Overview

• Joint polling by the BII, BBPA, UKHospitality and Hospitality Ulster reports most operators are running at or below 85% capacity.
• Seventy‑nine percent of businesses have raised prices since the April cost increases, according to the survey.
• Liquidity pressures are acute, with 73% reporting less than six months of cash and 20% saying they have none.
• More than half of firms have cut staff, and the trade groups report around 84,000 jobs lost since the Budget that added an estimated £3.4 billion a year in costs.
• The groups are pressing the government to reduce VAT for hospitality, amend employer National Insurance changes from April, and implement permanently lower business rates.