Hospitality industry stage third protest outside Parliament Square
Campaigners are urging the government to make policy changes to prevent catastrophic closures within sector
Members of the hospitality industry converged on Parliament Square today to urge the government to revise its existing policies relating to hospitality venues.
At the third HospoDemo protest in two years, protestors from all corners of the sector including restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, hotels, and cafés, came together to stand up for their industry.
Dressed in their work uniform, they came equipped with pots, pans, ladles, cocktail shakers, wooden spoons, last orders bells and other hospitality-related tools with which to make themselves heard.
At 11am, all protestors turned to face the Houses of Parliament and make as much noise as possible to ensure the sound resonates within the building, before marching on to HM Treasury to do the same.
HospoDemo, organisers of the protest, expected a large turnout beforehand due to the perilous position so many hospitality businesses now find themselves in.
Operators are still reeling from the loss of business during three Covid lockdowns and the enormous rent debt accrued during that time.
Since then, the sector has had to contend with ongoing labour shortages, followed by the onslaught of the cost-of-living crisis, and spiralling costs of supplies – from fresh produce to cooking oil, staff costs to crockery and glassware, and of course, surging energy prices.
With operators lurching from one crisis to another, profitable trading is becoming impossible for many.
Recent statistics taken from Night Time Industries Association Flash Poll of 378 Night Time Economy Businesses shows that 3 out of 4 businesses surveyed are barely breaking even (47.7%) or losing money (24.8%).
The figures show that 23% businesses surveyed would not last more than a few months (40.6% of businesses surveyed would not last more than 2-3 months) under the current operating cost levels.
80.6% of businesses surveyed had seen footfall decrease and 82% had seen revenue decrease in the last 3 months of trading.
Third largest private sector employer in the UK
Hospitality represents 10% of UK employment, 6% of businesses and 5% of GDP.
It is the third largest private sector employer in the UK; double the size of financial services and bigger than automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace combined.
The sector creates £130bn in economic activity and generates £39bn of tax for the Exchequer, funding vital services.
Hospitality professionals from around the UK were encouraged to upload videos to social media if they couldn't make it of themselves making a noise with the tools of their trade at work.
Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Adviser, Greater Manchester, commented:
"As a sector, we came together over the last few months and unified our calling on the government.
We don’t need handouts; we need a reduction in VAT and business rates relief. It is now clear to me, that not only do the government not care about the third biggest sector in the UK, but they are also quite happy to sit back and watch it collapse.
"If they will not listen to us, we have no alternative but to make them listen. This is businesses, jobs and lives we are fighting for."
This is the third HospoDemo protest with the first taking place at Parliament Square on Monday October 19th, 2020, and the second a few months later on Monday December 7th, 2020.