Late night operators present reopening plan

A consortium of night-time operators is calling on the government to save the UK’s late night sector from collapse.

A consortium of night-time operators is calling on the government to save the UK’s late night sector from collapse.

The chancellor’s furlough scheme comes to an end in October, with no plans to mandate reopening of venues or pledge for further financial support.

As a result, the consortium, which includes the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) and The Deltic Group, has launched a report, supported by the Institute of Occupational Medicine, which examines the science behind COVID-19 and how to mitigate the spread of the virus.

It calls on the government to allow for the reopening of clubs across the UK, and provides a roadmap for late night venues, including nightclubs, to do so safely and within government guidelines.

The report highlights that the safe operation of these venues can be assured by implementing a range of mitigating measures, many of which are already in place, including:

● ID scans upon entry
● Temperature checks upon entry
● Crowd control through the representation of licensed security personnel
● Contactless payment
● Sophisticated ventilation systems
● Large square footage venues, allowing for social distancing
● Frequent and high intensity cleaning and hygiene regimes

New research from the NTIA shows that almost 60% of night time venues will not survive longer than two months without further government support; more than 70% of night time operators will be making more than half their workforce redundant from September; and 83% of night time sector businesses will be making people redundant following the end of the Covid Job Retention Scheme.