We all hoped that the start of 2021 might herald a new beginning but unfortunately we find ourselves in yet another national lockdown, and the future for many in the hospitality sector and its supply chain is truly desperate.

Once more hospitality has borne the brunt of the hit, as two of the most profitable weeks of the year were in effect cancelled. As businesses we can’t carry on like this; right across the board the sector traditionally relies on its Christmas income to get it through the lean months of January and February and that revenue has gone but the bills still have to be paid.

Against this backdrop we have to ask how much more can the hospitality sector and the overall economy take? More financial support must be forthcoming if we are to have any hope that hospitality businesses will survive. As a sector we can’t keep opening up and then almost immediately be told to close down again with very little economic support from the Government.

The revised tier systems will now be in place until at least April 2021 at the earliest, but what support is there to help a sector that relies on both the summer and Christmas trade to get it through the winter months especially with the lack of seasonal parties, reduced numbers of covers, reduced wedding numbers and so on.

Yes, those affected by the latest national lockdown have been given some relief by the Government’s decision to extend furlough and some of the business support schemes available earlier in the year. But many of the measures fall well short and there seems to be no clear or coherent plan to offer ongoing financial support, or for that matter a clear route map for re-opening businesses longer term.

The sector in my view needs a structured recovery plan for the next six months (as a minimum), some way for us to plan and to know what we need to be doing with assistance that goes past next March.

I firmly welcome the call for a Hospitality Minister; it’s only right and proper that a sector that brings so much to our economy is properly represented by this and successive governments.

Jamie Shail

Owner of Rothay Manor, Ambleside