Quake damaged businesses deserve support

15 December 2010

Media Release: Megan Woods, Labour Candidate for Wigram.

Businesses in Christchurch that have been badly affected by the Canterbury earthquakes deserve the same support as given to drought stricken farmers and film industry moguls, according to Labour’s Wigram candidate, Megan Woods. Instead they are dealing with a council and government long on platitudes but short on real assistance.

Ms Woods is supporting the call from small business owners for financial and practical support, saying that turnover for many of them is down as much as 60 percent at what should be the busiest time of the year.

“More than three months after the initial quake, many roads are still blockaded by barriers and rubble still lies on the street,” Ms Woods says. “Shop frontages all over the electorate in areas such as the Selwyn Street Village, Riccarton and Lincoln Roads remain barricaded, and the Council appears not to care. It is an impossible situation”

To compound matters, many business owners have been denied business interruption insurance because their businesses are able to physically open. That fails to take into account the significant loss in trade because potential customers do not want to clamber around barricades to visit shops.

Small business owners are meeting this Friday to present a range of measures to government and council which will provide immediate assistance to ensure their survival. “Both Council and the Government need to heed the concerns of these people,” Ms Woods said.

Megan Woods was recently selected as the Labour Party to contest the Wigram seat in the 2011 General Election. The Wigram seat is currently held by Jim Anderton who will stand down then after 27 years as a local Member of Parliament.

ENDS

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