Richard joined a UKHospitality roundtable in Billericay to chat about pubs.
Speaking after the visit, Richard said:
"I spend a lot of time listening to our small businesses across Basildon and Billericay but our larger companies also have an important role to play too. It was very informative chatting with larger hospitality providers about how government policy is affecting them with UKHospitality, JD Wetherspoons, and Greene King Pubs, kindly hosted at the Blue Boar in Billericay.
I’ve had countless businesses tell me about how higher costs, through business rates, employer National Insurance Contributions, and the national minimum wage, are putting them on the brink of shutting down. This is impacting small and independent businesses, and Wetherspoons interestingly told me that in total they now pay over £1 million in tax per pub per year.
The magic money tree that the Government goes back to time and time again is in fact businesses and workers. Hardworking sectors, like the hospitality sector, full of fantastic people that just get on with the job. Sadly, this is not an endless stream of money as some may think it is. Every time taxes go up, prices have to go up. And imagine the damage to local communities if our pubs shut.
Every time I pop by a pub for a pint in Basildon and Billericay, I see our local community. Places where people know each other and actually chat to each other. It’s part of the reason I pushed for a reduction in duty on draughts pulled in a pint compared to beer sold in shops because I want to help support this environment.
Under immense pressure from myself and colleagues in the opposition, the Government has partially gone back on some of its business rates increases for pubs but completely ignored the rest of hospitality, leisure and retail on the High Street. Sadly they haven’t adopted Conservatives plans to axe business rates for all businesses with a rateable value of under £110,000 a year, fully funded by controlling welfare spending.
I will keep pressing them for more action."
