Government

The latest news and updates on government policy, from the business journalists at Catering Today. We bring you the latest on what’s happening in the restaurants, bars and catering industry, with exclusive stories, analysis, best practice and industry comment.

Nov- 2018 -

16 November

Almost 90% of pubs failed to stop children using gambling machines

Tests on a sample of pubs in England indicated almost 90% failed to prevent children accessing gaming machines meant for those over 18. The Gambling Commission worked with licensing authorities and local police to test compliance with laws in place to protect children from the risks gambling can pose. Children…
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13 November

EU rules could ‘thwart’ Hammond’s business rates promise

Hammond’s plan to help high streets through a near £1bn, two year business rates cut, is set to be thwarted by European Union state aid rules, real estate agents Altus Group have claimed. The chancellor will slash business rates next April by discounting bills by a third for those retail…
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1 November

Bank of England puts hold on interest rates due to Brexit uncertainty

The Bank of England has placed interest rates on hold following growing uncertainty around Brexit. A vote to leave rates unchanged held by the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was in favour of leaving rates at 0.75% by 9-0. Financial markets are currently indicating that rates will not rise until…
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1 November

One in seven pubs face business rate rises of £5,000 next April

One in seven pubs in England face rises in their business rates bills of nearly £5,000 despite measures announced at the Autumn Budget to cut the rates of smaller high street businesses. Analysis from commercial real estate advisor Altus Group showed medium sized pubs were the “big losers” in Hammond’s…
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Oct- 2018 -

29 October

Autumn Budget 2018: Business rates cut for SMEs and new digital services tax

Chancellor Philip Hammond has confirmed plans to give smaller retailers a 33% cut to business rates and introduced a new digital services tax for companies with at least £500m in global revenue. The reduction in rates will take place over the next two years and is expected to save businesses…
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26 October

Hospitality sector reaches £102bn value in 2018

The UK hospitality sector has reached a total annual turnover of £102bn and a year-on-year growth of 4%, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data published earlier this month. The data represents the first time that all businesses in the ‘Accommodation and Food Services Activities’ category have turned…
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24 October

Winding up petition against Patisserie Valerie dismissed

The winding up petition against Stonebeach Limited, parent company of crisis-hit cafe chain Patisserie Valerie, has been dismissed. Patisserie Holdings released a statement on 24 October which said it was “pleased” that the petition against it been dismissed by the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts. HMRC served…
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23 October

UK takeaways increase 34% in eight years despite anti-obesity push

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has announced that despite the government’s anti-obesity push, UK takeaways have increased by 34% between 2010 and 2018. ONS statistics show that there is currently 61 takeaway restaurants per every 100,000 people in the UK. In 204 of the 215 UK areas, the ONS…
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9 October

Bars, restaurants and clubs could ‘prevent high street decline’

Some 91% councils in England believe the night time economy will play an important role in “preventing the decline of high street retail”, a survey by Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and the Portman Group has found. The survey ran for a month between 17 July and 15 August 2018 and…
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2 October

Government invests £15m into reducing food waste

The government has announced a new scheme to reduce the amount of food waste generated in the UK, which is being supported by £15m of additional funding. Set to launch in 2019/20, the scheme will specifically address the issue of surplus food from hospitality, retail and food manufacturing, as food…
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