Minister promises coach support proposal response

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Kemi Badenoch, has promised a response to proposals to support the coach industry early in the New Year.

The news follows Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy‘s push for the Government to support the coach sector.

In a statement on her Facebook page, Emma Hardy said: “Today I met Kemi Badenoch, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, along with representatives of the coach travel industry. It was the perfect opportunity for the Minister to hear first-hand the difficulties the sector faces in surviving until normal operations can resume.

“We were able to impress upon the Minister the specific issues around servicing finance and access to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, as well as emphasise the need for a healthy coach industry to support the recovery of tourism and leisure as restrictions are relaxed.

“The Minister promised us a response to the proposals put forward early in the New Year” – Emma Hardy MP

“The Minister promised us a response to the proposals put forward early in the New Year. I look forward to continuing to work with everyone in the industry to get the help they need.”

The Labour MP has supported the coach industry in the last couple of months, having heard first hand the difficulties the sector is facing from Acklams Coaches. In November, Emma hardy said in a Government debate on SMEs: “The situation for coach companies is deeply worrying. They are all SMEs, the majority family-run businesses. Last week, I met Alan Acklam from Acklams Coaches, who spelt out the crisis the industry faces. These were all viable businesses, and they will be again, because after this pandemic people will want to go to concerts and on holiday and start enjoying life again. But right now, tens of thousands of jobs are at stake as a result of coach operators struggling to secure business as the coronavirus pandemic goes on. They have seen a 90% drop in income for 2020. In 2019, there were 23 million visits made by coach, but that number has fallen to virtually nothing.”

Her support is also in addition to the CPT’s, Honk for Hope’s and individual operator’s efforts to make the plight of the industry known.

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