“In an absence of any leadership, we urgently need to take action.”
The Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord has announced that he will be speaking to voices within the industry amid government inaction and a cost of living crisis.
Taking to social media, the co-creator of Parklife and The Warehouse Project events, announced that: “The time for talking has long passed,” adding: “action is our only option.”
A post on his Instagram account detailed how: “In an absence of any leadership, we urgently need to take action.” He added: “I’ll shortly be calling on operators, trade bodies and voices within Hospitality.”
Following the ongoing cost of living crisis that has already led to the closure of businesses within the industry, Sacha said: “Announcement coming soon. We owe this to ourselves and future generations.”
Sacha’s call to action follows an interview with Times Radio earlier in the week where he proposed urgent intervention for Britain’s hospitality industry.
In the interview, he called for a reduction in VAT back down to 5% as well as a cap on energy bill for businesses across the industry.
Sacha explained: "Myself and practically every single trade body is screaming to reduce VAT back down to 5%. That will undoubtedly save many businesses [and] many jobs."
On energy bills he told presenter Carole Walker that: "[The government] they've said they're going to start looking at caps amongst households, but they need to do that amongst businesses as well."
EVENT PIONEER TURNED NIGHTLIFE CHAMPION
Since becoming Greater Manchester’s night time economy adviser, Sacha has been vocal in his support for the hospitality and nightlife industry as well as a fierce critic of the UK government amid Covid lockdowns and a lack of leadership in Downing Street.
Before being appointed to the role by Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham, Sacha’s name was synonymous with some of the UK’s most popular events, music festivals and club nights including: Parklife Festival, The Warehouse Project and Hideout Festival.
UK HOSPITALITY IN CRISIS
Businesses across the UK’s hospitality sector are struggling to stay open amid rising energy costs, soaring inflation and a lack of support from Britain’s government.
Recent reporting by Censuswide and eEnergy revealed that one in four UK hospitality bosses said they may consider closing down their business over the next year due to rising energy costs.
The report also suggested a majority of bosses surveyed may have to cut staff hours or make redundancies.
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