National Time Out should extend to March 2021, Hospitality Union leader tells Chancellor Rishi Sunak

The Staff Canteen

Editor

Hospitality Union leader Jonathan Downey has sent a revised version of the National Time Out policy proposal to the uk government, whereby rents on hospitality businesses would be frozen for a total of nine months and phased back to their previous levels by March 2021.

The industry representative criticised the government's code of conduct issued to businesses and landlords to elucidate matters of rent, saying it looked like "a meaningless waste of time."

Instead, he said, businesses unable to open as a result of the coronavirus - because, as they are currently, they are banned from doing so, or because preventative measures such as travel bans and physical distancing prevent them from being viable - should be given a nine month rent-free period, followed by two months of payments based on revenue.

Thereafter, businesses would either contribute 10% of their turnover to rent or a reduced percentage of rent in the region of 25% of their original value.

Jonathan Downey Tweeted that the implication made by the government, which is that landlords shouldn't be made to bear the brunt of the losses made because of the pandemic, represents a "high level of ignorance," as, he added, "Hospitality operators support a pyramid of profit and we've had to bear the full burden of a Government-ordered closure with 100% loss of revenues."

He then shared a graphic showing how most landlords, banks and financiers could continue to turn profits despite a nine month debt repayment break.

Most landlords will still make money from their tenants even if they’re forced to offer long rent-free periods. See the example below which demonstrates how a landlord will still make money this year despite offering 9 months of rent-free. pic.twitter.com/GYHoIAcA9q
— Jonathan Downey (@DowneyJD) June 8, 2020

If government were to heed his advice, it would also extend a rent moratorium preventing landlords from evicting its business tenants, currently set to cut off at the end of June.

Photo credit: Greg Funnell

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.