Bold action needs to be taken to safeguard future economic recovery
The Textile Services Association (TSA) is supporting UK Hospitality’s call for government support to help the hospitality industry bounce back from the effects of Covid-19, and is highlighting the importance of including the laundry industry as part of any future solution.
The hospitality industry is extremely important to the UK’s economy, employing 3 million people and generating over £130 billion of economic activity a year. The pandemic caused approximately £100 billion in lost sales in the industry, and saw businesses accrue £8 billion in debt. The laundry industry, which plays a vital role in keeping the hospitality industry running, missed out on government support during this time. While the effects of the pandemic are diminishing, the danger to the industry remains, thanks to the combination of the cost of living crisis and ongoing staff shortages.
UK Hospitality has put together a suggested list of measures the government should implement to enable businesses to survive in this uncertain environment. These are based around three areas: tackling inflation, unleashing hospitality’s potential for growth, and boosting productivity by reforming taxation and investment. The TSA stresses that many of these suggestions should apply equally to supporting sectors, like laundry, that operate within hospitality’s value chain. “We fully support UK Hospitality’s stand and hope the government will truly consider the interconnected nature of our industries,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “The lack of help laundries received during the pandemic has undoubtedly slowed the rate of recovery, as well as seeding potential future problems further down the line if left unchecked,”
The measures that would particularly help the laundry industry make small, time-based changes on the Points Based System for immigration; changes to business rates; and changing the Apprenticeship Levy to allow 25% of funds to be used for non-apprenticeship training.
“UK PLC has gone through some tough times in the last few years, but the danger isn’t over yet,” says David. “Hospitality – and therefore laundry – play a key role in the UK’s economy, so the government needs to take action that helps not just the front facing industries but all the businesses that support them, too.”