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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Oct- 2021 -7 OctoberTrade Associations
UKH calls for lower VAT rate in new campaign
UK Hospitality has announced a new campaign #VATsEnough which is aimed at calling on the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to make the 12.5% VAT rate permanent for hospitality and tourism. While the Treasury’s decision last year to reduce VAT for these sectors helped many venues survive the crisis, under current plans…
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4 OctoberCoronavirus
UKH calls on Government for support amid jobs crisis
UKHospitality has proposed a programme of co-investment to the government to create jobs and increase growth after “harsh” trading restrictions have impacted the sector. The sector has revealed it is facing issues including rent demands and an increase in VAT and has said a “package” of post-pandemic support is “essential”…
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1 OctoberRestaurants
Government assembles Hospitality Sector Council
The UK Government has assembled a team of hospitality professionals to “help England’s pubs, restaurants and cafes to thrive”, business minister Paul Scully has announced. The Hospitality Sector Council will identify and oversee actions related to the 22 commitments in the strategy, aiming to “create sensible solutions using their expert knowledge and assess the strength of the sector”. The council…
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Sep- 2021 -24 SeptemberGovernment
Gov to ban businesses from withholding staff tips
The government is due to introduce new legislation that will make withholding tips from workers illegal. The move is set to support roughly two million people working across 190,000 hospitality, leisure, and service sector businesses. Launched today (24 September), the plans include the requirement for all employers to pass on…
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22 SeptemberPubs and Bars
UKH calls for permanent hospitality VAT cut
UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls called for additional Government support to help safeguard the sector’s recovery and rebuild resilience in the form of a permanently lower VAT for hospitality and tourism. It comes as UK Hospitality’s annual conference was undertaken under the theme of “recovery and beyond”, where it…
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15 SeptemberCoronavirus
UKH warns of ‘drastic’ Covid-19 contingency measures impact
UKHospitality has warned the Government of the potential ‘drastic’ fallout should any of its Covid-19 restrictions currently left on reserve be introduced over the Winter. Announced on 14 September, the Autumn and Winter plan for 2021 targeted vaccines uptake and booster jabs as the key way to limit the spread…
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13 SeptemberTrade Associations
UKH welcomes extension to debt protections
UKHospitality has welcomed the Government’s extension of debt protections to tenants announced on 10 September. The body claimed that the additional protections for non-rent debts will provide “breathing space” for hospitality operators to negotiate with suppliers. Moreover, the measures are deemed to provide time to find an “appropriate arbitration mechanism…
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Aug- 2021 -23 AugustTrade Associations
Hospitality sector still struggling despite customers’ return to venues, UKH warns
Despite 56% of consumers returning to hospitality venues in the first 10 days after ‘Freedom Day’ last month, compared with 35% in 2020, thousands of businesses are still struggling compared to pre-pandemic, according to the latest UK Hospitality survey. A survey by the group found that it took over six…
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20 AugustAwards & Events
Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed as headline speaker at UKH annual conference
UKHospitality is set to welcome business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng as the headline speaker at its upcoming annual conference. Kwarteng will join a “stellar” line-up of sector leaders on the day, including Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonalds UK, Karin Shepard, European MD of InterContinental Hotels Group and Nick Mackenzie, CEO of…
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13 AugustTrade Associations
Hospitality contributed to 40% of Q1 to Q2 economic growth, says UKH
The hospitality industry reportedly contributed to 40% of the UK’s total economic growth between Q1 and Q2 2021. The figure comes from the latest UKHospitality Quarterly Tracker, produced by CGA, which followed ONS data revealing the UK GDP to have grown 4.8% in June. Kate Nicholls, chief executive at UKH,…
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