INDUSTRY figures have thrown their support behind proposed legislation that would make it illegal for employers to withhold tips from staff.

The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill has passed its second reading in Parliament and would come as a boost to those working in hospitality in Cumbria.

"My professional view on this is – 100 per cent – the staff have the right to have their tips," said Vincent Gregg, co-owner of The Crafty Baa, which has pubs in Windermere and Keswick.

"In actual fact, both my wife and myself – we give the staff our tips on top."

Mr Gregg felt allowing staff to keep their extra earnings fitted in with the ethos of his business.

"It's all part of the package really," he said.

"You work for The Crafty Baa, you're part of our team.

"It's about being fair, it's about being genuine."

Through the bill, a new statutory code of practice relating to the distribution of tips would be developed.

Workers would also receive a new right to request more information about employers' tipping records.

Phil Walker, landlord of The New Union pub in Kendal, said: "Staff should always be entitled to all the tips that are gained through the team.

"It's good to see that the bill's going through.

"It's always very well received when staff do get tips and it's very nice of the customers to feel that they want to tip the staff for good service."

Dan Visser, vice-chairman of Cumbria Tourism and director of sales and marketing at the Langdale Estate, said the bill could 'help further strengthen the attractiveness of the hospitality sector in terms of developing a career'.

He said: "Our world-class visitor experience is based on the wonderful landscape and fantastic business we have catering for the needs of our visitors.

"What often makes any visit to the area truly memorable is the service provided by the teams of people working throughout the visitor economy to welcome and look after our visitors, and they deserve to be rewarded for their efforts.

"Every team delivering a great experience deserves a great tip from their happy customers."

READ MORE: Hospitality workers could be set for boost thanks to new bill

Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said it could be 'tempting' for employers to retain tips in 'challenging times'.

"But, at the end of the day, people choose to tip the people who are serving them, cooking for them, taking care of their rooms etc. – not the business," she said.

"And, on that basis, it's right that tips are passed on to those people.

"So, from that perspective, this legislation is the right move.

"But in a tight labour market such as we're in, staff can more easily vote with their feet, and move away from, or choose not to join, employers who're not passing on tips, exacerbating recruitment and retention issues."

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the 'overhaul' of tipping practices was set to benefit 2 million UK workers across the hospitality, leisure and service sectors.