Commenting on today’s announcement by the Prime Minister of a three-tier lockdown system, UKHospitality has warned of a lack of support for hospitality businesses in lockdown tiers 1 and 2. These venues will face severe restrictions – including the damaging 10pm curfew - without proportionate support.
Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said, “The impact of all of these restrictions is huge and we are quickly reaching the point of no return for many businesses.
“For those businesses in tier 3 areas, forced to close their doors again, things look bleak but the support announced last week for closed businesses will hopefully give them the breathing room they need to survive another lockdown.
“There is currently a concerning lack of support on offer for hospitality businesses in tier 2, and to a lesser extent tier 1, despite their facing restrictions that is seeing trade down by between 40% to 60%.
'They will have the worst of both worlds, operating under significant restrictions without the financial support on offer to tier 3 businesses. Without enhanced grant support and enhanced Government contributions to the Job Support Scheme, many are going to fall by the wayside.'
Nicholls finished, “It is time for the Government, at the very least, to rethink the mandatory 10pm curfew in those areas where COVID rates are low. It was imposed without credible evidence that hospitality is the source of increases in transmission, while some evidence points the other way. To leave hospitality out to dry would be a grave and risky move and would cost many people their jobs.”