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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Feb- 2022 -8 FebruaryGovernment
Over 250 hospitality leaders call for VAT to be held at 12.5%
More than 250 business leaders from hospitality and leisure have written to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, urging the Government to keep VAT at 12.5% beyond March 2022, according to UKHospitality. It revealed the letter calls on the Treasury to maintain the current level to enable many “fragile” businesses to continue…
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7 FebruaryNews
Price rises for consumers now ‘inevitable’, says UKH
Nearly half of operators (47%) are reporting that they will be forced to increase consumer prices by over 10% this year, with 15% anticipating hikes of over 20%, according to a UKHospitality survey. of over 340 hospitality businesses representing 8,200 venues, employing 190,000 people. Overall, it is expected that prices…
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1 FebruaryPubs and Bars
UKH urges gov to boost duty reforms
UKHospitality has revealed that while it has “heralded” the reforms to the alcohol duty system that were announced in the last budget, it is now urging the government to support the “beleaguered” industry further by expanding them. In its response to a government consultation, UKHospitality has called for the government…
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Jan- 2022 -31 JanuaryRestaurants
UKH outlines guidance for calorie labelling legislation
UKHospitality has produced guidance on the new calorie labelling legislation, due to be implemented this April. It is intended to help affected businesses and to ensure consistent enforcement post-April and is therefore available to anyone in the sector, not just UKHospitality members. The guidance has been compiled in conjunction with…
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28 JanuaryBusiness
UKH welcomes launch of mission to help 500,000 find work
UK Hospitality has welcomed the launch of a new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) scheme to help 500,000 jobseekers into work by the end of June. It comes after latest figures from the ONS showed the demand for workers with a record 1.2 million vacancies to fill, 59% higher…
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25 JanuaryRestaurants
UKH welcomes easing of travel restrictions
The news that international visitors to the UK who are vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer be required to test on arrival has been welcomed by UKHospitality. The new rules will come into operation at 4am on the 11 February, and will apply to all inbound visitors to the UK,…
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20 JanuaryCoronavirus
Removal of Plan B signals ‘gradual return’ to normality, says UKH
Hospitality sector trade association, UKHospitality, has “heralded” the announcement of the return to Plan A as a key milestone on the road to recovery for the sector. Yesterday (19 January) the prime minister announced in Parliament that 26 January would mark, among other things, the end of the ‘work from…
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13 JanuaryPubs and Bars
Hospitality recovery dampened by Omicron as December takes £3bn hit
The hospitality sector has suffered “devastating” sales falls in the last week of the year, according to the latest pub, bar and restaurant market figures from UKH and CGA. The wider hospitality sector witnessed a 40% drop in sales for the month versus the same period in 2019, as depleted…
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11 JanuaryTrade Associations
UKH calls for Platinum Jubilee extended licensing hours
UKHospitality has backed plans to extend licensing hours in England and Wales to 1am for this year’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations for HM The Queen. The trade association has said that the extension could give businesses “vital extra trading time” during the four-day weekend. Recent national celebrations that have seen longer…
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Dec- 2021 -21 DecemberCoronavirus
Sunak unveils £1bn support package for Omicron-hit businesses
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a further £1bn support package for businesses impacted by the new Omicron variant. As part of the support, businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises. There will also be more than…
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