NTIA AND NDML RELEASE A ‘STUDY OF THE NIGHT TIME ECONOMY’ CGA REPORT:

Learn more and view the full report below: https://t.co/39of8XbJGN
#Savenightlife #Culture #NTE #NightTimeEconomy #Study #Report #Jobs #Hospitality #Latenight #UK pic.twitter.com/uTNPyTuP5K

— Night Time Industries Association (@wearethentia) October 11, 2021

Michael Kill, a CEO of NTIA commented on the case: “it is the worst possible time to introduce vaccine passports, which will further damage a sector essential to the economic recovery“. At the moment, vaccine passports are required in Scotland and Wales, with a plan to introduce them elsewhere been dismissed.
Sacha Lord, an event promoter and Manchesters economy adviser said: “We’re in a dire position and in order to recover to pre-pandemic levels, we need investment, strategy and most importantly, top-level acknowledgement of the industry’s contribution to the UK economy. Take any city, town or village in the UK, and you’ll find its pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants are central to its recovery“.
“The nightlife scene is critical to our post-Brexit, post-Covid future and economic growth, and to ignore it would be a devastating blow to our cultural reputation” he continues.
Kill said about the report that it’s an important and long-overdue “piece of work” as “in my 25-year career working in UK nightlife, it has always struck me as so odd that we did not have a proper accounting of the value of this important sector. Today’s report puts that right, and is long overdue“.
Christian Wakeford, the Night-Time Economy and Conservative MP said regarding the issue: “It’s timely because at this moment, governments in Scotland and Wales are pressing ahead with chaotic vaccine passport plans, and the UK Government refuses to rule out their use in England. It is the worst possible time to introduce vaccine passports, which will further damage a sector essential to the economic recovery“.
There’s pressure on the Chancellor to use the budget wisely and support the night-life sector with the extension of “the 12.5 per cent rate of VAT on hospitality until 2024, include door sales in that reduced rate of VAT, because the present system punishes nightclubs that rely on door sales rather than selling tickets, and for him to ensure there are no increases in Alcohol Duties – our sector really cannot afford any additional burdens“.
Last month UK Government scrapped plans to introduce vaccine passports to gain entry into an event. The scheme was announced earlier in the year but fortunately for the night-life economy, it’s been dismissed. Scottish Government hoverer put it into life on 1st October, Wales followed that path and introduced compulsory Covid Pass today (11th October.
As per new law in Wales “all over-18s need one to enter nightclubs, indoor non-seated events for more than 500 people, such as concerts or conventions, outdoor non-seated events for more than 4,000 people and any setting or event with more than 10,000 people in attendance. People will also be able to show they have had a negative lateral flow test result within the last 48 hours“.
Fake coronavirus test results and vaccination status will be treated as a criminal offence and face penalty notice.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show Javid told BBC News. “I’m pleased to say we will not be going ahead, we shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of it. I’ve never liked the idea of saying to people you must show your papers or something to do what is just an everyday activity, but we were right to properly look at it. We’ve looked at it properly and, whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports.”

If the scheme was to go ahead, members of the public would have been required to show proof that they had received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine in order to gain entry to any clubs and other crowded events. It would seem most are in support of this change of plans.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey described the plan as “divisive, unworkable and expensive,” and said that his party would have opposed them had they gone ahead. Labour had also criticised the plans as “unworkable”.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) said the plans could have crippled the industry and might have seen nightclubs face discrimination cases. The CEO Michael Kill commenting on the new development stated: “Following an intense political and public campaign by the NTIA, its members and wider industry supporters, we welcome the comments from the health secretary this morning regarding the government’s decision to scrap the planned mandate of COVID passports from the end of September.”

He continued “We hope that businesses will now be able to plan for the future with some degree of certainty, regain confidence from customers and the workforce and start to rebuild a sector that has consistently been at the sharp end of this pandemic.”

Mark Davyd, the CEO of Music Venue Trust, which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues throughout the UK, also shared a statement on the government’s scrapping the vaccine passport scheme.

“The double vaccine certification programme proposed by the government contained a number of challenges around deliverability, practicality, equality and potential discrimination,” Davyd said. “MVT has been describing those problems to Ministers and departments for the last two months, and we therefore welcome the decision to not move forward with this policy.

Davyd concluded his statement that despite not having to need for a vaccine passport “everyone in the live music community to please take a test before attending an event, a personal approach to risk mitigation that is highly effective and makes a real difference to the safety of gigs”.

However, despite the change of heart, the Scottish government announced on Friday (September 10) that from October 1 it will bring in a vaccine passport. Also in Wales, ministers will decide this week if vaccine passports should be used to gain entry to some events.