Halifax MP and Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden has launched a new £10 million Hospitality Grant Scheme aimed at helping pubs, cafés and restaurants start up, grow and strengthen their role in local communities.
Dearden said hospitality businesses in Halifax and across the country are central to local life, providing jobs, training opportunities and places for communities to come together.
Writing about the scheme, she said:
“From Halifax town centre and Sowerby Bridge to communities across our outer villages, our pubs, cafés and restaurants are at the heart of local life.”
The new three-year fund will support projects that help new hospitality businesses get started, bring empty premises back into use, provide training and skills for people entering the sector, and help existing venues adapt and expand. Applications are expected to open from the end of September via the government grants portal.
More than £3 million of the funding will go to Pub is The Hub, which works with pubs in rural and disadvantaged areas to help them introduce additional community services such as village shops, cafés, play areas and arts activities.
Dearden said:
“Hospitality businesses make an enormous contribution to Halifax. They create jobs, give many young people their first experience of work and provide places where our communities can come together.”
The scheme also comes alongside a 20 per cent reduction in business rates bills for pubs, clubs and live music venues from next April, which the Government says will save the typical pub around £1,000 next year.
Dearden acknowledged that many businesses in the sector remain under significant pressure and said she would continue making the case inside government for further support.
She added:
“I know that many hospitality businesses are still under real pressure and that there is much more to do. I will continue making the case across government for the support our local pubs, cafés and restaurants need.”
The Halifax MP said she was particularly proud to have helped bring the scheme forward in government, describing it as practical support for businesses at the heart of local high streets and communities.
The announcement is likely to be welcomed by independent hospitality businesses, many of which continue to face pressures from staffing costs, energy bills and wider operating expenses.
For Labour, the scheme forms part of a wider effort to back local enterprise, revitalise high streets and support sectors that provide large numbers of entry-level and skilled jobs.
Dearden is encouraging local pub, restaurant and café owners to examine the scheme and consider whether it could support their plans for growth, expansion or diversification.
