The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hospitality sector needs support now says business chief
Scottish restaurants and pubs are “caught in the middle of political problems” as Covid-related cancellations continue.
Alison Henderson, head of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said businesses are being left in the dark with little financial help as customers are told to cancel bookings.
Ms Henderson said the hospitality industry simply needs clarity on where help is coming from and when.
“I think it’s really difficult – we’re all caught in the middle of political problems,” she said.
“Like the public, we want to be safe, and businesses want to make sure their businesses are safe too.
“But they can’t give refunds when there is no financial compensation or a way to offset some of it, such as tax reductions.”
Businesses across the country have been hit by cancellations this month after the first minister asked people to limit social contact as Omicron Covid cases rise, and people are asked to “defer” Christmas parties until after the festive period.
Ms Henderson added: “As consumers, we’ve been asked to be safe, and that’s caused a slew of cancellations. And yet businesses have got no idea how they’re going to pay their people or fund all of the stock they’ve got sitting.
“Let’s not forget, December can bring in up to a third of a business’s turnover from the year.
“It’s important.”
Ms Henderson added that, over and above anything else, businesses need “certainty” to survive and to know where the financial support is coming from.
She said the public have been “amazing” in their response to the situation.
“I’ve seen so many updates where people are saying ‘keep my money, when we come in the new year then we can spend it’,” she said.
“But for every one of those, there is someone else – rightly so – asking for their deposit back.
“It’s very, very difficult.” Meanwhile, Scotland’s finance secretary, Kate Forbes, has renewed her calls on the UK Government to provide additional funding to help keep Scotland’s business sector open.
Discussions are ongoing between Holyrood and Westminster to secure about £500 million in additional funding to help sustain the Scottish economy.
The UK has recorded its highest rate of cases since the start of the pandemic for two days in a row.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed 4,336 new cases of Covid-19 in Scotland yesterday.
She also confirmed 522 people are being treated for the virus in hospital, down 10 on the previous day.
The latest data also showed a further seven deaths, taking the death toll to 9,771.