Mayor and London leaders call on the Prime Minister for urgent support for retail, hospitality, leisure and culture sectors
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In a letter to the Prime Minister, the London Covid Business Forum
– chaired by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan – is urging the
Government to come forward with an immediate package of support for
the culture, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors in
light of new restrictions and advice which have been introduced in
response to rising cases of the Omicron variant. “Plan B” measures
have come into force at the most important time of the year for
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In a letter to the Prime Minister, the London Covid Business Forum – chaired by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan – is urging the Government to come forward with an immediate package of support for the culture, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors in light of new restrictions and advice which have been introduced in response to rising cases of the Omicron variant. “Plan B” measures have come into force at the most important time of the year for culture, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses. These vital sectors have suffered considerably during the pandemic, so the London Covid Business Forum agreed yesterday that it is crucial the Government takes action now. The London Covid Business Forum was set up by Sadiq to tackle the key issues facing business as a result of the pandemic and set out a roadmap for the safe and full reopening of London’s economy. It is made up of leading figures from the capital’s key business groups, including UKHospitality, London First, the Association of International Retail and the Night Time Industries Association. The following is the full letter: Dear Prime Minister, We are writing to you as the London Covid Business Forum to urge the Government to provide additional support for businesses impacted by rising cases of the Omicron variant and “Plan B” measures coming into force. Due to Londoners, commuters and visitors to London taking extra precautions, businesses in London in the retail, hospitality, and cultural sectors are already suffering, with takings immediately affected by a reduction in office workers following Government advice to work from home if possible. A 25 per cent surge in Christmas bookings being cancelled has already been reported, there has been a 26 per cent drop in TfL usage week on week, and central London has seen a significant drop in footfall across the city. UK Hospitality has forecast that takings will be down by as much as 40 per cent for December, usually the most lucrative month for venues. Retail, hospitality, leisure, cultural businesses and night time venues were banking on pre-Christmas sales after an extremely challenging and volatile 20 months. We currently face a ‘worst of all worlds’ whereby businesses are being very adversely affected; but without the benefit of support that existed during the previous total and partial lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Businesses are also being affected by staff shortages due to rising case rates and isolation, shutting theatre shows across the West End. West End theatre is a major driver for tourism – 22 million people attend each year. These shows have taken enormous financial risks to get back on stage and are not covered by the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme. The Society of London Theatres is concerned that the scheme is not working for the sector because it applies to an entire run, not specific dates; it covers mandated closures rather than ticket losses due to social distancing requirements or the effects of illness and isolation on cast and crew; and, as of this week, it now takes eight weeks to apply, preventing theatres from responding quickly to changing needs. Consequently, theatres are not taking up the offer of the scheme. The Government acted quickly during the last winter lockdown with additional support for businesses. We therefore urge the Government to consider the following measures to support hospitality, retail and cultural businesses, and their supply chains during this challenging period:
We look forward to your urgent response. Yours sincerely, Mayor of London Julian Bird Chief Executive, Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre Julie Brown Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Burberry Victoria Brownlie Chief Policy Officer, British Beauty Council Baroness Deborah Bull CrossBench Peer, House of Lords John Dickie Chief Executive, London First Bernard Donoghue Co-Chair London Tourism Recovery Board and CEO of Association of Leading Visitor Attractions Asma Khan Restaurateur, Founder, Darjeeling Express Mike Kill Chief Executive, Night Times Industries Association Angus Knowles-Cutler Vice Chair, London Economic Action Partnership Emma McClarkin Chief Executive, British Beer & Pub Association Ojay McDonald CEO, Association of Town and City Management; Kate Nicholls Chief Executive, UKHospitality Simon Pitkeathley Chief Executive Officer, Camden Town Unlimited Sir Peter Rogers Chairman New West End Company Matthew Sims Chief Executive, Croydon Town Centre Business Improvement District Jace Tyrrell Chair, Association of International Retail Cc Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Paul Scully MP, Minister for London |