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UKHospitality has published its new manifesto which outlines its desires of change from the incoming Government and the new Parliament in support of the UK’s hospitality sector.
The document, Menu for Change, outlines “opportunities” for the incoming Government to support, and work collaboratively with, a sector that employs 3.2 million people around the country.
UKH believes the industry can:
- Grow its output by 5.5% over the next three years
- Increase employment by half a million within a decade, across multiple levels and in every region, including 30,000 apprenticeships by 2025
- Continue to act as focal points and social hubs for communities, acting as a linchpin for regeneration and infrastructure projects and increasing inward investment.
To do this, UKH is calling on the next Government to “act decisively” to support the sector. The manifesto also includes three key requests:
- Unlock our economic growth: Rebalancing the business tax burden to reflect the modern digital economy by reforming the business rates system
- Boost skills and opportunities for our workforce: Boosting take-home pay for hospitality’s hardworking team members by removing the lowest paid from tax, doubling employer NIC thresholds and investing in training
- Bringing our communities together: Delivering on the Tourism Sector deal and supporting Tourism Enterprise Zones to unlock the potential of the sector as an employer and incentivise infrastructure investment.
UKHospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls, said: “Hospitality businesses are integral to almost every community in the UK. Pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels, nightclubs and more are features of villages, towns and city centres in every region.
“These businesses provide jobs and they provide investment. They are also at the centre of our social lives: these are the places we spend our leisure time with our family and friends.”
She added: “The sector employs over 3.2 million people and generates over £130 billion in turnover every year. We are the 3rd largest private sector employer in the country.
“Hospitality is crucial to tourism, high streets, seaside towns and communities. We underpin investment and regeneration and we help attract inward investment and export earnings.”
