Economy

Council Leader proud of the resilience and fortitude Southwark residents and businesses have shown through this pandemic

What a time to start a new job! Kieron Williams has been the Leader of Southwark Council for only a matter of weeks and he has had much work to do.

With the country gripped in the worst health pandemic in living memory, he has been busy working with key stakeholders – businesses, politicians and lobby groups among them – to ensure individuals and companies have access to the right support.

Since taking over the reins from Councillor Peter John OBE in September, Kieron’s immediate job has been to lead the council’s response to the pandemic, ensuring that services continue to be delivered to high standards while supporting the many residents and businesspeople who’ve suddenly found themselves out of work. Despite the current challenging conditions, he’s optimistic about the long-term prospects for Southwark’s colourfully diverse economy. Kieron says: “As a business community, Southwark has enjoyed huge success in the last decade and will do so again. We’re all going through tough times at the moment – the toughest I’ve lived through. Many companies have had to temporarily cease trading, some have gone out of business and many people have lost their livelihoods. Although a potential vaccine on the horizon is great news, the next few months will be critical. My job is to find ways of supporting businesses in any way we can so that they can get through these winter months. “Once we have the virus under control, I firmly believe that Southwark is in a favourable position to recover. The borough has traditional strengths in culture and the arts, construction, regeneration, biomedical research and green technologies. There is also huge potential to grow and scale up some of the many local start-ups that have been established here. COVID hasn’t taken away these capabilities and this potential. That’s why I believe that Southwark will flourish once this is all over.” Under Kieron’s stewardship, the council has provided a wide range of support for local businesses. He says: “We’ve made sure that government support has reached businesses as quickly as possible, and we’ve provided top-up funds for businesses that perhaps haven’t been eligible for support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. We’ve also been proactive in lobbying government for more targeted support for businesses. “Recently I wrote to the government, along with other London leaders, to request that funding ratios are determined on the basis of the number of businesses in an area, rather than on a per head of population basis. This would ensure a fairer distribution of wealth.” While it is the right of council leaders to question government policy and hold ministers to account, Kieron believes that the support measures so far have helped to preserve jobs and keep some businesses afloat. “The furlough scheme and the scheme for the self-employed was a lifeline for many businesses and workers,” he says. “It wasn’t enough to save every business and there are still some people who haven’t received any support. With levels of infections rising, the second lockdown was probably the right thing to do but now we’ve returned to the tier system I hope that businesses can start to recoup some of the income they’ve lost. “Going forward, we are working in partnership with key stakeholders – including Southwark Chamber and the local business improvement districts (BIDs) – to get the message out there that we’re here to support businesses. The nature of this support may change over time as the COVID crisis develops so we’ll be as flexible and adaptable as we can. “It’s in everyone’s interest to get the economy up and running again and to do that we need fully functioning businesses with a strong customer base. This is particularly true of our town centre businesses, including retailers that have been through the mill in recent months. “I’m incredibly proud of the resilience and fortitude that local residents and businesses have shown through this pandemic. Here at Southwark Council, we want to do all we can to build a better future for them in every aspect.”

“We’ve made sure that government support has reached businesses as quickly as possible, and we’ve provided top-up funds for businesses that perhaps haven’t been eligible for support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.“