Businesses to be surveyed about Covid-19 impact

Businesses in St Albans District are urged to take part in an important survey about how they are coping with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

St Albans City and District Council is conducting the research to see what kind of support businesses will need to survive the crisis over the next year.

The Council also wants to discover if the easing of the lockdown has given business a boost.

The Council’s Cabinet has set up a cross-party Recovery Task and Finish Group that will consider all feedback before deciding what actions should be taken.

It may, for example, recommend that the Council should lobby the Government on particular issues or improve the promotion of support services for businesses.

The survey runs from Wednesday 22 July until Tuesday 4 August. It only takes around 10 minutes to complete and is available here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SADCBusinessRecovery.

Businesses which reply will be contacted by the Council if there is information or help that can be provided directly.

All responses will be treated with the strictest of confidence.

Councillor Karen Young, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Chair of the Recovery Task and Finish Group, said: “This is a follow up to a survey we conducted at the height of the lockdown.

“We now want to discover how our local businesses are faring now that many of the restrictions on normal economic activity have been lifted.

“In particular, we are looking to see what we can do to help our businesses at this critical time. We are committed to giving them all the backing we can so that local jobs and our general prosperity are protected as much as possible.

“I’m asking all local businesses to take part so we can gain a very valuable insight into the challenges they face.”

The Recovery Task and Finish Group will also be looking at actions that can be taken to help community groups and residents, including the most vulnerable.

Councillor contact:
Councillor Karen Young, Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resources for St Albans City and District Council: cllr.k.young@stalbans.gov.uk, 07495 504570.

Contact for the media:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City District Council: 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.