Hospitality Support

Britain’s hospitality sector makes an enormous contribution to our economy and society. I want to thank the many business owners who have taken the time to share their personal circumstances with me. I appreciate the significant challenges they have faced in recent years, and I am committed to supporting measures that will allow our hospitality sector to thrive again.  

As your MP, I have been pushing for the many superb independent coffee shops of Islington South & Finsbury to receive greater support from the Government. We must do more to help daytime hospitality businesses. The owners of the independent coffee shops I’ve spoken to live locally, employ locally, spend their money in local shops, and send their kids to local schools. Instead of homogeneous high streets, we should embrace businesses that are owner-operated, family-run and totally embedded in the community. You can read more about this here. 

Since the Budget, I am pleased the Government has listened carefully to feedback from pub owners and is now going further to provide support over the next three years. This is much needed and deserved. From April 2026, every pub in England will get 15% off its new business rates bill, on top of the support announced at the Budget. Pubs’ bills will then be frozen in real terms for a further two years. This support is worth £1,650 to the average pub next year and will mean that around three quarters of pubs will see their bills either fall or stay the same.  

The Government has published a new National Licensing Policy Framework encouraging licensing authorities in England and Wales to ease licensing conditions on hospitality businesses, helping venues to offer pavement drinks and host one-off events. This should make it easier for these businesses to expand and grow.   

I will continue to monitor the support our local businesses receive and, of course, frequent the many lovely pubs of Islington South & Finsbury.