Town businesses invited to join council group to promote Stone post-lockdown
Members of Stone’s business community are to be invited to join a new council working group being set up to help promote the town post-lockdown.
The group was one of the actions suggested at a meeting in August held in the wake of a coronavirus outbreak linked to the Crown and Anchor pub the month before.
In total 22 cases were linked to the Station Road boozer and the situation made the national headlines.
The town council is now aiming to encourage visitors back to Stone and spread the word that it is open for business with measures in place to protect customers.
At the latest virtual town council meeting members said local businesses had gone above and beyond what was required of them to keep visitors and staff safe.
More Covid-19 coverage:
Some pubs and venues in the town closed or reduced their hours temporarily as a precautionary measure to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading in the days after the Crown and Anchor situation came to light. And others have also been affected by the outbreak, through cancelled bookings or a drop in footfall in the town.
Councillor Rob Kenney said the Stone Working Group should include a local pub licensee, a member of Stone Traders’ Group and representatives from the town’s business network and Walton shopping area.
He added: “The purpose of the working group is promotion of Stone as a whole – not just the High Street.”
But Councillor Tom Adamson repeated concerns he raised at a previous meeting about encouraging more visitors from outside the area – particularly from places that had seen a recent rise in coronavirus cases.
Support
He said: “Our promotion of Stone at a time when there are increasing cases around our area would be ill-conceived and naïve from many of our councillors. I think this working group should be looking towards contingency plans to support business and our residents in the possible issue of a future lockdown.
“We need as a town council to be looking at how we can support our businesses and our residents without just this naïve belief we should invite people into our town from these surrounding areas when there is a possibility and evidence that cases are rising. We have seen places like Oldham and Leicester which have gone into restrictive lockdown and I think we as a town council should be trying to prevent this from happening and make it as safe as possible.”
Councillor Jill Hood said however: “I would like everyone in Stone to have absolute confidence in us to be working as safely as possible. I am overwhelmed and proud of how all of our businesses in Stone town and the surrounding areas have gone miles above what was expected of them and I am confident that as a working group we can put a comprehensive plan together and we can speak to our businesses, traders and licensees and put a well-formulated plan together to promote Stone and say ‘we’re back in business’.
“We already are back in business – yesterday I walked into town and it was incredible how many people were coming into Stone who have faith in us and confidence once again. It’s nice to see the shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes busy.”
Councillor Ian Fordham said: “We are here to build consumer confidence, rebuild footfall and promote business across the whole town following the lockdown. We do that whilst conforming to Government guidelines so we limit the transmission of the virus and that is the key point.”
Councillor Lin Davies said: “I take into account the concerns of people, but everywhere that (Councillor Jim Davies) and I have been over these last few weeks have all been operating exactly to the law.”
Councillor Robert Townsend said: “I understand Councillor Adamson’s anxieties and it’s important someone raises this because we do need to keep an eye on all of the issues relating to transmission. I think that will be one of the important issues of a working group, to make sure everybody involved complies with the regulations that are in place.”
