My letter is reproduced below, if you want to write to her go this website.
I shall let you know how she replies, anyway, my letter:
Dear Sally-Ann Hart,
COVID-19 Latest Tier Restrictions
I brought myself to write to you because I am very concerned that the people of Hastings are being treated unfairly by Her Majesty's Government, and as our Member of Parliament, I would be very grateful if you would help defend this wonderful historic town, and its inhabitants.
Before the COVID-19 crisis descended upon us even, we have been treated unfairly, with the Central Government Revenue Support Grant awarded to Hastings being reduced from £14 million in 2010/11 to nothing nothing since April 2019. Indeed, the Government's 'The Indices of Deprivation 2019' stated that Hastings was the 13th most deprived area in England, from among the 317 local council areas in the country, and the most deprived local council area in the South East!
The unemployment rate locally was higher than the national average at the start of the COVID-19 'lockdown' from March, and is only rising, sadly, due to the restrictions deemed necessary to halt the rise of that virus. However, the local economy is highly dependent on tourism, and the hospitality sector was hit significantly by its closure. As you'll be aware, the hospitality sector in Hastings prospers, and ensures employment, during the warmer months of the year, but 'lockdown' and the loss of holiday periods such as Easter, and numerous festivals that bring visitors, consequently money, into the town, including Hastings Week, the Seafood & Wine Festival, the Herring Festival, and May Day and 'Jack in the Green' have all been lost to businesses in the local Hospitality Sector.
When the 'lockdown' ended early in July, with Hastings one of the safest places to live in the country with respect to COVID-19, the local Hospitality Sector looked at the latest rules regarding COVID-19, dusted itself down, and brought in vigorous supervision of customers, spending much money on ensuring 'mitigations' such as reducing the numbers that could enter premises by losing/moving furniture, taking details of customers for tracking and tracing, providing hand sanitizer, staff safety wear and serving at table, regular cleaning of their premises and toilets, sanitizing tables between customers, the list could go on, but they adhered to Government advice. Indeed, only a few didn't, and were suitably closed for periods by Police and the local authority to help them get their act together.
Since July, Hastings, in Tier 1, has continued to maintain a much lower than average number of cases of COVID-19, indeed, at the beginning of the second 'lockdown' we had the lowest incidence of COVID-19 in England and Wales, being 31.3 cases per 100,000 (2nd November).
How is it that, after a couple of weeks of 'lockdown' the Government has decided to move Hastings from Tier 1, when it became the safest place to live in England and Wales, into Tier 2 from next week? Surely this means the Government's strategy isn't working, when, during 'lockdown' the position got worse apparently? Yet Government figures appear to be suggesting the rise in infection rates has leveled off with signs of falling numbers.
When this comes before Parliament next week, I trust you will stand up for Hastings and your constituents, and defend our Hospitality Sector so that, and hopefully we shall see the Summer of 2021 be something close to normal for tourism, there are still some businesses remaining open to benefit, please let's not allow Hastings to become a 'Ghost Town.'
I look forward to receiving your support for Hastings in Parliament, and your comments, many thanks,
Yours sincerely,
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