Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed has hailed the success of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme which is now closed. New figures just released show that more than 137,000 meals were claimed in Anne-Marie’s Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency under the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, according to the latest statistics. In total, more than 100 million meals were claimed across the UK under the scheme, which ran throughout the month of August. In total, 84,700 establishments signed up to the scheme, including 149 in the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency.
The scheme is credited with protecting 1.8 million jobs across the country, with restaurant bookings significantly up on the previous year. Data from OpenTable shows bookings increased by an average of 52 per cent on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the whole of August, compared to the same days in 2019. Eat Out to Help Out was just one part of the Conservative Government’s Plan for Jobs – an ambitious £30 billion strategy to create, protect and support jobs as the country bounces back from coronavirus. The Government will continue to support the hospitality industry with a temporary discount to VAT, from 20 per cent to 5 per cent, until 12 January 2021.
Anne-Marie said: “I am so pleased that so many restaurants and cafes in my constituency signed up to the scheme, and that so many local people supported them. Eat Out to Help Out was always about far more than just giving people money off their meals – it was about protecting jobs which are reliant on businesses which have really struggled through coronavirus. Here in Northumberland the hospitality industry has been hit hard through coronavirus, so this scheme has helped many businesses get through the summer. I really hope local people will continue to support our establishments in the months ahead.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: “From the get-go our mission has been to protect jobs- and to do this we needed be creative, brave and try things that no government has ever done before. Today’s figures continue to show Eat Out to Help Out has been a success. I want to thank everyone, from restaurant owners to waiters, chefs and diners, for embracing it and helping drive our economic recovery. The scheme is just one part of our Plan for Jobs and we will continue to protect, support and create jobs to ensure we come back stronger as a nation.”