Responding to the government’s newly unveiled plans for winter 2020, licensing expert Debbie Bollard said that “devastation” of the pub sector would have inevitable knock-on effects for amusement stakeholders.
For licensing consultant Debbie Bollard, the one positive takeaway from the unveiling of the government’s new winter restrictions is the simple fact that Westminster has found enough courage to lift its national lockdown at all.
“Whilst this has in many ways been a “lite” lockdown I am still relieved that we are coming out of lockdown in any capacity, as I was fearful it would be extended, with a short window for Christmas, up until next March,” the founder of the Hough & Bollard consultancy told Coinslot on Monday.
However, Bollard was by no means blind to what she said would be the “devastating” impact wrought on much of the hospitality sector, “who rely on their premises to be full in December so that they have healthy bank accounts to see them through leaner times in January and February.”
With the one-two punch of restrictions combined with a sense of fear purposefully instilled in much of the population with respect to the virus, Bollard envisions “many good pubs and bars will not survive,” with inevitable consequences for their coin-op suppliers.
“It all clearly has a knock on effect for many of the single-site operators who supply pubs and clubs and have had little in the way of help from local authority grants brought in with the three-tier system introduced in autumn,” she remarked. “Some of those I have spoken to have also had to deal over zealous police and licensing officers who insisted that gaming machines and jukeboxes had to be turned off even in pubs that were permitted to stay open – but all of them are really worried about which of their sites will still be open when we get back to the real normal.”
Bollard went on to express frustration at the government’s inconsistency in permitting LBO’s to remain open in tier three regions whilst the rest of the landed gambling and amusement sector is forced to close.
“It’s such a difficult decision to understand – especially considering the hard work of James Miller, John White and all the letters that Bacta members have individually sent to their local MPs,” she told us. “The winter is a quiet time for a large number of my clients, some of which are closed at this time of the year as a matter of course. Nevertheless, they have been denied any semblance of normal trading and footfall this year, and so the question remains as to just what is now supposed to see them through.”
DEBBIE HOUGH COMMENTARY
“The new winter restrictions are going to be devastating for much of the hospitality sector especially as this is the time of the year when owners rely on their premises to be full so that they have healthy bank accounts to see them through the more quiet months of January and February.
Sadly many good pubs and bars will not survive these measures and or the knock on effect of the virus which will leave many cautious about going out at all. I understand the dismay and anger of business owners who have had to close pubs bars and restaurants for a second time; many had already come up with some amazing ideas to continue trading whilst keeping customers safe.
There’s clearly a difference between going to a local country pub and the bars that fuel the night time economy and there were plenty of examples of premises where licences have been reviewed and revoked for blatantly failing to adopt measures to stop large numbers of people mixing without any precautions.
I heard Nick MacKenzie from Greene King say that they have only had 40 Track and Trace cases in their pubs presumably because they are enforcing the regulations.
However, the media repeatedly publishes images of large groups ignoring social distancing especially at at night its easy to see how the Government and its advisors see an easy target to point a finger of blame.”
