On Wednesday (July 8), the chancellor announced a much-needed boost for tourism and hospitality businesses as part of his Summer Economic Update to kickstart the economy post-coronavirus.
Local MP for Hastings and Rye, Sally-Ann Hart, has welcomed the measures, which will see VAT for hospitality, accommodation and attraction businesses cut from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for six months.
The move is designed to support the sectors which have been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus crisis, helping businesses to recover and boosting the number of jobs across the country. Up to 655 local businesses could stand to benefit from the measures.
Sally-Ann has also urged local people to eat out to help out, following the announcement that the government will pay for up to 50 per cent of people’s meals out at restaurants, pubs and cafes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August.
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme will entitle everyone to a discount of up to 50 per cent on their meal, up to a maximum of £10 per person. Businesses can claim the money back from the Government, which will be paid in five working days. Up to 380 businesses locally could benefit from the move.
Taken together, these measures will provide a timely and much-needed boost to the tourism and hospitality industries, forming a key part of the government’s plan for jobs – supporting people to find jobs, creating new jobs and protecting jobs in hard-hit sectors.
Commenting on these announcements, Sally-Ann said: “We should not underestimate how difficult recent months have been for many local businesses in Hastings and Rye. Now that we have together got control of the virus, we must turn our collective attention to creating and protecting jobs.
“I hope that everyone here in Hastings and Rye will answer the call to Eat Out to Help Out. This fantastic new voucher scheme, along with the cut in VAT, is the much-needed lifeline many businesses have been calling for. I am very pleased with the announcements today which will do so much to give confidence and reassurance to the sectors we are heavily dependent on here on the coast – tourism, hospitality and entertainment.”
Source: Press release from the office of Sally-Ann Hart
Image Credits: Gillian Roder , UK Parliament https://members.parliament.uk/member/4842/portrait Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) .