Give further financial support to the Events and Hospitality industry
45,963 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 9 September 2020; it closed on 9 March 2021. The Government responded on 15 October 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 11 January 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Give further financial support to the Events and Hospitality industry
Being the first to close and still no clue as to when we can open, this seasonal industry is losing its summer profits that allows them to get through the first quarter of next year.
Even if we are allowed to open in December, 1 months profit won't be enough to keep us open in 2021. We need help
This seasonal sector was closed down just before the season started. We make profit spring, summer and Christmas time. These profits are how the industry get through the Jan Feb March so with out summer, businesses will close.
We were the first to be closed and still have no idea when we are allowed to open again.
We rely on volume to trade and without mass gatherings being allowed we are closed. We cannot top up wages and cannot pay after October so many of us will close, PLEASE HELP US
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 15 October 2020; the petitions site lists the HM Treasury as responsible. Its summary:
On 9th October the Chancellor extended the Job Support Scheme to provide temporary help to businesses that have been legally required to close as a direct result of the Covid-19 restrictions.
The opening 367 words of the 569-word response:
The Government intends that extension to cover those directly employed by business conference venues and exhibition centres that have been unable to open as a result of the further measures to address rising cases of Covid-19, announced on September 22. They will be setting out more detail in due course.
The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like events. We recognise the energy the industry devoted to the pilot tests, exploring how individual events could be run safely and while those tests were successful, they were overtaken by circumstances when last month, in the light of rising Covid-19 cases, the Prime Minister had to pause the reopening of business events.
Coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced in decades – and this country is not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer.
The steps taken to slow the spread of the virus have required unprecedented restrictions on people’s lives and on businesses’ ability to operate. The situation is continuously changing and we’ve seen big increases in the number of infections in the UK.
During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments such as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the events sector.
Some of the sector has also benefitted from the support packages, launched by the Government, to safeguard the economy during the pandemic.
This includes the deferral of VAT payments and a year-long rates holiday for eligible businesses while some businesses have benefitted from a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes, the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund and the Discretionary Grant.
In addition, 94% of event venues have been able to make use of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The primary goal of the Government’s economic policy remains unchanged - to support people’s jobs - but the way we achieve that must evolve, reflecting the evolving circumstances and uncertainty of the months ahead. We are determined to get Britain’s economy back firing on all cylinders. As we do, protecting people’s health remains our top priority.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 271, came from Manchester Central.
45,738 of the signatures were from the UK and 225 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Manchester Central | 271 |
| Bristol West | 263 |
| Liverpool, Riverside | 250 |
| Brighton, Pavilion | 227 |
| Manchester, Withington | 222 |
| Leeds Central | 221 |
| Nottingham East | 179 |
| Sheffield Central | 179 |
| Leeds West | 175 |
| Hove | 170 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 5,986 |
| North West | 5,848 |
| South East | 5,688 |
| West Midlands | 4,901 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 4,162 |
| East of England | 3,732 |
| South West | 3,399 |
| East Midlands | 3,348 |
| Wales | 2,377 |
| Scotland | 2,270 |
| North East | 2,233 |
| Northern Ireland | 644 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 11 January 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/329985.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
89873443119142c4… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.