Derbyshire tourism sector bosses and politicians make plans to bounce back from £212million Covid losses

County council leader Barry Lewis convened a round-table session with council officers, MPs, business figures and tourism board Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire and representatives.

He said: “We want to make sure that Derbyshire experiences a bounce out of the pandemic in terms of economic recovery, rather than a slow return which could see many of our tourism businesses struggle to survive.

“The support the Government has given to businesses goes a long way but it is certainly the case that our businesses who rely on visitors and people going out – our restaurants, hotels, holiday parks and tourist attractions to name a few – have been hard hit.”

He added: “There is much we can do together as the voice of Derbyshire to work with Government to help our visitor economy recover.”

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, Derbyshire’s wider economy could face total losses of £1.8billion or more in 2020.

86 per cent of Derbyshire’s businesses are micro and small businesses and many have experienced challenges as a result of the pandemic, not least those such as accommodation providers, food and drink and the entertainment sector.

The round-table members resolved to continue to work with the Government on the impact of pandemic restrictions on tourism businesses and measures that could support their survival and recovery.

They also agreed to continue to help local companies to understand and access the support that is on offer to them.

Areas of focus included licencing hours under a return to tiered restrictions and the benefits of extending the VAT rate change past January next year.

Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham said: “Focusing on returning employment in the tourism sector to pre-Covid levels should be a priority for the county’s general economic recovery from the pandemic.”