UKH welcomes Scottish gov’s cabinet appointments

UKHospitality (UKH) has welcomed Nicola Sturgeon’s recent appointments to her cabinet in the Scottish government.

Kate Forbes MSP has been appointed as the cabinet’s secretary for finance and the economy, while Ivan McKee MSP is set to take on the role of minister for business, trade, tourism and enterprise.

The hospitality trade association previously requested an ‘urgent call’ with Nicola Sturgeon to address the continuation of Covid-19 restrictions in Glasgow and Moray.

Prior to last week, hospitality establishments in both areas were expecting to be able to serve alcoholic beverages indoors and open with an increased capacity from 17 May, however this was postponed due to the prominence of the Indian variant among Glasgow and Moray’s population.

Leon Thompson, the executive director for UKH Scotland, said: “UKHospitality Scotland welcomes the return of tourism and hospitality to the Economy portfolio, indicating the importance which the Scottish Government rightly regards these sectors.

“Pre-pandemic, hospitality was Scotland’s third largest employer, with 285,000 people working across our diverse and dynamic sector, delivering £6bn to Scotland’s economy each year.”

He added: “However, the key priority for hospitality businesses right now is that the country be able to move down through the levels in the strategic framework as planned, avoiding late notice of setbacks and changes and where changes are necessary, adequate financial support is provided to all hospitality businesses that are impacted.”