The Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) has made comment on the First Minister’s statement to the Scottish Parliament and the release of the updated Strategic Framework.
A spokesperson for the SBPA said, “This announcement from the First Minister marks an important milestone in the road to recovery for pubs. Removing the remaining mitigations will give a real boost to the sector, however it is disappointing that it will be another month before we see the total removal of all these legal restrictions.
“As we move to living with covid as an endemic virus it is important the pub and brewing sector receive the necessary support and guidance to ensure a strong and sustainable recovery. The industry faces a perfect storm of rising inflation, increased costs, supply chain difficulties, labour shortages, with a backdrop of record levels of debt.
“We’re urging Governments in Holyrood and Westminster to support the sector’s recovery by continuing to reduce the punitive tax burden on our sector to ensure the sustainability of brewing and pubs, and help us regenerate our cities, towns and villages up and down the country.”