Pubs frustrated with grant delays
Three in four wet-led pubs are still yet to receive their Christmas grant promised to them by the prime minister.
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has revealed that three in four wet-led pubs (74%) are still yet to receive their Christmas grant promised to them by the prime minister at the beginning of December 2020.
Boris Johnson personally announced the one-off grant, worth £1,000 per pub, to assist wet-led pubs forced to close through Christmas. The BBPA has said that, over a usual festive period, the average pub would make £47,000 in revenue.
However, as of January 2021, only one in four wet-led pubs (26%) have actually received the grants, according to a BBPA survey of its members.
The trade association has also revealed today that over half of the grants introduced to support pubs through the tier restrictions and the November lockdown are still yet to be paid too. In the same survey, the BBPA found that 46% of pubs are still yet to receive Local Restrictions Support Grants that were made available for pubs facing crippling tier restrictions and forced to close during the November lockdown.
The BBPA says the delay in the delivery of the grants has meant many pubs reliant on them for their very survival could have been lost for good already. It is urging the prime minister to personally intervene to ensure his promise of the £1,000 grant for pubs, as well as the Local Restrictions Support Grants, are delivered immediately.
