A publican has old GB News of their despair over Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s support package for the industry after rolling out new measures today.
Speaking to the People’s Channel, Steve Wood admitted the future of his wine bar is “really quite worrying”, as he revealed the support package would save him just £350.
The Labour Government today confirmed every pub in England will get 15 per cent off its new business rates bill from April, with their bills frozen for two years.
Making the announcement, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Dan Tomlinson said: “Pubs haven’t had the support they needed for too long under the Conservatives.
“They are essential to the social and cultural life of so many places across the country.”
Reacting to the announcement, Mr Wood told Yorkshire and Humberside Reporter Anna Riley: “In real terms, no, it doesn’t go far enough. In year one, it means about £350 worth of savings.
“It’s not what we were expecting and not what we were hoping for, given the big fanfare of an announcement today with the potential U-turn from the Budget last November.”
Although he “welcomes” the freeze on bills, Mr Wood feared for the financial future of his bar in the long term.
Wine bar owner Steve Wood has hit out at Rachel Reeves after saving him just £350 with her new support package
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GB NEWS / PA
He explained: “Whilst I welcome the freezes in year two and three, which will make a much, much more material difference, I kind of worry now.
“It’s all very well because you’re budgeting for year one, but where are you going to get your year two and three, the additional funding that you need for the Government to go through? And clearly that’s something that we’re now going to have to be worrying about.”
He added: “We’ll be worrying about November’s Budget and what will happen to other parts of hospitality, what will happen to duty rates on alcohol, for example, because they’re going to have to make the money up from somewhere.
“And then clearly the business rates, the revaluation, that’s something I’ve asked for before, having a complete fundamental look at business rates and how it’s done and revamping it, and that’s welcome.
A business rate relief package for pubs was announced by Dan Tomlinson MP | GOV
“But three years, how does it take three years to do this? I don’t understand how it takes such a long period of time, and the uncertainty that there’s going to be for the next two or three years is really quite worrying.”
Asked by Anna how he is feeling about the future of his bar, Mr Wood told GB News: “I feel uncertain again. I’m going to have to go away and really crunch the numbers and look at things, but we’re going to have to work out where we get an additional probably £12,500 pounds of the turnover this year just to pay for the increase in business rates.
“And that’s a concern, particularly with the current economic climate.”
Defending his decision to ban all 24 Labour councillors in the City of York council from coming to his bar, Mr Wood said: “We’ve taken the decision because they’re essentially providing a tax on us with pavement licensing by not following national guidelines, which is two years, and unleashing a one-year licence. So we’re having to pay twice.
Mr Wood has told GB News
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GB NEWS
“We’re losing opportunity cost every year because of the mandatory training and the extra paperwork we’ve got to fill in. So whilst that might be a small amount of money, the council aren’t helping. And again, even with business rates, the council have the ability to provide business rate relief to individual businesses.
“They hide behind the valuations office, they hide behind national Government. They have the ability to do this, it’s enshrined in legislation and devolve down to them. Let’s see them step up and actually help hospitality in York.”
Asked by host Martin Daubney what he would say to Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves if they walked into his bar, Mr Wood concluded: “I’d probably show them the door, to be quite honest.
“I’d explained to them that I believe in my conviction, as some of his own MPs do, I believe in standing up and saying when things are wrong, so I’d probably add them to the list.”