Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement in the House of Commons this afternoon that pubs that don’t serve food will receive a £1,000 grant in December, CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona said:
“The Prime Minister was absolutely right when he said pubs are at the heart of our communities and are part of the fabric of our national identity.
“But a one-off £1,000 grant simply isn’t enough to compensate wet-led pubs in Tier 2 and 3 areas in England that will be forced to close at what should be their busiest time of the year.
“The Government must urgently introduce a new, decent and long-term financial support package for hundreds of thousands of wet-led community pubs which deserve to be saved from going bust due to these restrictions.
“CAMRA is continuing to urge the Government to provide concrete evidence that banning alcohol in COVID-secure pubs, except with a substantial meal, is an effective step to stop transmission of the virus. Without this evidence, the Government should re-think their draconian restrictions on wet-led pubs.”
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