Campaign calls for govt to issue vouchers for the beauty sector to support struggling businesses

Scratch columnist, Ria-Jaine Lincoln, has launched a campaign calling for the government to support the beauty sector amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Ria-Jaine Lincoln

The accountant, who specialises in helping beauty businesses, is hopeful that the #DutytohelpBeauty campaign will encourage the government to issue vouchers for beauty treatments in a similar way to its ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ initiative for the hospitality sector.

The idea for the campaign sparked following prime minister Boris Johnson’s last minute announcement that close-contact services i.e. treatments on the face, could not resume on 1 August as originally stated; rather from 15 August ‘at the earliest’

Ria-Jaine comments: “I feel helpless watching beauty business owners struggle with the last minute changes and disappointment from our government. We sadly can’t control the government decisions but we can try to get some hope for our beauty industry.

“Business is slow, people don’t have the funds or they are scared from the constant scaremongering. That would be easier to accept if other businesses were also restricted but they are not, as beards can be trimmed and pubs are open.

“The Eat Out To Help Out scheme started on 3 August – but what about the #dutytohelpbeauty?”

In an open letter to the prime minister, Ria-Jaine says: “Your plans to delay opening of the close contact services comes at the worst time imaginable, a time when you are also reducing SEISS and furlough support.

“[Beauty] businesses have been completely shut since late March, with no alternative or way to innovate to bring in even a trickle of income during the lockdown. They could not work from home, or offer delivery services, like some of the businesses that are now open without any PPE or restriction.

“You have a responsibility not only to the economy but to the people, and this whole process has been handled with absolutely no compassion or respect for the whole industry which you already know is a huge part of the UK economy contributing over £8bn to the UK economy and employing up to 300,000 people, predominately women, across 49,371 businesses (Source NHBF Limited).”

“Let’s help this sector across the UK. It helps people of all ages, it helps people of all gender and is in desperate need of fair treatment from government.”

Ria-Jaine is requesting members of the industry that agree with her initiative to sign the open letter by clicking here.

She is also encouraging industry bodies to send a letter supporting the movement to local MPs. Copy the letter via Ria’s blog, here.