Today I met with UKH: UKHospitality. I spoke to Chief Executive, Kate Nicholls on the importance of hospitality as a sector in the UK and specifically UXSR.
UKHospitality Kate Nicholls said:
“Hospitality is truly unique in its contribution to every part of the country. From bustling cities to our more idyllic small towns and villages, venues like the local pub or coffee shop act as critical pillars of our communities and help bring people together. As these figures show, hospitality is also a significant driver of economic growth and, crucially, helps employ so many people. It’s fantastic to be able to share this with MPs and receive so many pledges of support for the sector.”
The sector directly contributes £93bn annually to the economy and generates £54bn of tax for the Exchequer, funding vital services.
It represents 10% of UK's employment, generating £140 billion in turnover and 4% of GDP.
Hospitality is the third largest employer in the UK; double the size of financial services and bigger than automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace combined.
UKH has 150,000 small businesses and offer education to people from all walks of life, delivering 15,000 apprenticeship starts per year and on-the-job training to 2 million people.
New figures from UKHospitality show that hospitality is a significant part of the local economy in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, delivering £86 million to the economy as a whole and employing 2,378 people.
I enjoyed discussing this new data with Kate, and recognising the important role hospitality, leisure and tourism plays in the economy and our communities. Hospitality is everywhere, a top five employer in every region of the country. It contributes £93 billion to the UK economy and is the third largest employer in the country, providing 3.5 million people with jobs, and generating one in five new roles over the last 18 months!
I want to work with UKH to;
1. Unlock investment - by freezing the business rates multiplier, extending hospitality relied and increasing the cap on relief.
2. Grow the sector - by implementing the Ofgem recommendations on the commercial energy market and planning reforms.
3. Meet demand - by freeing up the Adult Education Budget to help people back into work and opening up the Youth Mobility Scheme to more countries.
I look forward to continue conversations with Kate on hospitality's contribution to UXSR, because one of my local priorities is supporting local businesses and our highstreets.
