Three quarters of pubs yet to receive their Christmas grant
The £1,000 one-off grant was created to assist wet-led pubs forced to close through the Christmas period, however, as of this month only a quarter of wet-led pubs (26%) have actually received the grants, according to a BBPA survey of its members.
Over a usual festive period, the average pub would make £47,000 in revenue – by far the biggest trading period of the year for the sector, says the BBPA.
The BBPA also says that over half of the grants introduced to support pubs through the tier restrictions and November lockdown are yet to be paid too. In the same survey of its members, it found that nearly half (46%) of pubs are still yet to receive Local Restrictions Support Grants that were made available for pubs facing tier restrictions and forced to close during the November lockdown.
The delay in the delivery of the grants means that many pubs reliant on them to survive could have been lost for good, it warns.
“Months have passed by yet still thousands of pubs are waiting on the grants they have been promised,” says BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin.
“It is unbelievable that so many pubs are still waiting on their Christmas grants and grants for the second lockdown. Considering we are now in a third lockdown it is scandalous.
“Publicans across the country are desperately checking their bank accounts every minute of every day to see if they have got their payment. Our sector is hanging by a thread, so for many pubs getting these grants is the difference between surviving or closing for good.
“It is completely unacceptable that it has even gotten to this stage where we are pleading with Government to deliver the support we’ve been promised by them. These grants are a vital lifeline, but only when delivered.
As well as calling for the Prime Minister to personally intervene to get the grants paid, McClarkin is also asking that the Government and local authorities work more closely together to ensure future grants are delivered to pubs as quickly as possible.
