This would save hundreds of thousands of jobs: Petition calls for low VAT to stay A PETITION started by a Dorset restaurateur to keep a low VAT lifeline for the hospitality industry has attracted enough support to force a response from government. Andy Lennox – who started the Wonky Table pressure group for local food, drink and events businesses – set up the petition on Parliament’s website. He has warned that many hospitality businesses could go under if VAT rises from its current five per cent to the normal 20 per cent as planned at the end of March. As of Tuesday evening, the petition to extend the discounted VAT rate until March 2022 had attracted more than 12,300 signatures. Any petitions which attract more than 10,000 prompt a response from government.
Police enforcing the licensing curfew in Southampton last November THE hospitality industry is going through “carnage” and needs more government help, an event organised by the Daily Echo in partnership with NatWest heard. The chancellor’s grants for closed businesses fall way short of covering their costs, an online “round table” event was told. Philippa Goodwin, finance director of the Hoburne Group of holiday parks – with a site at Bashley in the New Forest – said income from food, beverages and entertainments had “really suffered”, but was “slightly subsidised” by areas such as holiday home sales. “In terms of the government support it’s somewhat lacking at the moment. The grants that we’ve been able to claim this time round are pathetic,” she said.