed to open and trade fully as we recover from the pandemic.
My business helps the young and disadvantaged gain trade skills and qualifications, helping them to meet the needs of industry and improving their career prospects.
The young have sacrificed so much to the government’s response with very little recognition. A return to normal learning is in the best interests of their physical and emotional wellbeing.
They must have the freedom to enjoy a fully open education system, something they have been denied by school and college closures.
