The ‘R’ number we need to worry about now? Redundancies

YesterDAY’s announcements extending yet more strictures on the already hard-pressed hospitality industry were as depressing as they were unsurprising. Forcing pubs to call time early on the trickle of an income stream they have been allowed since they reopened seems particularly cruel.

Despite the hospitality sector being responsible for only 5 per cent of infections, it seems we are to be utterly vilified by the First Minister. Indeed, I was dismayed to hear Nicola sturgeon say that if she had borrowing powers, she would shut pubs down entirely.

Her wish may yet come true. For those establishments that did manage to reopen after jumping through so many costly hoops, this new curfew will come as a hammer blow. some may not survive. the pain will spread far beyond pubs into the wider night-time economy. the only ‘r’ number we should all be concerned about now is ‘redundancies’.

I warned some weeks ago that continuing restrictions could wipe out half of the 70,000 jobs which rely on the night-time economy in Glasgow, edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen. I was accused of scaremongering, but already this week Whitbread said it plans to shed 6,000 jobs across the UK – 18 per cent of its workforce.

And what comfort have the rest of us been given by Miss sturgeon to imagine a different outcome? What thanks have we received for trying to regrow our businesses? All I heard was a promise to spend money on more environmental health officers to make sure we all toe the line.

the hospitality industry is trying its level best to encourage people to relax and enjoy themselves but the scottish Government’s message seems to be: scare people out of their wits and make them even less willing to leave their homes for a couple of pints. We are creating a society filled with fear and it troubles me deeply.

I would argue that the wider hospitality industry is vital for the wellbeing of a society. What problems are we storing up for the future by shutting down these simple pleasures? What about the small cafés and restaurants suddenly rendered financially unviable by social distancing, what about the taxis and private hire firms who no longer have any fares to collect after 10pm?

And then there are the nightclubs, cinemas and theatres whose immediate fate was due to be decided next month, until the First Minister announced yesterday she was suspending the next step along her route map out of Covid lockdown indefinitely. How many of them can hold on?

For years, I have run two of Glasgow’s most successful venues, the Cathouse and the Garage, but I now have almost 150 staff on furlough with the prospect of even that financial crutch being kicked away in October. With no sign of the Chancellor agreeing to extend the job retention scheme again, we may have decisions to make. It will be a cold Christmas for many unless politicians start reassessing their priorities.

Having lost a family member and close friends in lockdown, I understand this is serious, but I am also fighting to save my business. Boris Johnson called this a ‘perilous turning point’. I couldn’t agree more, although for those in the trade, it is our livelihoods that are at stake.

the Prime Minister and the First Minister need to offer more than sound bites and curfews. they need to offer hope, instead of fear, for the future.

Donald MacLeod is a music promoter and managing director of CPL Entertainment