Thousands of jobs and billions of pounds are still at risk

WHILE what the First Minister said yesterday might seem to some like a small step in the right direction, countless business owners and staff working in hospitality are left worrying.

Our industry has been offered the tantalising promise of better days to come. But we have not been given the detail or confidence to plan properly for them.

Meanwhile, we look south to our counterparts in England, who are finally able to start planning a return to normality. There are mixed emotions about that. On one hand, we are pleased for fellow business owners. But it’s also extremely frustrating for operators in Scotland to be left behind.

What is the difference? Well, a cynic might say that the Scottish Government is facing an election in a couple of months’ time and maybe it’s better for them to kick proper decisions down the road.

That is not acceptable to us, but let’s say we give ministers the benefit of the doubt on that for a minute.

The limited detail that the Scottish Government has given in one hand offers a slight glimmer of hope, and in the other hand kills that glimmer with the announcement of support possibly ending in June.

If we are to move to a levels system of restrictions from April 26, along with a reopening of society and the economy, then what happens after this date?

The First Minister has failed to share any resemblance of a route map or exit strategy out of lockdown and the sector is hanging on by its fingernails.

THE Scottish Government says it is taking a data-driven approach to decision-making. Well, the First Minister should look at our data: hospitality is worth £10.6billion to the Scottish economy annually and employs 285,000 people, many of whom are young Scots under 25.

We have endured repeated lockdowns and our worst festive trading ever. We pay into a furlough scheme that costs us more than it saves, we are racking up huge amounts of debt, and we’ve already paid out a fortune to make our premises Covid-compliant only to be shut down, and all for what?

What businesses needed today was detail and a clear timeline of how the country will exit lockdown, a guide on what restrictions will look like after April 26, and the exact specifications of the levels system, including what the criteria will be for allowing areas to move between them.

The First Minister failed to provide any clarity, and the thousands of hospitality businesses across the country, and hundreds of thousands of staff, will be feeling utterly deflated this evening.

There is time to restore – to an extent – the industry’s faith in Scotland’s political leaders though. If we are to return to levels from the end of April then it cannot simply be the system we lived under last year. That was inherently flawed, and the

Scottish Hospitality Group has called time and time again for minor revisions to be made that would avoid businesses going bust and making forced redundancies. Now is the perfect opportunity to listen, learn and do better in future.

One request is for hospitality premises in Levels 2 and 3 to be permitted to trade to at least 10pm, with all due safety measures.

The Scottish Government has failed to show us the scientific evidence of these arbitrary restrictions and it is about time they worked with the industry on a system that allows businesses to trade viably and will keep people in jobs.

Businesses desperately need a confirmed plan agreed before parliament dissolves on March 25 and the reform of the levels system was only one of the practical suggestions submitted to the First Minister last month for how the Scottish Government can support the hospitality industry through a phased lifting of restrictions. They must urgently be brought to the table for open discussion and dialogue.

BECAUSE there is only a certain amount of time businesses can keep burning cash like this and improved support from both the UK and Scottish Governments is now more important than ever to help businesses across the hospitality sector keep people employed and map out a sustainable return to viable trading.

Given all that we, our staff and suppliers have been through, the Government must direct support to areas of the industry most in need now and further financial support must continue into next year for the whole of the hospitality industry.

It cannot be pulled from our sector if we are to survive.

Stephen Montgomery is spokesman for the Scottish Hospitality Group.