Coronavirus Tier System

"The news we’ve been waiting for" - Scotland to lift most remaining Covid rules next week

03-Aug-2021 By James McAllister

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed almost all remaining Covid rules in Scotland will be lifted next Monday (9 August), in an announcement described as 'the news hospitality has been waiting for'.

Sturgeon hopes Scotland can return 'to almost complete normality' by August

22-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Nicola Sturgeon has announced all of Scotland could move to Level 0 on 19 July, with most remaining restrictions potentially set to be dropped on 9 August.

Scottish hospitality faces 'another lost summer' as lockdown easing set to be paused

16-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Scotland's hospitality sector is bracing itself for 'another lost summer' after it was announced the nationwide easing of Covid-19 restrictions will likely to be pushed back by three weeks.

Glasgow to move to Level 2 as Sturgeon puts the brakes on Scotland's lockdown easing

01-Jun-2021 By James McAllister

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that Glasgow will finally move from Level 3 to Level 2 of Scotland's five-tier system of Coronavirus restrictions from Saturday (5 June).

Restrictions on indoor alcohol sales in Scotland set to ease on 17 May

11-May-2021 By James McAllister

Restrictions on Scottish hospitality businesses serving alcohol indoors are set to ease across most of the country next week, but pubs and restaurants will still be subject to curfew restrictions.

'Substantial meal' rule to be scrapped when pubs reopen

05-Feb-2021 By James McAllister

Rules demanding pubs in England only be allowed to open if they serve a 'substantial meal' are set to be scrapped as and when the sector is able to unlock.

Richoux and Villagio operator enters administration

21-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Dining Street Limited, the casual dining operator behind restaurant chains Richoux, Villagio and The Broadwick, has entered administration with 147 jobs lost.

Sacha Lord: "Hospitality must reopen at the same time as non-essential retail"

18-Jan-2021 By James McAllister

Greater Manchester's Night Time Economy Adviser Sacha Lord has said hospitality in England must reopen at the same time as non-essential retail if the country returns to a tiered system.

A bleak midwinter - pubs to serve five million fewer Christmas dinners this year

24-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) says it is expecting the quietest Christmas on record this year for pubs, as they struggle to remain open over festive period.

UKHospitality demands immediate support for ailing sector

24-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Trade body UKHospitality has called on the Government to immediately announce relief measures to ‘save hospitality’ as the sector faces its toughest ever winter.

Annus horribilis - pandemic sees sales and confidence collapse as sector loses over £53bn in 2020

24-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The UK’s hospitality sector has suffered lost sales of more than £53bn in 2020, with more losses to come from a collapse of Christmas trading due to ongoing Coronavirus restrictions.

Tiers shakeup will see majority of English hospitality closed for eat-in

23-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Even more English hospitality businesses will be forced to close for eat-in from Boxing Day as multiple areas move up to higher Tiers.

More areas could move up into Tier 4, minister hints

23-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Ministers are meeting this morning to decide whether more areas of England will be placed into Tier 4.

Des Gunewardena: "Restaurants are vital to the UK's social fabric - they need to be supported"

22-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Des Gunewardena has called on the Government to fund more support for struggling restaurants by introducing a Covid-tax on industries that have benefited from the pandemic.

Scottish Government unveils targeted support package for tourism and hospitality

22-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The Scottish Government has pledged a £104.3m package of support for tourism and hospitality, much of which will be targeted at licensed hospitality businesses that previously fell through the cracks.

Leicestershire County Council pledge to top-up pub grants

21-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Leicestershire County Council has launched a new scheme that offers a one-off payment of £1,000 to small village pubs unable to open their doors over the festive period.

UKHospitality: 'Give the sector hope for recovery'

21-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

UKHospitality has renewed its calls for the Government to provide a greater financial support package for businesses in the sector affected by tighter Coronavirus restrictions.

Hospitality in Wales and Scotland to close as Government introduces tighter Tier 4 in England

21-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Hospitality venues in Wales have had to close again over the weekend under the country's 'Level 4' Coronavirus restrictions, with businesses in Scotland set to follow suit on Boxing Day.

"It makes no sense" - thousands of hospitality venues set to shut again as London moves to Tier 3

14-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Hospitality venues across London and large swathes of the south east will be forced to close yet again from Wednesday (16 December) as those areas move to Tier 3.

Tier restrictions set to push beer sales down by 90%

14-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) says it expects pub beer sales this December to be as much as 90% lower than normal, with 270 million fewer pints ordered.

Restaurateurs warn placing London in Tier 3 will be 'gratuitous kick in the teeth'

14-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

London restaurateurs have warned that moving the capital to Tier 3 and thus forcing the capital's hospitality sector to close will be a 'gratuitous kick in the teeth' for businesses.

Tier system for hospitality halves country’s economic growth rate

11-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

UKHospitality says restrictions on the country’s hospitality sector have effectively halved the UK’s economic growth, with the situation only likely to get worse unless the crippling measures are rethought.

Fears grow London could move to Tier 3

10-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

An industry voice has warned that moving London to Tier 3 and thus forcing the capital's hospitality businesses to close would 'further devastate' the sector.

Rent moratoria further extended into March next year

09-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The Government has confirmed that the lease forfeiture and debt enforcement moratoria will both be extended until the end of March 2021.

Birmingham restaurateur delays legal challenge against Tier 3 restrictions

07-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

A Birmingham-based restaurateur has delayed plans to launch a legal challenge against the Government's Tier 3 restrictions while local leaders continue to push for greater financial support for the sector.

HospoDemo: "We're determined to continue fighting the cause for hospitality"

07-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The founder of HospoDemo says the hospitality sector has been made a scapegoat by the Government, as she prepares to lead a second hospitality demonstration against the ongoing restrictions.

UKHospitality warns of 'business bloodbath' if Government fails to extend rent moratoria

04-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

UKHospitality warns the sector is on a countdown to a devastating rent tipping-point that could trigger a bloodbath of business failures with potentially hundreds of thousands more jobs lost.

Young’s boss accuses police of ‘intimidation and harassment’ in enforcing new restrictions

04-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Police have been accused of ‘overzealous’ enforcement of Tier 2 restrictions in pubs, with landlords reporting officers arguing over ‘substantial meal’ regulations and throwing out customers after they finished eating.

Hospitality's confidence shattered as sector continues to reel from impact of Covid

04-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The pandemic has wrecked confidence across hospitality, with less than a fifth of business leaders in the sector optimistic about the market’s prospects over the next 12 months.

Birmingham restaurateur to launch legal challenge against Tier 3 restrictions

04-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

A Birmingham-based restaurateur is to launch a legal challenge against the Government, claiming it has failed to provide adequate evidence to support the closure of hospitality in Tier 3 areas.

Just 27% of Britain’s pubs reopen under new tier restrictions

03-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Just 27% of pubs in Britain reopened yesterday (2 December), with many suggesting they could close again in less than a week if they are unviable under Tier 2 restrictions.

The Lowdown: substantial meals

03-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Government restrictions demanding pubs operating in Tier 2 areas only open if they’re able to serve food has left minsters scrambling to explain what constitutes a ‘substantial meal’.

'Nowhere near enough' - PM pledges paltry one-off payment for wet-led pubs

01-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The Prime Minister has announced that wet-led pubs forced to remain closed under Tier 2 and 3 restrictions will receive a paltry one-off grant payment of £1,000.

Over three-quarters of night-time economy businesses expect to go bust within a month

30-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

More than three-quarters of night-time economy businesses say they will collapse within a month, according to a new survey.

Hospitality set to receive additional financial support as rebellion over tougher tier restrictions grows

30-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

The Prime Minister is set to announce that hospitality businesses facing tougher tier restrictions from this week will receive additional financial support from the Government.

Tougher tier restrictions could wipe out £7.8bn worth of trading in December

26-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

UKHospitality has warned that the landscape of the sector will be 'fundamentally degraded for the foreseeable future' if the Government fails to provide businesses with further financial support.

Large swathes of northern England face Tier 3 restrictions as London remains in Tier 2

26-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Hospitality businesses across large swathes of northern England and the Midlands, including in Manchester, Lancashire, Newcastle, Birmingham and Leicester, will be forced to remain locked down under tougher Tier 3 restrictions.

UK pub market faces 61% decline in 2020

26-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic will wipe £14bn from the pub sector in 2020, although the market is set to tentatively recover next year according to Lumina Intelligence.

Fears for tiers - hospitality holds its breath as majority of England faces tougher restrictions

26-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Most regions in England look set to be placed into the toughest two tiers of the Government's Coronavirus alert system with hospitality businesses bearing the brunt of the tougher restrictions.

Disappointment as Spending Review fails to deliver targeted support for hospitality

25-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

The Chancellor's Spending Review has been met with disappointment by the hospitality sector for not doing enough to support businesses as they prepare to face tougher tier restrictions.

Easing of restrictions over Christmas labelled a 'mockery' as hospitality shut out from plans

25-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Government plans to relax Coronavirus restrictions nationwide over the Christmas period have been branded a 'mockery' after it emerged the tougher restrictions imposed on hospitality venues would remain in place.

Edinburgh restaurant Aizle closes 'until further notice' as a result of ongoing restrictions

24-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Well-regarded Edinburgh fine dining restaurant Aizle has announced it will close 'until further notice' due to the impact on trade caused by the ongoing Coronavirus restrictions.

“What evidence justifies this” – anger as hospitality ‘unfairly targeted’ by tougher tier restrictions

24-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Voices from across the hospitality sector have demanded the Government provide evidence to explain its decision to target the industry with tighter restrictions under the new Coronavirus tier system.

Government forces 'restrictive straitjacket' on hospitality as tougher tier restrictions announced

23-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Restaurants and pubs in Tier 3 areas will be restricted to takeaway only under tough new measures announced by the Government that have been described as being 'a restrictive straitjacket' on the sector at best and 'a lockdown in all but...