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<p>In December, the 10pm closing time for hospitality was modified to last orders
at 10pm and closing time at 11pm. This was to allow customers to depart gradually
and provide greater flexibility for hospitality venues. The Government recognises
that non-pub businesses and restaurants, would have been impacted by these and other
restrictions. This is why the Government has acted to deliver support to these businesses
through:</p><p> </p><ul><li>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which has
supported 1.4 million jobs across the hospitality sector, and has been extended until
the end of April 2021.</li><li>Businesses forced to close can claim grants of up to
£3,000 per month. In addition, on 5th January, the Government announced an extra £4.6
billion to protect jobs and support affected businesses as restrictions get tougher.
This includes retail, hospitality and leisure businesses forced to close can claim
a one-off grant of up to £9,000. Businesses can receive multiple grants, as they are
eligible on a per premises basis. The Government expect over 600,000 Retail, Hospitality
and Leisure business premises in England to benefit from these grants.</li><li>Local
Authorities (in England) will also be given an additional £500 million of discretionary
funding to support their local businesses. This builds on the £1.1 billion discretionary
funding which local authorities in England have already received to support their
local economies and help businesses impacted.</li><li>A VAT deferral for up to 12
months.</li><li>Access to affordable, Government backed finance through the Coronavirus
Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption
Loan Scheme (CLBLS) for and larger firms, along with the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL)
for small and micro enterprises.</li><li>A reduced rate of VAT (5 per cent) to goods
and services supplied by the tourism and hospitality sectors.</li><li>A 12-month business
rates holiday for all eligible retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in England,
saving around 350,000 ratepayers a combined £10bn.</li></ul><p>The Government is continuing
to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the sector and to work with businesses
and representative groups to inform our efforts to support it.</p>
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