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Hospitality businesses had some potentially good news last month as the Government announced plans for a Future High Street Fund. Local authorities will be invited to bid for a share of £675 million to invest in a manner that helps to revive and rejuvenate their high streets.
Increasing property costs that shrink margins for businesses have combined with a continuing shift in consumer tastes towards online shopping, to create a difficult brew for high streets. High street businesses are facing something of an existential crisis and, despite rumblings from policy-makers that they need to be supported, continue to suffer in many areas of the UK. If Parliamentarians are genuinely serious about reversing the dwindling fortunes of the hardest hit high streets, then we need to see targeted action that provides fairness and allows businesses to thrive.
On high streets in every region of the UK, the hospitality sector plays an integral role. A thriving hospitality sector is good news for the high street, wherever you are. Local Authorities should be encouraged to ensure the sector is at the heart of their plans to boost investment in high streets. Too often we have seen councils seemingly at odds with hospitality businesses looking to strangle trade with levies or by restricting licences. UKHospitality has repeatedly called on councils to change their approach to hospitality by acting more proactively in a spirit of cooperation. The Future High Street Fund is a great opportunity, not only to
support local businesses, but to underline a commitment to supporting a valuable hospitality sector.
If the fund is to have the maximum effect, it is vital that councils have immediate and unconditional access to the funds. Likewise, any funds that are then offered to businesses should be available without preconditions. In the past we saw a local authority try to impose conditions on access to business rates relief by linking it to a healthy eating campaign – a totally unrelated matter. Business and local authorities need speedy access to the funds otherwise efforts to spearhead regeneration of high streets could stall before they get underway in earnest.
Buoyant hospitality businesses are crucial to the long- term health streets. If pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and hotels are doing well, then other businesses such as taxis, takeaways and shops tend to benefit as well.
It is to be hoped that local authorities apply for a share of the fund and place venues at the heart of their plans. The fund could be an incredibly vital lifeline for struggling high streets around the country.
Kate Nicholls UKHospitality Chief Executive
Hospitality Should Be Exempt From At-Till Restrictions, Says UKH
UKHospitality has called on the Government to exempt hospitality businesses from new childhood obesity measures.
UKH has responded to the Government’s consultation on restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar and salt, welcoming a sensible approach to promotions in our sector, but with concerns around unintended consequences of location restrictions.
UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “Any measures the Government introduces to tackle at-till product restrictions should not extend to the hospitality sector. The Government has said it wants to tackle practices that could encourage children to over- consume, and quite rightly highlights this in its proposals on promotions, but not on product placement. Hospitality businesses are, by and large, either adult or mixed environments. It would be unusual to see a group exclusively comprised of children in a restaurant and there are the obvious restrictions on unaccompanied children in pubs and bars.
“Any measures intended to combat at-the-till product placement aimed at children should not be allowed to spill over to hospitality. If they are, we could be presented with a ludicrous scenario whereby pubs are unable to display crisps or peanuts at the bar because they are restricted by childhood obesity legislation. Unnecessary and unintended restrictions that should not apply to hospitality businesses will only cause utterly needless problems.
“Hospitality businesses have already put in a lot of effort to reformulate menus and provide healthier options for customers, and have engaged in a number of related consultations in recent months including calorie menu labelling, allergens and reformulation targets. The Government should exempt hospitality from these location measures.”
6 May 2019
www.venue-insight.com
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