“EAT out to help out” is a snazzy slogan from a Government which loves a snazzy slogan. Discounted meals were the most eye catching announcement in the Chancellor’s statement yesterday – a statement that in normal times would have been truly jaw dropping.
Trying to encourage people back out into our beleaguered hospitality businesses is welcome, as is the other major surprise in Rishi Sunak’s £30bn package of support measures – the jobs retention bonus which will give firms with furloughed staff a £1,000 payment to keep workers employed.
If all furloughed workers are retained, this could cost the Treasury £9bn – an eyewatering sum in a long list of eyewatering sums.
However it was disappointing that there were so few commitments that could contribute towards the levelling up agenda, but it is perhaps an indication of the scale of the immediate crisis facing our economy that so many of Mr Sunak’s plans are focused on keeping people in jobs right now.
When there is a pause in the fire fighting, we would urge him to look once more to the long term, sustainable investments that we need, particularly in this region.
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