Member Update – STOP PRESS

21st December 2021 – STOP PRESS

 

Dear Member

 

UPDATE – STOP PRESS

 

The Government has today announced a £1bn fund to support Hospitality and Leisure Businesses (in England). This fund comprises:

 

  • £683 million for grants for hospitality and leisure businesses in England comprising one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises for eligible businesses. Check with your local authority for how and when they plan to administer this fund.
  • £102 million top-up for the additional restrictions grant for local authorities to support other businesses.  This explicitly references those companies that supply the hospitality and leisure sectors.  Again check with your local authority, not all of whom have distributed their previous allocations.
  • £30m for the cultural recovery fund to support theatres and museums.
  • There is also a statutory sick pay rebate scheme which will reimburse employers in the UK with fewer than 250 workers for the cost of paying statutory sick pay for Covid-related absences for up to two weeks.

 

Details can be found here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-billion-in-support-for-businesses-most-impacted-by-omicron-across-the-uk

 

In addition, there is an additional £154 million for Scotland and Wales via the Barnett funding.

 

Here is a fact sheet providing guidance on local authority funding.

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1042718/Public_fact_sheet_-_LA_grants.pdf

 

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, this afternoon announced, further restrictions (by way of guidance), including the reintroduction of table service for alcohol licensed premises and indoor hospitality and leisure venues such as arcades, should enforce 1 metre social distancing.  Detailed guidance will be published on the SG website today.  Further funds were made available for business support.

 

Finally, please find a press release here announcing the postponement of EAG to the first week in March.

 

May I take this opportunity to wish all Members a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Let us hope that 2022 will be a better one than 2020 and 2021.

 

Kind regards

 

John

 

John White
Chief Executive