Councillors in Yorkshire are urging the government to offer more financial assistance to companies throughout the region, with the latest lockdown restrictions set to bite over the festive period.

A number of prominent figures in the region, including the leader of Leeds City Council, Judith Blake, are among those involved. They have sent a letter to Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Local Government, expressing their concerns about whether small firms throughout Yorkshire will be able to keep trading during the Christmas period without being provided with financial support.

In this letter, the various signatories also state that the festive period is normally one of the busiest times of the year for local businesses and suppliers, accounting for up to 40% of all turnover for the year for many of them.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Blake stated that the letter was to try to persuade the government that the severe restrictions that Yorkshire firms faced under Tier 3 meant that they would need to be compensated, adding:

“The situation for our retailers, both big and small, national chains and independents, is getting critical and the next few weeks of the Christmas trading period will be make or break for many of them.”

Blake concluded by saying that firms had shown adaptability and strength throughout this crisis and that they needed help to ensure they were ready for the year ahead. Proper financial planning from a small business accountant in South Yorkshire is another way firms can cope with difficult periods.