Legislation

Beer tax hikes threaten jobs of 300,000 young people, says BBPA

23-Feb-2012 - A new report commissioned by the British Beer& Pub Association (BBPA) shows that 300,000 young people are directly employed in the beer and pub industry, fuelling concerns that plans for huge beer tax hikes in next month’s budget will put more young people out of work.

Government urged to appoint 'hospitality minister' to promote industry and tackle unemployment

17-Feb-2012 - Stephen Kyjak-Lane, general manager of the Lancaster London hotel and the new chairman of the London advisory board of hospitality careers charity Springboard, has said a Government minister for hospitality is needed to promote the industry to jobseekers and bring down unemployment figures.

Last orders: Pub industry urges Government to cut beer tax ahead of budget 2012

17-Feb-2012 - As hospitality businesses are gearing up for next month’s announcement on the 2012 budget, the British beer and pub industry is unanimously demanding a freeze in the Government’s controversial beer tax escalator.

Admiral Taverns introduces prize freeze for licensees

16-Feb-2012 - Pub company Admiral Taverns is to freeze the prices of a broad selection of its draught beers in an attempt to hit back at imminent increases in the amount of duty levied against alcohol sold in pubs and bars.

Hotel fined £260,000 after landmark fire safety trial

16-Feb-2012 - The Chumleigh Lodge Hotel in Finchley, North London, has been ordered to pay more than £260,000 in fines and costs after committing a number of offences under the Fire Safety Order.

Cameron: Pubs and bars need to work with Government on binge drinking

15-Feb-2012 - The Prime Minister has called for more action from the drinks industry and pubs on binge drinking in a speech ahead of the publication of the Alcohol Strategy which may suggest some form of higher minimum alcohol pricing.

Crime prevention scheme Facewatch to be made free to pubs and bars

14-Feb-2012 - Facewatch, the low level crime-reporting database created by wine bar owner Simon Gordon, is to be made free to UK businesses with a focus on the licensed trade and retailers.

BHA Northern chair joins calls against hotel 'bed tax' for York tourists

13-Feb-2012 - Simon Kershaw, chairman of the northern region committee of the British Hospitality Association (BHA), has joined hoteliers in York calling for planned charges of up to £1 a night for tourists staying in the city to be dropped.

BHA lobbies government over EIS scheme for hotels

07-Feb-2012 - The British Hospitality Association (BHA) is urging the Government to allow hotel operations to qualify under the Enterprise Investment Scheme, following the Chancellor’s failure to remove the restriction in the autumn statement.

Mary Portas Pilots: Hospitality industry calls for greater importance to be placed on restaurants, pubs and bars

06-Feb-2012 - The role restaurants, pubs and bars can play in the rejuvenation of the High Street in the UK needs to be increased if the 'Portas Pilots' scheme for towns, as a result of the Mary Portas review, are to be a success, according to hospitality industry experts.

News in brief

Premier League continues action against foreign satellite football pubs

06-Feb-2012 - The Premier League has announced pubs that are still using foreign satellites to show live football will now continue to face legal action following a High Court judgement on a European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgement.

Secret survey reveals ‘shockingly poor’ deaf awareness of hotels in London

02-Feb-2012 - Hotels in London are being warned that they could be putting the lives of guests with hearing loss at risk by not having appropriate procedures in place for emergency situations.

TripAdvisor banned from claiming reviews are ‘honest, real or trusted’

01-Feb-2012 - TripAdvisor has been told it can no longer claim that reviews posted on its website are from real travellers or are ‘honest, real or trusted’ following a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Number of vocational qualifications in secondary schools to be cut

31-Jan-2012 - The number of vocational qualifications being offered to secondary school pupils is to be cut to 125 from the current 3,175 to better improve students’ prospects, the Department of Education has announced.

Hospitality businesses urged to take advantage of pension obligation changes

30-Jan-2012 - Employers in restaurants, hotels and pubs and bars have been encouraged to take advantage of the extra time that has been provided before they need to comply with automatic pension enrolment obligations.

Allergy UK calls for allergy restaurant guidelines

25-Jan-2012 - As part of Food Allergy & Intolerance Week Allergy UK has called for guidelines or enforced training for restaurants and hospitality businesses on their diners allergens and intolerances.

First Aid survey reveals negligence in commercial kitchens

25-Jan-2012 - With more than two-thirds of chefs and kitchen staff incurring injury in the workplace at least once a month, current first aid provision in commercial kitchens needs tightening up according to a survey by food hygiene specialist DayMark.

Hospitality regulation and red tape cutting report presented to Government by industry taskforce

25-Jan-2012 - An industry taskforce chaired by the British Hospitality Association featuring representatives from restaurants, hotels and pubs and bars has submitted a report of recommendations on cutting red tape and regulations to the Tourism Minister John Penrose.

Live Music Bill for pubs needs to be implemented sooner, says BBPA

25-Jan-2012 - The Live Music Bill was passed by the House of Commons on Friday 20 January but some in the pub industry are calling for it's implementation to be sped up alongside more deregulation for pubs.

ASK THE EXPERTS

How to ensure you are employing foreign workers legally

25-Jan-2012 - The UK Border Agency's head of Immigration, Jeremy Oppenheim, outlines how employers can check whether foreign nationals have the right to work in the UK.

Responsibility Deal and hospitality calorie labelling praised by Health Secretary

24-Jan-2012 - The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has claimed public health has started to change as a result of the Responsibility Deal which includes calorie labelling in restaurants.

Greenwich Chinese restaurant owners issued £54k fine and ban for major hygiene breaches

23-Jan-2012 - The owners of a Chinese restaurant in Greenwich have been issued with a £54k fine and banned from running restaurants in the future following a second prosecution for major hygiene breaches.

Pub industry welcomes progress of Live Music Bill

20-Jan-2012 - The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and publicans have welcomed the latest passage of the Live Music Bill through parliament in it's progress to possibly becoming law and making it easier for venues to put on live music.

Restaurants issued with fire regulation warning

20-Jan-2012 - Restaurateurs have been warned to check their kitchens and buildings meet fire safety regulations or face a substantial fine after the owners of a Chester restaurant were forced to pay over £24k for breaching rules.

Tylney Hall hotel fined £40,000 for poisoning guests

13-Jan-2012 - The five-star Tylney Hall hotel in Hampshire has been fined more than £40,000 after poisoning guests with chicken liver parfait on the menu at a Christmas party.