Pubs that predominantly serve alcohol rather than
provide food have been asked to make huge sacrifices
over the festive season and will be eligible for a
one-off £1000 to help make ends meet.
The payment will be a one-off for December and will be
paid on top on the existing £3,000 monthly cash grants
for businesses. This will cover those in tiers 2 and 3
forced to reduce their operations as a result of the
latest regional measures put in place to contain
transmission of the virus.
The move bolsters the government’s support for the pubs
sector, following the extension of the furlough scheme
and the business rates holiday which were extended
until March 2021.
Prime Minister
said:
Pubs are at the heart of communities across the
country and they have been among the businesses which
have suffered the most during the pandemic.
While we can’t make up for all the trade they will
lose over Christmas, I hope this new £1000 grant – on
top of the furlough, VAT and business rates
relief and existing grants, goes some way to help
them weather the economic storm.
As the government prepares to introduce community
testing across tier 3 areas and work on vaccines
continues to progress, it is vital that we continue to
bear down on the virus transmission rate to protect
lives and livelihoods and ensure the NHS is not
overwhelmed during the winter.
Wet-led pubs in tiers 2 and 3 will be subject to
significant measures under the new regional tiered
system and it is right for the government to increase
its support. Eligible wet-led pubs across these tiers
are invited to apply through their local authority who
will be responsible for distributing the grants. The
payment will be made once per business for the month of
December only.
The additional support comes on top of £1.1 billion
which is being given to local authorities, distributed
on the basis of £20 per head, for one-off payments to
enable them to support businesses more broadly. The
government has also provided £10 billion business rates
holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses
lasting until March, as well as £11.7 billion of
initial grants of up to £25,000 at the start of the
outbreak.
