Pub bosses call on government for urgent reopening guidance

A number of firms are hoping to reopen pubs in July 2020

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22 June 2020

UK pub bosses that had to shut sites for the Covid-19 lockdown, have called on the government to urgently offer reopening guidance to the industry.

Management at Young’s and Revolution Bars were among those that spoke to the Evening Standard today, just two weeks ahead of July 4.

That is the date companies have been working towards reopening from in line with initial government guidelines. However, fed-up firms are still waiting for a definitive date and to find out if two-metre social distancing rules will be relaxed.

The sector has said it ideally needs a minimum of three weeks’ notice to get ready for reopening.

Young’s’ chief Patrick Dardis, said: “We have a simple request to the government in order to save millions of jobs. Get our pubs open under one- metre social distancing and give us a date today to allow us to plan for that.”

City Pub Group’s chairman Clive Watson said it takes time to plan: “We have to bring staff off furlough, we need to restock and we need to lay the pub out in a socially responsible way.”

Rob Pitcher, chief executive of Revolution Bars, said: “We need a confirmed date and confirmed guidance and we need it now.”

Tim Martin, chairman of JD Wetherspoon, said: “Everyone realises that the government has a difficult job in coordinating the reopening of the economy in a safe way." But he added that companies have acted upon what they’ve been told and, "in the absence of information to the contrary, now assume that the reopening date is confirmed [as from July 4]".

A Government spokesman said:“We want to be able to reopen pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes as soon as possible and it remains our ambition to do so from the beginning of July, but it must be safe so we do not risk a second wave of this virus. We are working with the sector at pace to develop guidance on how these businesses can reopen safely, and this will be published ahead of time to allow them to prepare.”

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