A WARWICKSHIRE tourism boss has welcomed hospitality business grants – but branded them ‘tiny’.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a £1billion fund to help boost hospitality and leisure businesses.
Venues including pubs and restaurants will be able to apply for grants up to £6,000.
And he also revealed an extra £30million would be used to help theatres and museums.
The announcement follows the rapid spread of the Omicron variant which has seen businesses hit by cancellations and reduced footfall.
Chief executive of tourism management company Shakespeare’s England Helen Peters said it was ‘grateful’ for any support – even the ‘tiny amount’ of £6,000.
She said: “Any support from the Government is always welcome, and it is good to see they have listened to the calls from businesses to provide extra help.
“But for a lot of hospitality and leisure businesses, a maximum grant of £6,000 is a tiny amount considering the huge financial pressures so many of them are facing.
“However, £1billion is a lot of money, and we are grateful that at last, some support is being offered to businesses who are seeing incomes plummet through no fault of their own.”
Meanwhile, the British Chambers of Commerce agreed the funding would provide ‘much-needed support in the face of this increasingly difficult trading period’.
But director general Shevaun Haviland warned a ‘wider support package’ could be needed if restrictions continue or are tightened.
