Weekly Message to Residents from the Mayor of Hailsham

In his weekly message to residents, the Mayor of Hailsham Cllr Paul Holbrook welcomes the much-anticipated re-opening of shops in the town on 15th June, and is asking local businesses to follow government advice and do so safely:

“There has been a lot of debate recently about the recent phases in the relaxation of social distancing, including the re-opening of ‘non-essential’ shops and other businesses in mid-June.

It’s excellent news that many shops and businesses will be allowed to re-open in Hailsham. It is after all, vital for our town centre and local economy, but crucially this will have to be done safely.

All non-essential retail is expected to be allowed to resume operation on 15th June, including shops selling clothes, shoes, books and electronics, as well as specialist outlets such as tailors and bakeries. However, all of these openings are dependent on the Government’s tests being met and only if the retailers are deemed Covid-19 secure.

Some shops in our town centre have continued to operate throughout the lockdown but we know that residents will be returning in greater numbers over the next few weeks as more businesses start to reopen from the middle of the month. We are keen to welcome shoppers back – but we need to do this safely.

I want local businesses to be confident that they can operate their shops and premises safely provided they follow the social distancing rules. The same applies to shoppers – we all still have to follow strict social distancing guidelines.

When the time of reopening comes around, shops will look quite different to what we’ve been used to and operate in new ways whilst the pandemic lives on. It goes without saying that there will be more in the way of limits to the number of people allowed in and restrictions on how people move around shops/business premises, in addition to protective screens and temporary barriers in place, and hygiene products available for use on arrival.

Nevertheless, other town centre businesses such as pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and barbers will have to wait a while longer before they can re-open.

During all this, safety remains the ultimate priority. Whilst we all want businesses to be able to function, there are some considerable changes all of us need to make in order for that to be possible. We are in a pandemic, so if we are to benefit from the re-opening of our businesses and save them, it’s imperative that we take individual steps to make that possible during these unprecedented times – and safe for everyone into the bargain.

In closing, I wish to assure you all that the Town Council is continuing to serve its residents during the pandemic.

Much of our effort continues to be put into communicating with you all the closure and any relevant updates relating to the wide range of services that we provide, such as the community halls, play areas and youth services. We are also continuing to keep residents updated on our services and facilities which have remained open but with changes and/or restrictions in place, including the cemetery and high street post office.

Communicating changes and temporary restrictions to our services is a very important task and I encourage everyone to follow the Town Council social media pages during the pandemic, and keep an eye on our main website for any updates on Council services and facilities.

Thank you and stay safe everyone.”