Tory MPs call on Chancellor to deliver further support for hospitality

Organised by Anthony Mangnall MP, the letter notes that hospitality and tourism were the first sectors to be adversely affected by the Coronavirus lockdown, and are likely to also be the last sectors to reopen. 

While the measures already introduced by the Government to help business - including the Job Retention Scheme (JRS), and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) - are welcome, Mangnall writes that further support is needed to help businesses in both sectors survive. 

The letter calls for the Treasury to extend the business rates relief threshold up to £150,000; offer a VAT rebate; and adapt the JRS to allow businesses to ‘flexi-furlough’ staff so as to ensure facilities can be maintained while they remain closed.

It also asks for the Chancellor to consider an extension to the furlough scheme beyond the end of the lockdown to provide further protection for jobs in the longterm.

“Businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector were some of the first to close due to Coronavirus and in many cases are expected to be some of the last to reopen after lockdown,” says Mangnall

“While the Government’s existing support schemes are very welcome, we are asking for further measures to support these vital sectors and to provide a more tailored approach to safeguarding jobs, livelihoods and these vital industries.”