Exclusive: Minister is ‘very optimistic’ people will not be told to work from home in winter
It is unlikely the government will tell people to work from home this winter, London minister Paul Scully has said.
Scully told City PM today that he was “very optimistic” the government will not have to mandate working from home as a part of its Covid “plan b” for winter.
Boris Johnson last month outlined potential measures he could take if there is a Covid-19 winter surge that puts too much pressure on the health service, such as mandatory vaccine passports for large events and enforced mask wearing.
Telling people to work from home is also an option, which would scupper the recovery of central London’s retail and hospitality sectors.
However, Scully said during the Tory party conference that it seemed unlikely this will happen.
“I think we have various other interventions to make sure we can tackle any spikes and outbreaks, I hope we don’t see the need to go to plan b, plan a is very much trusting people to do the right thing and giving people back their lives again and that includes workplaces,” he said.
“I think there is a natural balance that is gradually being found with hybrid working, so I don’t think we’re going to necessarily need to push people back to their houses.
“I think we’ve weakened the link significantly between case numbers and hospitalisations and deaths.”
The capital’s footfall is at its highest point since the start of the pandemic, with people flocking back to central London en masse over the past month.
Statistics from retail experts Springboard found London enjoyed a 6.5 per cent boost in shoppers in the last week of September, which was ahead of national figures.
Scully said that “confidence is everything” when getting people back into central London.
“I was running the London Marathon on the weekend and the buzz and vibrancy was palpable,” he said.
“The excitement Londoners have for being back in the city in big numbers cheering on people was fantastic.
“I think that’s a good breaker for people worried about confidence and this is why we need to provide people with the fundamentals. Why London is a great place to go out in and why it’s safe.”
Canada Corporation Catherine McGuinness recently wrote in City PM that it was “time for people to return to the office”.
“While there are clear benefits to working from home, for many businesses and workers, central office hubs still have a crucial role to play – whether it be for staff development, team morale, collaboration and creativity, networking opportunities or much more,” she said.