'A £3,000 per month Covid grant for some businesses is just the energy bill'

12 October 2020, 18:06

A leading night-time industry figure has told LBC of his concerns over Government measures to support firms required to close due to Covid restrictions.

Michael Kill, the Chief Executive Officer of the Night Time Industries Association, made the remarks after businesses in England have been told they can receive up to £3,000 per month after two weeks of closure.

The Government has also promised to support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employees’ salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a month.

Mr Kill told Shelagh Fogarty: "If you can understand, when the Chancellor announced that there was a 67% almost equivalent of a furlough commitment, that still leaves obviously quite a big difference between 67% and 80% which was the original furlough scheme."

He added: "The £3,000 grant which was announced really just understates the amount of money it costs to operate these businesses. I mean £3,000 over a month for some of these businesses is just the energy bill."

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"So I think there needs to be a more considered approach [and] some liaison with the sector in particular on some of these costs so that people can understand the impact they're going to have because a lot of these businesses are going to be pushed to the wire now."

Mr Kill was also critical of the Government's controversial 10pm curfew measure.

"As you know with the [10pm] curfew coming out and tipping everyone out on the street, it almost feels counterproductive to see what actually happens after 10pm," he said.

His criticism mirrors one made by the owner of Soho's G-A-Y nightclub Jeremy Joseph, who last week told LBC of an occasion when people had to leave a venue of his at 10pm while it was raining outside and therefore were huddling together as they all took to the same place for shelter.

Mr Joseph told LBC that the 10pm curfew was "completely unsafe" and that "it makes absolutely no sense".

Meanwhile, earlier today, during his regular monthly Call Keir slot, Labour leader Keir Starmer told LBC he doubts there is scientific evidence behind the 10pm pub curfew.