Next month, on August 3, the Government is rolling out a brand-new initiative to help get Britain going out again: Eat Out to Help Out.
Under this scheme, you will be able to claim a 50 per cent discount (worth up to £10 per diner) at thousands of participating restaurants every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
A full list of participating restaurants is available on the Government website. You can even search by postcode to find participating eateries near you.
The past few months have been especially difficult for the hospitality industry, and the need to maintain social distancing means that many businesses are still under pressure now they have re-opened.
Meanwhile many workers, through no fault of their own, have a bit less disposable income than normal and may feel unable to do so many of the things we all enjoy.
Eat Out to Help Out gives all of us a chance to go out, meet up with friends or family, and show some much-needed to support to our favourite local restaurants. Don’t miss out!
This scheme is just the latest measure from the Chancellor, who has kept his promise to do “whatever it takes” to get Britain through the pandemic.
Over the past few months, the Treasury has paid 80 per cent of the wages of 697,100 furloughed workers here in the West Midlands, including almost 12,000 here in Solihull, protecting household incomes whilst giving businesses the breathing room to close safely.
Another 185,000 freelancers across the region (including 2,800 in our town) have been helped by the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, which has topped up the earnings of those whose work has dried up.
Nor have we forgotten the key workers who have put everything on the line to keep the emergency services going: the Treasury has followed the recent NHS pay rise with a new one covering doctors, teachers, soldiers, police officers and many more.
These extraordinary interventions are only possible because we spent ten years taking the tough decisions and preparing for a rainy day. If we meet the challenges of Covid-19 with that same spirit, I know we’ll get through it together.
