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I write to you to express my utter frustration of how our industry, the Jersey Events & Nightclub Industry, has been dealt with by Ministers & officers within the Government of Jersey.
I am somebody who works 100% full time within the Jersey Events & Nightclub industry.
In March 2020, the realisation of the covid pandemic was brought swiftly into focus, with the Nightclubs in Jersey being the first casualty of being forced to close due to restrictions imposed by the
government relating to covid.
I, along with my business colleagues, operate regular successful dance events in Jersey's most successful nightclubs, The Watersplash & Mimosa each month. Due to the uncertainty surrounding Covid, locally, nationally and internationally, this meant my company, TogetherParties Ltd, faced an uncertain period of no income, cashflow or trading operations. 11 months on, to this date, we have not been able to operate any event since the very first lock down that was implemented.
We also operate and manage a successful, and more importantly, profitable music festival called Out- There, in St Peter in July, which has fast become one of the most anticipated events of
the calendar year, for many people. This event was forced to postpone its operations until 2021 due to the covid restrictions. We also suffered the fate of being advised there would be no support from Honorary Police, due to covid, which then prevented Jersey Police from supporting the events. This had the snowball effect of not being granted a licence by the bailiffs entertainment panel, even
though numbers of covid had dramatically reduced to virtually none in the month of July.
Under a separate company, I also, along with my business partner, operate the islands largest two festival Weekender Jersey, which enjoys 10,000 per day over two days. This is a very successful event that the people of Jersey look forward to every year, and welcomes some of the biggest names in music, from live music to djs. This event was prevented from operating, and like Out-There, was forced to postpone due to covid restrictions.
I also operate as a freelance Dj and offer my services to many corporate events throughout the year across the channel islands, but again, with all events being postponed to 2021, or cancelled, any potential for fees from these events throughout 2020 evaporated.
All of the above circumstances have been highlighted to provide you with a glimpse of how badly affected myself and my colleagues have been throughout 2020.
So given the anxiety thrust upon us all, we have all been set free into limboland. We have received the generic co-funding support the Government offered all islanders throughout the year, which helped a little, but did not take away the fact that we have all been dealt a huge hammer blow relating to our livelihoods.
We have lost all opportunity to trade in any meaningful way, with some suppliers being able to offer some services, but with all event providers who have this as their full time primary career, we have been decimated.
We are all deeply frustrated on how officers in Government have simply not recognised the catastrophic impact that has been put upon us. Whilst other industries operated at normal levels feeling no impact at all, and some industries operated through 2020 to levels where they felt an impact but not at 100%. ours simply did not have that benefit.
The Visitor & Attractions Support Scheme is an ineffective attempt to offer support to our Industry. It comes across to me as a futile attempt to create an optic to the public that the Government has made available a support scheme to help us. it simply does not due to reasons publically made by our industry in the press over the last month or so.
Without a doubt, our industry is at the sharp end of the economic impact caused by the pandemic and civil servants and ministers are throwing us under the bus with how they have viewed our situation so far ... The ultimate truth is that our, usually viable, businesses have had NO CASH FLOW, NO TRADE, NO PROFIT potential to keep us operating as normal, since April 2020, as Government restrictions prevent the events & nightclub us from trading ... We feel It's total discrimination by Government relating to our industry and the people of Jersey need to know how we are being treated.
Our Industry needs SECTOR SPECIFIC SUPPORT NOW. No more delay. No more dodging the fact of the matter. We need all members of States & Government to join forces immediately and address this issue as we have reached the most precarious time of no return.
There has been no leadership or even any guidance offered by anybody within Government to assist us as we suffer on a daily basis, the uncertainty of when our livelihoods will return to normal. Some communication has been made through Jersey Business, but I feel this is also ineffective mainly due to the fact they are funded by Government and they may be conflicted to 'not upset they paymaster' whilst we continue to endure the mental anguish as this period of uncertainty continues.
Maybe all of the above is simply because Jersey's ministers & their officers (who incidentally have not suffered any wage reductions, reductions in holiday entitlements or pension benefits) do not see our industry as viable or of any real economic importance to the island's coffers, but only if we are forced to close for good, due to their actions, will they realise how important we truly were.
I hope you find the impassioned information above helpful and useful, as our once viable industry ponders its future without any true meaningful support from the very body, Government, that prevents us from conducting our business as usual.
Kind regards
Warr en Le Sueur Organiser