Coronavirus: Isles of Scilly seasonal workers stranded By Johnny O'Shea

BBC News Published duration 17 April Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic

image copyright Gareth Tibbs image caption About 2,500 people live on Scilly, with the majority of businesses reliant on the tourism sector

Some seasonal workers on the Isles of Scilly have been left stranded without income due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The islands, 28 miles off Cornwall, shut down transport links on 21 March, after the workers had arrived.

Staff can only receive 80% of their pay through furlough if they were registered for tax before 19 March.

The tourism board for Scilly said the outbreak had come at "the worst possible time, coinciding exactly with the start of the tourist season".

"The impact is completely extraordinary and catastrophic - nothing happens here without the tourism industry," said Nick Bond, executive director of the Islands Partnership.

The vast majority of income has traditionally been generated between March and October, when the weather would be better, but also when the transport links to the mainland UK would usually be fully operational.

The Partnership had projected 70,000 visitors would spend £34m on Scilly during 2020 and said tourism accounted for 85% of the economy.

"The great difficulty for small and medium sized businesses is not knowing when we might be back to normal again," Mr Bond said.

"We are talking to members and businesses about how government measures don't meet the needs of the tourism and visitor economy. Seasonal staff who arrived after the date that the government scheme applies to - the staff members are stranded."

image copyright John Peacock image caption Scillonians have been showing their support for key workers

Seasonal workers fill many of the hospitality and retail roles on Scilly between these months each year.

Marley Morgan from Penzance in Cornwall arrived on 15 March to start work as a chef at a hotel on St Mary's and said he felt "helpless".

"It is a beautiful place and a great escape, but the reason we are all here is that it's a great opportunity to make money," he said.

His hotel is allowing the nine staff who have arrived from Cornwall, Yorkshire, Hungary and Latvia to stay in their accommodation without charge, for now.

"We are hoping we may reopen in late June," Mr Morgan said.

The government pushed the date back for furloughed workers to 19 March but this would only help people who had been registered for tax purposes by this date.

Many seasonal workers, including Mr Morgan would not qualify.

image copyright Marley Morgan image caption Marley Morgan arrived on Scilly as a seasonal worker but has been left with no income

He said workers were looking out for each other and scraping by, but said: "Morale is pretty low. It's rough at the moment."

Mr Morgan said his previous employer was currently unable to help him and it would take five weeks to receive any universal credit.

Having given up his tenancy and full time job before moving to Scilly he said he was reluctant to return home and put himself at risk through travelling.

"This was a really good opportunity for me work-wise as well as financially so I'd beat myself up if things were to go back to normal and I missed out," he said.

Arriving on 13 March was Adrian Pinnell, who was hoping to do his 16th straight season and his 11th as restaurant manager at another hotel.

After initial confusion that saw him and his wife Sit told to move out of the hotel for insurance purposes, a compromise has been reached.

image copyright Adrian Pinnell image caption Adrian Pinnell has worked the season in Scilly for many years

"They have asked me to do 10 hours' work a week in a caretaker role. They pay me £100, and £50 of that goes back to them in rent," he said.

The Pinnells split their year between Thailand and Scilly, have no home in the UK and are also not eligible for the furlough scheme.

"We may have to go to my mum in Cheltenham but we aren't sure if that classes as essential travel," Mr Pinnell said.

Scilly business

The Duchy of Cornwall owns the majority of the land and has offered tenants an interest-free deferral for rent payments as "there is likely to be a significant financial hardship due to the local economy's reliance on tourism". The Prince of Wales has also "sent his own personal message of support".

All flights and passenger ferry services to the islands have been suspended, other than for key workers and essential travel. A consortium including the local MP has written to the government to ask for "support for the islands' strategic transport infrastructure at this unprecedented time".

The Council of the Isles of Scilly has employed two Royal Navy military planners to help coordinate its response, having declared a major incident.

The Isles of Scilly Council said it would consider each case individually regarding essential travel.

Nick Bond said: "Businesses have brought staff over after the deadline and those individuals are rather stranded. Their employer, or the organisation that was to be their employer, has a moral obligation to look after them.

"There's an awful lot of planning in terms of bringing those teams on board and getting them over to Scilly to get up and running. Not knowing when we will be back in business makes that whole process problematic."

Mr Bond said some businesses would fold but added "we have got to be optimistic that there will be recourse to funds through different channels".

"People's safety is first and foremost, and then ensuring businesses remain in business," he said.