COMMENT
The long and winding road to recovery
R
emember 2016, when we lost David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Carrie Fisher, Mohammed Ali, George Michael, Prince, Victoria Wood and Terry Wogan among others? We all thought that was the year that couldn’t possibly be beaten in the worst-year-of-all-times stakes? And then, 2020 came along.
It has been a stinker of a year so far, yet it started out so well. Businesses were doing well, construction output was growing and we were all hoping that the uncertainty of the Brexit hoo-hah would be put to bed with Boris’ thumping great Tory majority. And then, everything stopped for Covid-19. Lockdown happened and things may never be quite the same again. Because Covid is the get-out clause for everything from why the DVLA is five months behind on new driving licences to the impossibility of booking a dental appointment and why one of our town centre car parks is still closed. The council says its too hard to ensure social distancing. Which is nonsense of course, but you can’t argue with a local authority that has Because Covid as its mantra. Seven months after everything closed down on March 23rd, here we are. The recession appears, according to the latest Construction PMI figures, to be V-shaped. Whether it stays that way rather depends on what happens at the end of the furlough scheme and if we get any future lockdowns. We could stick with the V-shape, or it could morph into a W, which would be worse, or even a VL-shape which would technically be a depression, I think. The furlough scheme has been well-used, possibly abused in some cases, with companies keeping staff on furlough “because the Government is paying their wages, so we might as well use it until it runs out”. Thanks. That’s my taxes and, in all probability, my children’s
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taxes, that you’re playing fast and loose with. That said, there are companies out there, Marshalls, Ikea, Redrow, Barratt and Taylor Wimpey among them, who are paying back the furlough money received because things have got rather better than they forecast. Which is nice.
We will only really know how the recovery is panning out over the next few months. The furlough scheme ends in a couple of weeks, with some of the slack being taken up by the new scheme. There will undoubtedly be a few tough decisions taken by firms, some of which may not be taken all that well. If you get made redundant at the end of your furlough, you might feel aggrieved that you have effectively wasted all that time when you could have been looking for another job. Likewise, if you are still working in a team where half the employees are on furlough, you might feel hard-done by if those employees then get a wad of redundancy cash along with their P45s, leaving you to carry on picking up the slack.
We know, though we might shy away from shouting it out loud, that we are in this for the long haul. The hospitality and events sectors are reeling as are the arts, sports clubs and many freelancers and directors of small companies. The 10pm drinking establishment curfew seems to be hurting as many as it protects. There’s much talk in the media about ‘Long Covid’, the fatigue, aches, lbreathlessness, loss of senses and brain fog which seem to carry on for months after supposed recovery. It seems ‘Long Covid’ won’t just be about health; Covid’s effects - physical, economic and psychological - will continue to be felt well into next year.
Fiona Russell-Horne Editor-in-Chief - BMJ
“
COMMENT
There is only the fight to recover what has been lost,
And found, and lost again and again.
TS Eliot CONTENTS
4 The Month What’s been going on in the industry this month
6 News Extra
The BMF held its first Virtual AGM and Conference last month
11 News Extra Mannok – the new name for Quinn Industrial Holdings
12 People Who’s now working where?
13 Business Helpdesk The Chancellor’s latest Job Scheme explained.
14 Viewpoint
Our guest commentators look at ventilation and roofing issues.
18 Merchant Focus Cowal Building & Plumbing Supplies talks Covid challenges
20 Sustainability Zero carbon and how Lakes is reducing packaging.
23 Bathrooms How merchants can make the most of the sector
26 Kitchens Tapping into new trends
30 IT
Implementing strategies for the digital age
32 Timber Pent-up potential for timber sales
36 BMF Industry Voice News from the BMF.
26 Product News The latest innovations.
30 And Finally News and the crossword.
October 2020
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3 ”
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