The Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce is delighted to see Hutt City Council’s rolling out a range of programmes to support the business community through Covid-19.

These range from deferred rates payments through to their recent submission of a wide range of shovel ready projects for central government investment. One of the smaller initiatives that would be easy to fly under the radar is the waiving of outdoor seating fees for cafes and restaurants.

Our CBD and especially our cafes and restaurants are facing some of the most challenging times in their history. A simple policy change such as this one is something the council can do quickly and easily and provides a very practical option for our cafes and restaurants to seat more people, while also complying with social distancing rules.

This adds vibrancy across the region and certainly shouts loudly that, “Business is open!”

Helen Down, Chief Executive of the Hutt Valley Chamber, says;

“One of the challenges in Level 2 for any business is to provide products and services at a scale that enables them to be profitable. Anything we can do to help our businesses return to profitability needs to be encouraged and facilitated. This is a great example of local government supporting businesses while enabling them to get on and do what they do best. Having seating out on the streets gives a very clear message that we are open for business and will also provide a sense of comfort to some customers who may be reluctant to dine indoors with other people.”

Read the associated story here.