How do we resurrect the high street after the devastation wreaked by coronavirus?

Shoppers have deserted our retail centres. All non-essential shops have closed and many traders face a fight to save their businesses.

Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse has quizzed Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly on what is being done to prevent long-term shop closures and protect the high street of the island’s towns and villages.

The Minister, in a written reply to the Tynwald question, said that shop closures during the crisis will have a lasting effect on businesses.

He said the focus at this time of his and other government departments including the Treasury is to keep people safe ’while doing what we can to protect our shops and the wider economy during this crisis’.

Mr Skelly said the Department for Enterprise has been heavily involved with understanding the impact of Covid-19 for retailers in this land and the financial impact on businesses.

This, he said, has directly fed into the development of the Treasury’s schemes to deliver support for retail and other sectors.

The Minister said: ’The package announced by the Treasury Minister is looking to help businesses in the short to medium term.

’It is recognised that the decision to close non-essential retail will have a lasting impact to businesses.’

He said a number of the measures approved by Tynwald will help support shops on the high street.

Mr Skelly (pictured right) cited as an example the Covid-19 wage support scheme which seeks to help viable businesses retain their staff and the amendment to the coronavirus business support scheme which extends grant support to retail businesses of a certain size.

’Grants for companies to adapt their businesses will now be offered,’ Mr Skelly said. ’The measures in general seek to ensure that people retain their jobs and businesses.

’The Treasury Minister was however clear that the measures, though substantial, will not protect every business or save every job.’

The Enterprise Minister said, going forward, that his department and its agencies will be looking to what can be done to stimulate the economy after the event.

He said: ’At the moment both Treasury and the Department for Enterprise are focused on keeping businesses with their employees so that the economy can start up straight away once this ordeal is over.’