New figures show plight of hospitality sector

The chancellor is coming under pressure to bring in emergency support measures to help the hospitality sector. Rishi Sunak cut short a trip to California to attend talks with business leaders, as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport found that 51% of businesses had suffered a slump in revenue of at least 50% in the key month of December – up from 34% in November. The survey, which covers businesses from pubs, bars and restaurants to B&Bs, holiday operators and visitor attractions, found that 58% had suffered at least a 25% cancellation rate, with 48% reporting similar cancellations for January to March. Almost a quarter said they had no cash reserves, while another 31% had only one to two months of reserves. About 11% said they were “very likely to fail” and a further 29% “were quite likely to fail”. Lobbyists are asking for a VAT cut, business rates relief and Covid grants, among other measures. The Times (£)