RAHUL SHARMA DEBT CONNECT IN MANCHESTER, UK,
Pubs have urged the government to clarify “half-baked” plans to reopen beer gardens, amid confusion over whether some will be permitted to serve drinks before the end of the month.
A group of cabinet ministers nicknamed the “Save Summer Six” are reportedly considering proposals to allow beer gardens in England to host drinkers from as early as 22 June as part of an effort to avert 3.5m job losses in the struggling hospitality sector.
But publicans, brewers and the pub industry trade body said many would struggle to be ready in under three weeks and called for certainty about the government’s timetable.
“We’ve always wanted to reopen our nation’s pubs safely and viably as soon as possible, but we urgently need a clear decision on whether we can reopen pub beer gardens early,” said Emma McClarkin, the chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).
The trade body, which represents the UK’s largest pub-owning companies, has previously warned that 40% of the UK’s 47,000 pubs could shut for good due to lockdown restrictions.
It wants the government to allow all pubs to open from 4 July, the date the government initially put forward as the earliest possible opportunity, and it has also said the 27,000 UK pubs with outdoor space should be the first to be allowed to open their doors.
