Legislation

Responses made on Martyn's Law: Emma McClarkin and Kate Nicholls

Trade bodies back changes to Martyn’s Law

By Gary Lloyd

Trade bodies have given their backing to the Government’s revised changes to Martyn’s Law, which will require businesses to increase their readiness to act should there be a terrorist attack.

Pubs and breweries disappointed by Spring Budget 2024

Spring Budget 'profoundly disappointing' for pubs

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The pub sector has reacted with “extreme disappointment” to the Spring Budget, with slashed VAT and reform of business rates needed to make a real difference.

Freeze ends: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt (fourth from left) has taken no action on business rates (credit: UK Parliament/Maria Unger)

SPRING BUDGET 2024

Business rates to go up as freeze ends

By Gary Lloyd

Despite the hospitality sector’s calls for a reduced business rates burden in the Spring Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s lack of action on the subject means companies in England will endure a combined tax hike of £1.66bn from 1 April.

Was there a hospitality VAT cut in the Spring Budget 2024

Gov ignores VAT cut pleas in Budget

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Despite pleas from across the hospitality industry, the Chancellor did not announce any changes to VAT in the Spring Budget today (6 March).

Rally call: NTIA CEO Michael Kill has called for action on VAT from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt (right)

NTIA: 5,000+ call for VAT reduction to 12.5%

By Gary Lloyd

Calls for the Government to slash VAT down to 12.5% from its current 20% level in the Spring Budget have poured into MPs’ offices, according to the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA).

Call to action: the open letter has been signed by a number of hospitality leaders (image: Getty/ilkercelik)

Bosses call for help at Budget

By Nikkie Thatcher

A number of hospitality CEOs have written to the Chancellor, urging him to take immediate action at the Budget next week (Wednesday 6 March).

Business landscape: the figures looked at the closures in the sector last year (image: Getty/Anukoon Supawong)

194 pubs lost forever in 2023

By Nikkie Thatcher

Some 194 pub buildings were lost due to conversion or demolition last year, new figures have found.

Cash laws: New tipping legislation will come into force on 1 July (Credit: Getty/Drazen Zigic)

How can pubs prepare for new tipping laws

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

WMT Troncmaster Services managing director Peter Davies has offered advice on how pubs can prepare for new tipping laws which are due to come into force this summer.

Business research: a survey from sector trade bodies showed a quarter of businesses are out of cash reserves (image: Getty/claudiodivizia)

1 in 4 firms out of cash

By Nikkie Thatcher

A quarter of businesses have no cash reserves left while less than a third (29%) have under three months’ left, new research has shown.

Sector worry: the BBPA and UKHospitality highlight concerns about the UK entering a technical recession (image: Getty/yevtony)

UK entering technical recession ‘big worry’

By Nikkie Thatcher

Official figures indicating the UK fell into a technical recession at the end of last year are ‘hugely concerning’ for the hospitality sector, one trade body said.

Significant pressure: BBPA calls for change ahead of Spring Budget amid static inflation rates (Credit: Getty/Zedelle)

Stagnant inflation shows need for 'vital' changes

By Rebecca Weller

Unchanging inflation rates show the Government must make “vital” changes in next month's Spring Budget to “alleviate significant pressure”, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has warned.

Driving change: The mayors of the North and West Midlands discuss the night-time economy (Credit: Elspeth Moore)

Mayors of the North call for VAT cut

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Mayors of the North united to call for an industry-wide VAT cut in the Spring Budget at the Night Time Economy Summit last week.

Pubs need help: hospitality leaders have written to the Government (credit: Getty/miodrag ignjatovic)

BBPA members demand help ahead of Budget

By Gary Lloyd

Leaders of more than 80 of the UK’s pub companies and breweries – who are members of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) – have written to the Chancellor to demand action at next month’s Budget on VAT, business rates and beer duty.

Squeezed margins: importance of pubs getting lost in sea of rising costs (Clive Price pictured far right with one of the pubco's teams)

'Crucial role of pubs getting lost'

By Rebecca Weller

The “crucial role” pubs play in communities is getting lost in a sea of squeezed margins and undervaluation, Barons Pub Company managing director Clive Price told The Morning Advertiser.

No money for margin or investment: Kate Nicholls says Government demands are leaving the sector in dire straits

Kate Nicholls: Cost of doing business is too high

By Gary Lloyd

With the Spring Budget approaching, UKHospitality (UKH) chief executive Kate Nicholls has told the Government “the cost of doing business is just too high” and steps must be taken.

Licensing knowhow: Poppleston Allen answer questions around trading later hours and extending premises size (image: Getty/VTT Studio)

LICENSING HUB - LEGAL WITH POPPLESTON ALLEN

Legal Q&A: trading later hours & extending venue rules

By Felix Faulkner, solicitor, Poppleston Allen

In the latest Q&A with Poppleston Allen, the legal experts tackle the rules around extending trading hours and making a premises larger.

Time is ticking on more than one issue: Andy Slee says the Chancellor must do something for the sector in Budget

OPINION

Utility firms’ £1bn weekly bonanza and Covid loans timebomb

By Andy Slee, chief executive, Society of Independent brewers (SIBA)

I am optimistic about the long-term future of hospitality. If lockdown taught us anything, it was people’s hunger to meet friends and family and to support local community pubs and breweries.

What's in the news 2 February?

'I'm flabbergasted at interest rates'

By Ed Bedington

The MA's Ed Bedington caught up with Camerons boss Chris Soley to get his take on the week's news, from government debate to interest rates and pub closures.

Speaking up: Publicans can share their views in the PCA's new survey

PCA launches 2024 Annual Tied Tenant Survey

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The pubs code adjudicator (PCA) has announced the launch of its Annual Tied Tenants Survey, calling on tied publicans to share their views on the pub company and the PCA.

Company news: there was a significant jump in the number of insolvencies in the hospitality industry in the fourth quarter of 2023, RSM UK's Robyn Duffy says (image: Getty/Fentino)

Hospitality insolvencies up more than a third

By Nikkie Thatcher

The number of firms in the accommodation and food services sector becoming insolvent has increased by 37% on an annual basis, official statistics have found.

Stark figures: almost 23,000 firms lost since December 2022 (Credit: Getty/onfilm)

Almost 23k hospitality firms lost since 2020

By Rebecca Weller

Close to 23,000 licensed businesses across the sector have closed in the last three years, figures from the latest Hospitality Market Monitor have revealed.

Outlook for 2024: Scottish venues experienced a poor new year according to SLTA MD Colin Wilkinson

SLTA ‘deeply concerned’ over state of hospitality in Scotland

By Gary Lloyd

Three out of four Scottish hospitality operators will need government support to survive this year while 96% say the Scottish government is out of touch with business community, according to the SLTA (Scottish Licensed Trade Association).