The HSC is a new body created by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to coordinate the Government’s support for England’s pubs, restaurants and cafes. BEIS said that the council will specifically ‘identify and oversee actions related to the 22 commitments in the Government’s Hospitality Strategy, create sensible solutions using their expert knowledge and assess the strength of the sector’. The strategy was released in July 2021. To find it, I Googled BEIS Hospitality Strategy. The council had its first meeting in September.
The council is chaired jointly by Paul Scully, the Business Minister (MP for Sutton and Cheam) and Karen Jones, who chairs the Prezzo restaurant chain. The pub and brewery sectors are represented by the chief executive of UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls; the chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, Emma McClarkin; the chief executive of Greene King, Nick MacKenzie; the chief executive of the British Institute of Innkeeping, Steve Alton; James Calder of SIBA (the Small Independent Brewers Association) and Simon Emeny, the chief executive of Fuller, Smith & Turner.
Quoted in the Morning Advertiser, Mr Scully said, “The hospitality industry has shown incredible creativity and resourcefulness through the pandemic, pivoting to new ways of doing business like alfresco dining and takeaway pints to stay safe, meet changing consumer demands and protect livelihoods. With the launch of this council, we’re taking the next step in the journey to build back better from the pandemic by unveiling the experts who will be driving the reopening, recovery and resilience of the sector. It’s a real ‘Avengers Assemble’ moment for the industry.” Ms Jones added, “The lockdowns have shown us many things, particularly the importance of our people and our teams and the key role hospitality has to play in lighting up our high streets and city centres.” To that end, the council will be encouraging apprenticeships and increased training in vocational skills.
Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, was very prominent in campaigning against some of the lockdown measures. He welcomed the creation of the council, saying, “I’m pleased to see the Government is now taking the hospitality sector seriously and recognising its relevance to the greater economic benefit of the country.” He did however question its membership, adding, “I would have liked to have seen more independent venues represented on the Council. Big, city centre chains are the media face of the sector, however it is the independent, family run pubs and restaurants which are the true backbone of this industry and they are the operators who have faced the most difficulty during this pandemic.”
The relaxation of the licensing rules as regards pavement seating and takeaway alcohol sales has been continued until September 2022. Any ‘table and chair’ licences obtained under the fast track procedure will however still have expired in September just gone, so new applications will be required. There has already been one report that, in Liverpool, the famous Roscoe Head has had its re-application knocked back. There are however no similar problems with the continuation of the dispensation over take-away sales. So long as a pub is displaying the appropriate notice, it can continue to make off-sales even if it only has an on-sales licence.