Warning of ‘gaping holes’ in hospitality budget boost
HOSPITALITY operators have broadly welcomed the Government’s Budget for the year ahead, with some muchneeded financial relief for businesses.
But among the positives - like extensions to business rates holidays and to the VAT reduction - are several glaring ‘gaping holes’ in the Chancellor’s plans.
Rishi Sunak has been warned that he is now ‘at risk of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ without targeted support for the nightlife industry.
Wet-led pubs also say they’ve been forgotten again, having already been excluded from schemes like the Eat Out to Help Out campaign last year, with the VAT relief only applying to food and soft drinks.
The Campaign for Pubs has said that traditional community locals are being ‘discriminated against, despite being part of the fabric of communities up and down the country and part of our cultural identity.’
They said: “The Chancellor has just extended the VAT cut on food and overnight accommodation, which helps some pubs, but does nothing for many non-food pubs whilst giving millions of pounds of tax relief to fast food chains.”
While Sunak confirmed that around 600,000 more self-employed people will now qualify for grants, campaign group ExcludedUK has warned that millions more remain ‘cruelly cast aside’ in a ‘broken system.’
They tweeted shortly after the Budget announcement: “The system is broken. Heartbroken, but more determined than ever to right this wrong no matter how long it takes. You should be ashamed of yourself @RishiSunak, you have cost lives and there will be more!!!”
Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell tweeted that the Budget left ‘gaping holes,’ with nothing for the supply chain or events and weddings industries.
Greater Manchester night time economy adviser Sacha Lord echoed this, saying: “Alongside the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, I have continually called for support for the three million freelancers and self employed workers who have been excluded from any financial aid.
“Many of these self employed freelancers work within the night time economy and its been an injustice to watch them struggle over the past twelve with no support or recognition.
“Today, over 600,000 have been helped which is a good start, but there is clearly still more to be done and I hope to see further support announced for this group in due course.”
He did add that operators would be ‘breathing a sigh of relief’ and ‘waking up tomorrow with renewed hope for the future of their business and their employees.’
Michael Kill of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) added: “It is also welcome that furlough has been extended and SEISS expanded, but it’s unacceptable that the Chancellor continues to let down other freelance workers in our sector who have missed.”
A MAJOR road is the site of ‘emergency repairs’ to a burst water main ‘washing away’ a bridge.
Blackburn Road in Bolton, between Darwen Road and Eagley Way, was being worked on after the water main first burst on Tuesday afternoon.
United Utilities staff were at the scene throughout the afternoon to fix the main, but emergency repairs continued yesterday as water was still gushing out and the road damaged, according to Transport for Greater Manchester and traffic service Inrix.
An eyewitness told the M.E.N. that the water main ‘gave way’ and unleashed a torrent of water ‘washing away the road’, leading to the damage seen in images from the scene.
The eyewitness said: “One of the water pipes under the bridge gave way and began washing the road away from beneath.”
Another eyewitness who passed the scene yesterday added: “I wondered I what the horrid smell was as I drove down the main road.
“I saw the horrid brown, filthy water rushing across the road.”
The road reopened at 2.35pm, TfGM has said, but is operating with temporary traffic signals.
United Utilities and Bolton council have been approached for further information.