Grants need to be expanded and distributed faster, say trade bodies
The HM Treasury is also urged to abolish the £51,000 maximum rateable value threshold.
Packages of support announced by the government are not being delivered quickly enough to help businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to trade bodies representing the UK’s pub and wider hospitality sectors.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and UKHospitality (UKH) have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer warning that some local authorities are distributing grants “far too slowly” to benefit under-pressure businesses.
The letter also warned that many businesses facing critical cash flow issues fall outside of the threshold for grants, calling on HM Treasury to abolish the £51,000 maximum rateable value threshold and push councils to deliver cash “urgently.”
“The 51k threshold must also be scrapped as too many businesses fall outside of the limit. These businesses may be in more expensive buildings, but they are being hit just as hard as others. There is also the danger that jobs will be lost in much larger numbers if these bigger employers fail. That is why they need support, too,” UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said.
“10,000 pubs are still without any grant support because they are above the rateable value threshold. Unless that is abolished immediately, many of those pubs will cease to exist in a matter of weeks putting some 150,000 jobs at risk,” Emma McClarkin, BBPA chief executive, added.
