An award-winning licensee is due to lobby MPs in a bid to campaign against the crisis facing the hospitality industry, calling time on policies predicted to lead to 80 per cent of pubs across the UK being deemed ‘non-viable’.
Campaigning Director of Greedy Gordons, Richard Gordon, who runs a portfolio of popular pubs and eateries in Northamptonshire, will travel to Whitehall with his business partner Sonya Harvey on April 2nd. Together, alongside industry publican peers, they will appeal to members of parliament highlighting how hospitality will be decimated by the government’s recent policies, which will negatively impact the industry.
Richard, who runs award-winning pubs including The Red Lion in Cranford, The Snooty Fox in Lowick and The Pig & Waffle in Grafton Underwood, is a campaigning champion for the hospitality sector and collectively he and Sonya have over 50 years of industry experience.
The popular publican, who is a member of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) warned many pubs across the county and nationwide will be severely impacted unless politicians make a U-turn on policies. It’s predicted planned policies will see the hospitality sector hit with an estimated £3.4b price hike due to the increase in national minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance Contributions, which with other hard-hitting policies is forecast will make 80% of pubs UK wide ‘non-viable’.
Richard and Sonya are among business leaders in the hospitality industry calling for the government to delay the reduction in the employer National Insurance Contributions threshold and are appealing for politicians to provide the maximum possible discount to businesses in the industry in relation to business rates reform.
Richard, who predicted the cost of a pint of beer could soar by the end of this year, echoed the calls for immediate action and said he and Sonya have been selected to lobby MPs after being announced as Punch Pub company award-winners.
As a member of the BII, Richard who is an ardent advocate of helping hospitality survive its latest crisis, said: “The industry is in dire straits right now. As our pub The Red Lion was awarded the Publican of the Year accolade recently, Sonya and I were invited to join our partners at the Punch Pub company to visit the House of Commons in April where all the major brewers are being represented. It is an opportunity to speak to the 100 MPs who will attend question and answer sessions throughout the day, and it gives us all the chance to stand up for the hospitality industry.
“We will tell them about our plight and have a voice for the day. In support of what the British Institute of Innkeeping are calling for we will be driving for the government to suspend the proposed National Insurance Contribution increases, calling for confirmation of continued business rates relief at the 75% level until comprehensive reform is delivered and seeking the reduction of the overall tax burden on pubs with a priority on lower VAT for all pub sales.
“It is predicted when the National Insurance Contributions and national minimum wage rate goes up at the start of April an estimated 80% of all restaurants and pubs will be ‘non-viable’. It’s causing sleepless nights; it is really tough and we are busy but it is so hard right now. It is all frightening and I predict early April there will be a lot of pubs struggling; however I hope the government will listen and do a U-turn.”
The pub professional highlighted how the “burden” of VAT, tax, PAYE and minimum wage requirements alongside business rates rising will all take its toll on the industry and will be a “real blow” for the hospitality sector leading to the possibility of hundreds of pubs, which are community hubs for so many people, struggling even more and possibly closing.
Richard added: “It is a humbling honour to be asked to represent over 2,000 Punch Pubs and to be a part of this and have this once in a lifetime opportunity to represent and stand up for everybody within the hospitality industry – it’s incredible.
“The BII, who we also represent, have been at the forefront of putting pressure on the government in a bid to make them see the light and realise all these community pubs where people want to visit, make friends and meet people, could shut. It’s such a devastating blow to everybody to face losing these vital community hubs. We want to survive and pay the best wages we can, provide the best work/life balance possible, however currently the government is making that impossible for us all to do.”
Find out more about Greedy Gordons via their website here.
