Weekly Message to Residents from the Mayor of Hailsham

In his weekly message to residents, the Mayor of Hailsham Cllr Paul Holbrook has welcomed the reopening of many smaller retailers in the town last week, and is encouraging the public to do what they can to support local businesses:

“The decision to reopen many shops on 15th June was very welcome news for small businesses in Hailsham and indeed for shoppers too! From this, I urge the public to do two things. Firstly, do all they can to support the local economy and independent shops by purchasing products from them and secondly, adhere to the ‘Stay Safe’ messaging and follow the current social distancing guidelines in place whilst out and about shopping.

Our local businesses want shoppers to have confidence in returning to the town centre, and have put in place a range of measures to help the public shop safely and in line with the latest social distancing guidance.

Our local businesses are the backbone of the local economy and it’s essential that we endeavour over the course of the next few weeks to continue supporting our shops which have recently reopened and get back to business in a new and perhaps more challenging environment. The reopening of shops is an important step toward getting many local businesses back on their feet.

Our shops have put a lot of effort into providing a safe and COVID-secure environment for their customers since reopening and I know that shoppers are adapting to a very different shopping environment. Please be patient if you have to queue at some shops and equally as importantly, please be kind to the staff who are working under difficult circumstances and cooperate fully with other shoppers too.

By shopping local and supporting our independent businesses we can, in time, reinvigorate our economy and bring back vitality to the town centre. Whilst the level of footfall is still recovering, it’s been wonderful to see a bit of life in the town centre again since 15th June.

The current social distancing arrangements in the town centre will also help prepare for the reopening of other businesses such as restaurants, bars, hairdressers and barbers, which will hopefully be allowed to open their doors again in July.

Whilst we’re not celebrating the full return of the high street until all of our businesses are able to reopen, I’m delighted to see people back in the town centre, supporting local retailers.

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.”