Northern politicians criticise ‘Eat Out to Help Out’

Diners and restaurants in newly locked-down areas will not get the benefits of the government scheme

‘We shouldn’t spend taxpayers’ money on subsidising meals out but not support the low-paid to take time off work to protect their health’

THE Government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme was criticised yesterday as ministers were told they should support restaurants and service workers in areas under localised lockdown.

The Chancellor’s flagship plan to get diners back into restaurants begins today, with customers offered 50 per cent off their bills from Mondaywednesday throughout August.

More than 72,000 businesses have signed up to the scheme, which the Treasury says will offer a family of four up to £40 off. Pizza Express, Costa Coffee and Nando’s are all part of the scheme, while the Government’s portal for finding participating businesses has had more than three million hits.

But northern politicians said it did not make sense for diners to be encouraged to visit restaurants in newly locked-down areas while families from different households were unable to meet up in each other’s homes.

The rules prevent different households from meeting at home or in private gardens in Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendleton, Rossendale, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale, but two households can meet for an al fresco meal out. The new rules were imposed by the Government last week to control localised outbreaks of the virus, as plans to ease lockdown further across the rest of the UK were paused.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater

Manchester, said the Government should not be subsidising meals in pubs, restaurants and cafes without releasing additional funds for lowpaid workers to take time off to self-isolate.

“National lockdown was eased too soon and encouraging people back to the pub on Super Saturday was a big mistake, as is the Eat Out to Help Out scheme,” he wrote in the Sunday Mirror.

“We shouldn’t spend taxpayers’ money on subsidising meals out but not support the low-paid to take time off work to protect their health.”

Lucy Powell, the Labour MP for Manchester Central, said restaurants in her constituency could not make enough money to survive while the public had such low confidence in leaving their homes.

“The reality of the situation is that now people can’t go to a restaurant with other people from other households other than to sit outside. Restaurants in Manchester have seen lots of cancellations over the weekend,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

Ms Powell called for greater financial support to go directly to restaurants to keep them afloat.

“There’s really no point in giving restaurants in Manchester that kind of support when actually what they need is more serious support, given the announcements last week,” she said.

“What that’s done is sap a huge amount of confidence – what was very fragile confidence – in the hospitality sector in Manchester, and the rug has been pulled from under that.

“A £10 meal deal is going to do nothing for the very fragile recovery that the hospitality sector in Manchester was experiencing.”