Kate Nicholls
This archive features our reporting on Kate Nicholls OBE — a key voice in the UK’s hospitality and foodservice policy landscape. As Chair of UKHospitality, Nicholls plays a central role in lobbying government, shaping regulation, and influencing the commercial environment in which restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés, and catering firms operate. Catering Today covers Nicholls’ statements, policy positions, and leadership activity because her work directly affects the trading conditions, labour challenges, and long-term resilience of foodservice businesses. For operators navigating rising costs, staffing pressures, or post-pandemic recovery, her advocacy and insights are both timely and consequential.
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Sep- 2023 -11 SeptemberBusiness
DWP and UKHospitality launch new hospitality employment scheme
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in collaboration with UKHospitality has launched The Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP). The new programme is designed to fill vacancies in the hospitality sector and the pilot scheme, set to launch in Liverpool before being rolled out to other major cities over…
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8 SeptemberTrade Associations
Strong sales unable to keep up with inflation, UKH finds
Turnover increased 6.7% in the last year to £137bn, but compared with 2019, remains almost 20% behind in real terms when accounting for inflation, according to UKH’s quarterly sales tracker. The tracker, in association with CGA, also showed that sales in the last year are 2.3% up on pre-pandemic sales.…
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Aug- 2023 -14 AugustPubs and Bars
Sunak steps in to save off-site sales
Pubs and bars in the UK will be able to continue selling takeaway pints after a personal intervention from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The rules were introduced in July 2020 and allowed pubs to sell takeaway pints without permission from the local council. These rules were set to expire on…
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11 AugustTrade Associations
UKH urges the industry to back ‘Five Asks for Ofgem’
UKHospitality is leading a rallying call for the industry to support its ‘Five Asks for Ofgem’ to rapidly implement the recommendations from its energy market review. In order to enact “meaningful” change within the energy market, UKH has urged Ofgem to encourage suppliers to resolve issues many businesses are facing…
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Jul- 2023 -21 JulyTrade Associations
UKH ‘disappointed’ with regulatory easements outcome
UKHospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls has said it is “disappointing” the government has decided not to go ahead with making on-sale alcohol licences automatically cover off-sales and increase the number of Temporary Event Notices permitted. The decision comes in its response to a consultation on regulatory easements to the Licensing…
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14 JulyAnalysis
Analysis: Late Night Levy Extension – A Further Blow to an Already Strained UK Hospitality Sector
UKHospitality, the country’s leading hospitality trade association, has branded the extension a “damaging blow” to an industry already dealing with the repercussions of the pandemic and a series of national rail strikes. The late-night levy was first introduced in 2014 to offset the costs of policing late-night activity. The recent…
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14 JulyGovernment
UKH calls late night levy extension ‘damaging blow’ to sector
UKHospitality has branded the extension of the late night levy a “damaging blow” to the sector after the government adapted the law for local authorities. The levy will now allow local authorities to create late night levy areas smaller than their local authority boundaries and extend levies to sites such…
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Jun- 2023 -29 JuneBusiness
New scheme to retain hospitality staff launches in NI
The UK Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board has developed a new ‘Wellbeing and Development Promise’ to promote the wellbeing and development of staff within both sectors. The new scheme is a UK-wide hospitality and tourism industry initiative. Hospitality Ulster in partnership with Tourism Northern Ireland and the Hospitality and Tourism…
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14 JuneTrade Associations
Hospitality can deliver £29bn economic boost with right support, says UKH
In the past six years hospitality has increased its annual economic contribution by £20bn to £93bn, according to a new report launched at UKHospitality’s summer conference. It also showed that employment in the sector has risen to 3.5m, making hospitality the third largest employer in the country. The report, produced…
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May- 2023 -31 MayBusiness
Rail strikes set to cost hospitality industry £132m, says UKH
Upcoming rail strikes in May and June will cost the hospitality industry £132m according to UK Hospitality. Members of the ASLEF union are set to walk out on 31 May and 3 June after the union rejected what it called a ‘risible’ pay offer of 4% per year for two…
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