The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) has said that licensees in Scotland are now facing tougher restrictions and a higher negative business impact than any other part of the UK because of the curtailment of longer and more flexible hours normally available for operators in Scotland.
SLTA managing director Colin Wilkinson (pictured) said. “The Scottish trade is losing more trading hours per day than any other country in the UK – with the staggered closing times we have in Scotland this is anything from between two and five hours per day.
“Other parts of the UK do not have the same flexibility in opening hours.”
“The supposedly joined-up thinking of the UK governments on restricting hours is farcical following the announcement that a closing time of 11pm will be imposed in Northern Ireland from Wednesday which follows the announcement last week that pubs and bars in Wales would close at 10.30pm.”
He also said that despite licensees investing heavily in training and social distancing measures to rebuild customer confidence, the Scottish government has “disproportionately targeted our industry yet again with devastating consequences for businesses and the jobs that they provide.”
He cited that the science behind the restrictions and data from the recent Weekly Surveillance Report from Public Health England recorded that just 5.18% of cases came from food outlet/restaurant settings since pubs reopened and only 2.85% the week before 10 pm curfews were announced.
Said Colin, “No wonder the sector fails to understand why these new restrictions were introduced and the SLTA repeats its call for the Scottish Government to provide information on the “R” rate and the non-compliance rate stemming from the Scottish pub, bar and restaurant sector.
“In light of what we have seen with other outbreaks in recent days, in England it is reported that educational settings recorded 44.17% of cases the week before the restrictions were put in place there, it must surely be safer to be in the heavily regulated and controlled environment of our pubs, bars and restaurants rather than “household” type settings which the First Minister of Scotland has identified as a key driver of the infection rate.
“Just a thought, if these restrictions are about curtailing movement, then why not introduce a proper curfew where entry to our pubs and bars ceases at a given time allowing for a gradual more controlled dispersal of customers later in the evening”
The Welsh government’s policy ruling that pubs will not have to close at 10 pm but will instead have to stop serving alcohol at this time sends out a clear message to Nicola Sturgeon and her 10 pm curfew for Scotland that there is room for compromise.
Scotland’s curfew comes into force tomorrow, and Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford clarified what was initially thought to be a similar 10 pm curfew by saying that by stopping the serving of alcohol instead, it will allow an “orderly close” rather than people rushing to “drink up” or “eat up” and that a strict 22:00 closure would cause “real damage” to pubs and restaurants that had already adopted their businesses for COVID.
Meanwhile, trade bodies say the hospitality sector is teetering on the edge following new restrictions announced by Prime Minister, which could result in 540,000 further jobs lost with a quarter of UK hospitality businesses believe they could fail in next three months without further Government support.
The British Beer & Pub Association, UKHospitality and the British Institute of Innkeeping have unveiled new findings from UK-wide research conducted by hospitality market research company CGA showing that almost a quarter (23%) of their members think their businesses will fail by the end of the year without it.
The survey also found that one in eight hospitality staff have already been made redundant, and that more sector jobs are expected to be permanently lost when the Government’s furlough scheme comes to an end in October. On average, businesses believe their workforce will be 25% lower by February 2021 compared to February this year – a decline of 675,000 jobs lost from the sector in a year.
Only 7% of respondents said they were feeling optimistic about the prospects of the hospitality sector over the next 12 months, down from 23% in August and 19% in July when respondents were previously asked the same question.
They have urged the Government to immediately put in place a new sector-specific employment support package and to extend the VAT cut and business rates holiday for the sector.
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said, “The future of the sector is still very much in the balance. Many venues have still have not reopened and those that have are operating at reduced capacity and a fraction of normal revenue. We have already had some high-profile casualties and far too many job losses.
“The additional restrictions announced this week place even further burdens on a sector that is operating with razor-thin margins and needs all the help it can get. It is vital that these restrictions are reviewed regularly.
“We need comprehensive financial support so that those businesses that survive the winter can begin to rebuild next year, starting with a package of measures to support short time working. The VAT cut for hospitality must be extended through 2021, as must the business rates holiday. We also need the government to step in now and help to deal with the rent debt that has built up over months of enforced lockdown.”