businesses, we are talking pubs, restaurants, night clubs, cinemas, have seen customer numbers fall and fall quite sharply. 40% down. this at a time of year when many businesses need to make a lot of money, it is one of their best months of the year under normal circumstances. what is the chancellor offering? funding that will pay for grants of £6,000 per establishment to make up for some of the money that they have been losing. so hospitality is where it is focused, but other businesses will be able to get money as well through another fund implemented through another fund implemented through local government. it is quite a broad brush, there is. there is a lot there. but the headline, really, is support for hospitality and leisure industries who are really struggling at the moment. we had some of the politicsjust now. had some of the politics just now. what is the reaction been like in the last hour since this has been announced? the cbi have been talking, what have businesses
to get back to normality is to get boosted now. to get back to normality is to get boosted now. , ., , . , ., boosted now. it is not ust customer numbers dropping boosted now. it is notjust customer numbers dropping off. boosted now. it is notjust customer numbers dropping off. cast - boosted now. it is notjust customerl numbers dropping off. cast members are fully enclosed this production of the lion king for the next week. the chancellor is not here, he is in california, but industry leaders spoke to him in the last couple of hours of their fears and needs. attendees described him in listening mode, offering new no new promises to be their christmas saviour. retired teachers in england are to be encouraged to return to work to help reduce staff shortages in schools because of the spread of omicron. i m joined by our education editor branwenjeffreys. the big concern is about staffing levels and the pressure on them next term. it levels and the pressure on them next term. , ., .
today, the prime minister said the government had supported business throughout the pandemic. we already have measures in place supporting businesses through business rate relief, through vat reductions, the loans i have described, all that is there, but what we are also saying is we want to keep businesses going, keep businesses open, as we have done for a long time now, through the vaccination programme. the best way to get back to normality is to get boosted now. it is notjust customer numbers dropping off. cast members are fully enclosed this production of the lion king for the next week. the chancellor is not here, he is in california, but industry leaders spoke to him in the last couple of hours of their fears and needs. attendees described him in listening mode, offering new no new promises to be their christmas saviour. well, the chancellor was mentioned at the end of simon s report. let s hearfrom him now, because he s been speaking this
confidence and commuter numbers evaporating in the face of rising infections and the health messaging, they might as well have been and there is a mismatch, many feel, between policy, economic reality and the kind of government support that is currently on offer. the government s priority has to be as soon as possible, today, it s notjust customer numbers dropping off. cast members falling ill closed this production of the lion king for at least a week. a dramatic reminder that staff shortages can also cripple business. this afternoon, opposition politicians piled on extra pressure for the government to act. the government s priority has to be, as soon as possible, and i mean today, to make announcements that will give the reassurance required. anything that will improve the cash flow position of these businesses should be top of the list. specifically, business groups want vat lower for longer and business rates bills and loan repayments deferred. tonight, speaking from california, th
to avoid a journey into the office, others will miss the opportunity to meet up with colleagues. in newmarket, mixed feelings. if we have to, we will do and i can do myjob from home. i ve been going into the office one day a week. it sjust nice to go somewhere different, have a bit of a change, get out of the house. like, put on proper clothes. for businesses like social chain, a marketing agency with offices in manchester, being able to meet with their staff is vital. definitely creativity and collaboration, the office looks like it does because we work in a creative space and we need to constantly be creative, but also problem solving. it happens so quickly when you are in the office and all together and you canjust have a very quick conversation, whereas when you are working from home, it can quite often escalate and snowball into a much bigger problem. and, if people aren t coming into the office, other businesses are going to suffer as well. all of the restaurants, the cafes and s