The Scottish hospitality sector is on the brink of ruin. Without a change in the government's approach or adequate financial support, local communities will lose vital facilities and thousands of people will lose their jobs - including many young people.
We are calling on the Scottish Government to:
1. Allow licensed premises in tiers 2 and 3 to trade until 10pm with customers allowed to stay two hours for a meal
2. Provide grant funding for viable businesses that cannot open, such as drink-led pubs
3. Waive business rates until at least March 2022
4. Support 5% VAT across all hospitality revenue streams until at least March 2022
5. Set up a working group with industry to explore how best to emerge and recover from Covid19
6. Honour its own youth guarantee launched only a few months ago by supporting this industry
Why is this important?
Skills and wages for young people
Hospitality is worth £10.6bn to the Scottish economy annually and employs 285,000 people, many of whom are young Scots under 25.
In September, the Scottish Government said to young people: “We are right behind you, we want you to be successful and we will do everything we can to give you the opportunities you need.”
The government cannot deliver on this pledge if hospitality businesses do not survive the restrictions it has imposed with insufficient support for viable operators.
Community fabric and safer socialising
Bars, hotels and restaurants are part of the fabric in communities across Scotland. They provide a focal point for many aspects of community life, as well as direct and indirect jobs. Closure of these vital premises could decimate local communities.
Also, people will find ways to socialise, no matter what restrictions are in place. Bars, hotels and restaurants have track and trace, social distancing, PPE and strict hygiene rules.
Fast facts
• Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) said in October that its operators will only receive £415,000 of government support over the three-week ‘circuit-breaker’ despite it costing business over £3.5 million to close.
• The Scottish hospitality industry has 16,722 licensed premises nationwide. Based on a similar average, if all licensed premises were closed in Scotland the sector would be face a loss of £125million.
• Between July and September SHG’s members served over 1.8 million customers with only 17 confirmed cases.
About this petition
The petition has been created by the Scottish Hospitality Group. The group comprises many of the country’s largest and best-known restaurant and bar businesses, including The DRG Group, Buzzworks Holdings, Signature Pubs, Montpeliers, Manorview Group, Lisini Pub Co, Caledonia Inns, G1 Group, Siberia Bar & Hotel, Mor-Rioghain Group, and Caledonian Heritable.
It has more than 200 venues and employs around 6000 people across Scotland, of which around 1500 are under 25.
