People are being encouraged to ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ and fall back in love with their favourite restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels in Southport.
Southport Business Improvement District welcomed today’s scheme announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak which will entitle everyone to a discount of up to 50 per cent on their meal, up to a maximum of £10 per person. Businesses can claim the money back from the Government, which will be paid within five working days. Up to 230 businesses in Southport could benefit from the move.
Southport BID is also pleased to see VAT for hospitality, accommodation and attraction businesses cut from 20 per cent to five per cent for the next six months.
The announcement comes just a few days after restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels were allowed to reopen last Saturday (July 4), while Southport Pleasureland is preparing to welcome back customers this Saturday (July 11) with others due to open over the coming days.
Up to 490 businesses could stand to benefit from the measures in Southport.
With Coronavirus lockdown restrictions continuing to ease, Southport BID CEO Rachel Fitzgerald is encouraging residents to make the most of the Eat Out To Help Out discounts and go out to support their local businesses and help them to begin their recovery at this crucial time.
She said: “We are pleased to see the additional measures to support the hospitality sector, announced today. The leisure sector has been particularly hard hit by the crisis, with a substantial amount of key peak season trade being lost. Any support to help businesses come through it is welcomed.
“We all have our part to play in recovery for the town, and in supporting local businesses. Our bars, restaurants and attractions have worked very hard to ensure they can welcome customers back safely. We want to continue to encourage people to take advantage of these discounts and feel confident to be back out locally and helping ensure Southport’s economy thrives”
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Over the past four months, Southport BID has provided a substantial amount of help to firms in the town which have been impacted by the Coronavirus crisis.
They have done this by providing advice online and practical help to people so they could access the furlough scheme, as well as business grants and business loans.
In Southport, more than 9,800 jobs have been supported through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Southport employers are now being offered an incentive to retain staff who have been on the furlough scheme, with the Government paying a one-off bonus of £1,000 for every employee who was furloughed and who is kept on until January.
Other measures which will help Southport businesses include:
- Temporary removal of stamp duty on homes under £500,000 until the end of March 2021 to catalyse the housing market
- New Kickstart Scheme to create new, fully-subsidised jobs for young people.
- Upgrading the energy efficiency of homes across England through a new Green Homes Grant. The Government will provide £2 billion to allow people to apply for a voucher, to fund at least two-thirds of the cost of upgrading the energy performance of their homes – up to a maximum of £5,000. Low-income households will be eligible for up to 100 per cent of government funding, up to £10,000
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