Hundreds of Businesses Join Website To Help People Buy Local During Pandemic

More than 500 Tees Valley businesses and tradespeople have declared themselves open for business on a website to support local companies during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has welcomed the enthusiasm that has greeted the launch of the website, and is urging even more businesses and tradespeople to sign up.

Buy Local Tees Valley, launched just two weeks ago by Mayor Houchen, is designed to give local businesses a boost by highlighting their availability to local people, and help potential customers to know where to go for goods and services at this unprecedented time.

The site, set up by the Mayor and Combined Authority, covers a huge range of businesses and services, from record shops in Darlington and family butchers in Hartlepool to chartered surveyors in Middlesbrough, tyres and exhaust specialists in Redcar and Cleveland, car and van hire in Stockton-on-Tees and many more.

It is expected that even more businesses will take advantage of the platform after the Prime Minister announced the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown earlier this week. This lays out how companies should look to encourage employees back to work if they cannot work from home, as the country takes its first steps to relax restrictions.

Mayor Houchen said: “We’ve had a fantastic response from lots of amazing businesses who have jumped on board with this website in just a matter of days, but we know we can make it a bigger and better resource for local people.

“If you’re a business or tradesperson still operating, please sign up today. And if you’re looking to reopen following the latest Government guidelines, you can register as soon as you throw your doors back open.

“These local firms are the backbone of our economy and we need to help them through this difficult and unprecedented time to make sure they’ll still be here for years to come, creating jobs and adding value to the region.

“That’s why I’d not only urge to get them posted on our portal, but also ask members of the public to check it out and make sure they’re doing their bit to back companies across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”

To sign your business up with Buy Local Tees Valley, or to find out more about local companies still open, visit buylocal.teesvalley-ca.gov.uk

The 24/7 Tees Valley Business Support helpline is being constantly updated with the latest Government guidance and advice for businesses and tradespeople during the coronavirus pandemic. This includes where to find Government information on Covid-19 Secure, new guidance on how to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the outbreak. To contact the Tees Valley Business Support Helpline, call 01642 662 777.

The Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority have also launched a Tees Valley Business Survey to determine the extent of the impact of coronavirus on local businesses. The results will shape our region’s response and economic recovery. They will also inform the Government’s national recovery response to the pandemic. If you are a business that has been impacted by coronavirus, you can fill out the survey at surveymonkey.co.uk/r/teesvalleycovid-19businesssurvey