Government and local attention is now understandably shifting to a focus on restoration/recovery and getting our towns economy working again.

This must be in the context of learning to live with Covid and continuing to take the necessary health precautions. There is an awkward balance between controlling the further spread of the virus with not destroying jobs, livelihoods and businesses.

Next week will see the very gradual opening of our economy with retail leading the way. There is significant change and investment in our town centre and other district centres to ensure a Covid secure, less hassle free approach to shopping. This first phase has been about containment, the next phase will be about adjustment, absorption and learning to live with Covid medically, economically, socially, culturally and psychologically.

It’s important to make this gradual restart as the national economic predictions aren’t good with rumours of “jobsageddon.” For us, we will need a local comprehensive economic recovery plan with significant government support.

Government support so far for businesses has been excellent, but it will need to be paid for many years to come. Now is not the time to buckle back into austerity.

In the short term the best way out of a recession is with lower taxes, not tax hikes and on a relentless campaign to “cut the red tape”. In order to get some sectors moving again in a sustainable way, I hope there will be an urgent review, using scientific evidence of the 2m social distancing advice. Reviewing the Sunday trading laws and to relax them for a year might also be a good move.

There can be no doubt that the pandemic has transformed neighbourhoods into communities. In the town we have seen online street quizzes, singalongs and street choirs.

Perhaps for the first time, neighbours have set up whatsapp groups to keep in touch, helped elderly neighbours shopping or simply said, “hello, how are you?” to a neighbour who hasn’t been spoken to before.

Overall, the pandemic social impact has been generally positive and there has been a recognition that community is really important. As we take careful steps into the recovery phase with the emphasis on jobs and the economy, the new approach of collective support and kindness that has been shown in abundance in the town needs to continue in parallel with equal importance.