Chancellor delivers urgently needed furlough support to pub and brewing sector

The British Beer & Pub Association, the leading trade association representing brewers and pubs, has today welcomed the extension of the full furlough scheme from Chancellor Rishi Sunak to March 2021.

The trade association said the extension showed that the Government had listened to the sector’s call for additional immediate help.

Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: 

“The Chancellor has listened to our concerns on the impact of coronavirus measures on the sector and delivered on some of the immediate support we need. 

“The extension of the full furlough scheme until March 2021 will give businesses some certainty on the support they need for the difficult months ahead. It also recognises that tier three restrictions have the same devastating financial impact on our pubs and brewers as a full lockdown. This will give some comfort to our staff and provide our businesses with a better chance to survive these unprecedented times.

“The additional and upweighted support for the self-employed will also help many self-employed publicans. 

“We are also grateful for the hard work of Members of Parliament who have pressed the Government to deliver for our sector.

“We will need to use the time in lockdown to review the current restrictions within the tiering system to ensure they are effective, proportionate and fair. We also need a longer-term stimulus package for our sector that enables it to play a leading role in the social and economic recovery. This requires an extension of the VAT cut and the Business Rates holiday, as well as a significant beer duty cut. If such a stimulus package is forthcoming, we will begin to see the light is at the end of the tunnel for our sector in this immensely difficult period.”