Sacha Lord calls for minister for hospitality

Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, has called on the incoming government to urgently appoint a minister for hospitality. Speaking ahead of the publication of party manifestos this week, Lord stated he believes that many of the issues the sector has faced in recent years would have been prevented had a dedicated minister been in situ.

Lord said: “I urge the incoming government to consider installing a dedicated minister for hospitality as a priority. While the business minister, Kevin Hollinrake, has done well in recent months to liaise with the sector as part of his wider business remit, now is the time for a dedicated minister who is representing hospitality as their sole focus. The sector has been left to fend for itself for far too long, and this has resulted in multiple misunderstandings around policy as well as a wide-spread ignorance among MPs as to the importance of the industry.

As the fifth biggest sector in the UK, and one which directly underpins UK tourism with a £93bn economic contribution, I am constantly bemused that there is no individual speaking on behalf of the sector in parliament, helping ministers understand the plight, concerns and needs of the operators.

Over 23,000 venues have closed over the past three years amid the heavy toll of the pandemic, cost of living crisis and interest rate rises, and now is the time for clear direction and dedicated support. Appointing a dedicated minister for hospitality must be one of the very first moves by the incoming government to demonstrate that finally there is an understanding and appreciation of the importance of our industry.”

Andrew Crook, President of the National Federation of Fish Friers and Chair of the Independent Hospitality Alliance said “We wholeheartedly support Mr Lord’s request for a Minister for Hospitality. Hospitality has unique pressures and the last few years have demonstrated how rapidly the environment can change, having a dedicated Minister would help Government to make the right decisions to enable the sector to grow, continue to privide valuable jobs and play its part in economic recovery. “