Support for West End bars and shops ‘is just a sticking plaster’

Support for thousands of businesses in the West End is “a sticking plaster”, the Tory leader of Westminster council said today as she urged Rishi Sunak to step up levels of assistance.

Rachael Robathan told the Evening Standard that the local authority “must have Government funding in place to help businesses stand on their own two feet when the pandemic finally lifts”.

More than 3,700 restaurants, pubs, cafes and bars across Westminster have been forced to close down for the third time in a year under the lockdown ordered by Boris Johnson this month.

However, there has been deep concern that the help measures unveiled by the Chancellor do not reflect the higher costs faced by traders in central London. Ms Robathan said the local authority had been doing what it could to help through measures such as closing Soho streets to traffic for alfresco dining last year “but we can’t do it alone”.

She added: “That’s why I am urging the Treasury to extend the business rates holiday beyond the end of March.  

“I am also asking that councils should get funding based on the number of businesses they have, not the population head count. Based on the discretionary grant formula, Westminster with 39,000 businesses receives only £100 a business. That’s a sticking plaster when what you need is a tourniquet.”

Her comments following warnings from a number of senior business leaders and restaurateurs that central London is facing a catastrophe unless “laughable” levels of support are stepped up.  

The latest round of grants for businesses forced to close by law is capped at just £9,000.