03 August Update – Sign the open letter
04 August Update – Cosmetic Business Article
Scratch Magazine Article
01 August 2020
Dear Mr Prime Minister.
Re: Our Beauty Industry
My name is Ria-Jaine Lincoln MAAT, I am a trained lash and nail technician but also Accountant to the hair and beauty industry. Today should be the day that my clients and other beauty business owners up and down the country open their doors for the first time since being one of the first business to have to close at the start of lockdown.
I am writing to share my concern over the way in which the beauty industry and close contact services have been treated not only with the shocking last minute announcements but the lack of support on offer since you advised that the close contact services remain banned until further notice. I am writing this letter armed with both the experience of being a self employed beauty business as well as having an insight into the true financial impact this has had on the industry from advising beauty businesses up and down the UK.
I will be working with each and every client affected to write to their local MPs but this open letter I want to direct to you, Mr Prime Minister in the hope that you may see this and review your decision or at the very least provide the industry with further support to ensure that their businesses survive along with a full breakdown of the science behind your decision to allow other businesses to remain open with no PPE but still ban the close contact services.
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. These 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.
We are now in August with no end date in sight. These business owners stocked up on PPE, replaced old stock that expired due to the long period of closure and made health and safety adjustments to the businesses ,at a cost and at a time when they had no income, but they excitedly prepared as they watched the bookings come in as you announced that from the 1st August close contact services could resume.
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). What support is available, financially or emotionally?
I have witnessed the ups and downs of beauty business owners and this is affecting more than just their pockets, this is emotional torture and it is not necessary. Yes we need to ensure people are safe and COVID secure but we also need to ensure people are treated fairly and you have not shown fairness in the decisions that you have applied to your strategy in easing lockdown. You have not even given the beauty businesses a chance to show that they are COVID secure.
I have clients that provide employment and training to their community enabling people to set up and run their own beauty businesses from home or within a dedicated workplace. I work with beauty business owners that run campaigns and free training resources such as behind the mask to help to train and educate those working in beauty on how to signpost clients that are victims of domestic abuse and often the beauty salon is a safe place. Other campaigns run independently in this sector include beautiful minds that raises money to support mental health charities. The list is not exhaustive, this is a hard working and compassionate sector and most have built their businesses up from absolute nothing but pure heart and dedication.
I can assure you that the beauty industry is not a laughing matter, and the jobs that they do are important not only for the economy but for the customers that see beauty treatments as a way to feel better not just to look better. The damage that you are doing to this industry is truly concerning, not only are you starving them from an income and opportunity to rebuild but you are instilling fear into customers by claiming that the salon environments are not covid-secure.
NHBF drafted a letter just a few weeks ago that called on the Government to allow the industry to reopen in line with very strict safety guidelines but these calls have not been heard. Is there nobody who can take responsibility of helping this industry demonstrate that they are COVID secure, or provide the guidance? An industry that you claim is so high high risk yet has never been regulated?
I also wrote a blog a few months back that discussed the issue of being allowed to open up with services restricted, quite frankly this is just not a viable option for many and the industry needs your focus and attention sooner rather than later. The financial support that you have provided at a flat rate across all sectors has now started to taper but you deny the beauty businesses the opportunity to open up.
More needs to be done before your decisions damage this once thriving industry beyond repair. The beauty industry needs more guidance and support.
Yours sincerely
Ria-Jaine Lincoln
Accountant to the Beauty Industry
[email protected]
07585909305
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Other Campaigns for our beauty industry include the open letter from Beauty Guild
