UK Hospitality update 13th May

 

Apologies for the lull in updates. We have been experiencing some technical difficulties with our emails.

 

UKHospitality is the single voice for the hospitality industry. In addition to our powerful lobby, we provide expert knowledge and industry updates to ensure our members have the right information and tools to support the running of their businesses. Working closely with Government to ensure the decisions made support the industry.

 

With the emergence of the Coronavirus we are providing our members with tailored updates through this time of uncertainty to ensure that they are kept informed of any developments that may affect them. As we champion the hospitality industry, and the severity of the situation, we are extending our updates to non-members. We want to ensure that all hospitality businesses are kept up to date and informed as the outbreak continues. Access to practical one on one guidance and tailored advice on other subjects will remain restricted to members only.

 

If you would like to learn more about how we support the hospitality sector contact a member of our team membership@ukhospitality.org.uk

 

UKHospitality

 

 

Apologies for the lull in updates. We have been experiencing some technical difficulties with our emails.

 

Wednesday Daily Government press briefing

At the Daily Press Conference on Tuesday the Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick confirmed that the Culture Secretary would be working closely with theatres, event companies and other mass gatherings to identify how social distancing can be applied once these venues reopen.

The Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, also field questions about business reopening from Wednesday 13 May. He confirmed that, although people are now able to travel, they should not be staying overnight. This element of lock down will be reviewed again at the end of May.  

The Business Secretary also outlined additional business support measures – including the extension of the furlough scheme to end of October, with flexibility, part time furlough and employer contributions from 1 August. He was asked specifically about the impact of this on sectors which may not be able to reopen with social distancing restrictions or may be only able to open sub-economically. He said that the Government would continue to support the hospitality sector with various measures to ensure that it could reopen only when safe to do so, suggesting that a sector specific approach may be applied going forward.

In answer to a question by the Dundee Courier about a potential later reopening in Scotland, Ministers suggested that the furlough scheme will be continued and will reflect the needs of working people across the UK to avoid a cliff edge.

 

Political Update

The Chancellor announced in the House of Commons that the Job Retention Scheme would be extended until October. Until the end of July there will be no changes; however, from August to October there will be more flexibility to enable people to return to work part-time. More specific details around the changes will be made available by the end of May.

During the debate, many MPs raised concerns about tourism and hospitality and the need for extended support for the sector, which was acknowledged. A reduction in VAT on tourism was raised by Caroline Lucas and MPs for the Isle of Wight and Delyn highlighted challenges. Sunak agreed that leisure and hospitality had been hardest hit and was economically important and this is why they had received the most measures

There were also political debate about the proposed new quarantine scheme, announced by the Government on Monday. More details on this are expected by the end of the week but several MPs have raised concerns about the impact of this on international competitiveness and the London economy in particular.

 

Other Government updates

Five new ministerial-led taskforces have been set up to develop plans for how and when closed sectors can reopen safely. Each taskforce will lead on developing new COVID-19 secure guidelines for the reopening of public places and businesses, where and when it is safe to do so. The taskforces are a refocusing of existing Ministerial engagement and will look at the following sectors – UKH is already actively engaged in these: pubs and restaurants (BEIS), non-essential retail (including salons & beauty), recreation and leisure, including tourism, culture and entertainment (DCMS). There are other taskforces on aviation and faith, community and public buildings.

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is now open for applications. This allows a since instalment claim for an initial 3 months to be made, capped at £7,500. You can check here if you are eligible to claim. To make a claim you will need to confirm to HMRC how your business has been adversely affected by COVID19. The aim is for payment to reach bank accounts by 25 May 2020, or within six working days of completing a claim. 

New guidance for the owners and operators of urban centres and green spaces has been published to help social distancing. Measures suggested in the guidance include new cycle paths and pedestrianisation; separate entry and exit routes; widening footpaths

New guidance on spending time outdoors and the range of activities allowed in England from 13 May has been published. All activities must respect social distancing and are not permitted if they involve a stay overnight.

New guidance on safe travel has been published by the Department for Transport, this includes specific sections for each type of transport.

Safer transport guidance for operators has been published, the guide will help businesses, agencies and others understand how to provide safer workplaces and services for themselves, their workers and passengers across all modes of private and public transport.

Guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England has been updated in light of the announcements this week.

 

Devolved Assemblies

The Northern Ireland Executive has published its Coronavirus Recovery document. The document follows broadly the same path as that for England, but there are no dates included within it – progress on the path to recovering depends primarily on controlling the rate of transmission, protecting healthcare capacity and the Executive will review at each stage whether a restriction or requirement is necessary, proportionate and justified by evidence and they will only be tolerated for as long as the risks associated with withdrawal or modification are more severe than the detrimental impacts on wellbeing, society and the economy. The full document can be downloaded. There are no timelines only that there will be three week reviews and no specific guidance has been provided. NITA is part of the Tourism Recovery Steering Group, which will meet this Thursday, to develop a specific recovery plan for Tourism.

 

International Situation

Many countries have further refined their support for the tourism sector with additional tax relief and loans but also now focused on helping a sub economic restart. We are monitoring these to feed into Government thinking. For example: Austria has issued vouchers to all citizens for use in restaurants; Japan and USA have also provided tax incentives to encourage consumer expenditure; Brazil, Turkey and Singapore have issued safety/hygiene labels; the Baltics have created a “tourism bubble” with its citizens able to freely travel between Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia

 

Situation update 13 May 2020

To see the number of cases of COVID-19 in England and the UK visit the UK COVID-19 dashboard - https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

To see the number of cases globally see the World Health Organisation dashboard - https://covid19.who.int/