Chancellor’s measures give hope but it might be too late for some

THERE WAS a mixed reaction from pub owners in Calderdale to an emergency package of support announced to help keep people in work as the impact of the coronavirus economic crisis hits.

Firms which have furloughed staff will be given a £1,000 bonus to keep workers in jobs, diners will get a discount to support pubs and restaurants, VAT slashed on food, accommodation and attractions until January, and stamp duty is to be cut under measures revealed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

After the news was announced, Max Heaton, from the Shibden Mill Inn, Halifax, said: “It’s great news, and a move in the right direction. I think it’ll make a huge difference, it will definitely encourage people to come out on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which are our quieter days, so I think was quite a creative idea. The VAT relief is a huge one for us, that’ll make a big difference to how busy we are and trying to recoup some of the money that’s been lost.”

Michael Ainsworth, from the Grayston Unity, said: “If you’re a restaurant or you serve food in a pub, you got some benefit. But if you’re a traditional pub or bar that doesn’t do food we got no help whatsoever.

“Just think how many pubs in Calderdale don’t do food, and you realise how few will get any benefit. If you think about The Big Six, The Three Pigeons, how are they going to benefit? Those businesses that are often in the heart of communities and which have already suffered enough, none are getting any kind of help.”

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