Mayors of the North call for VAT cut

It was the third conference of its kind, hosted by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) at Freight Island in Manchester on 8 to 9 February.

The two-day event featured more than 200 speakers and brought together a diverse range of industry leaders, experts and visionaries to explore and celebrate the significance of the night-time economy.

One day one, the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, the mayor of East Yorkshire Tracy Brain, the mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street and the mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotherham joined a panel called ‘Mayors of the North Midlands Discuss the Future of Night Time Economy’.

During the discussion, moderated by NTIA Michael Kill, all of the metro mayors got behind the campaign calling on the Government to reduce VAT to help save the sector.

“This would save businesses and save jobs” said Sacha Lord, commenting on the news. “Since the campaign started, this is the first time we have had heavy weight politicians get behind us.”

But the West Midlands mayor told the audience “it ain’t going to happen”.

Street said: "I would love that to happen, but it ain't going to happen in this budget. What we need to think about is what we ask the Chancellor to do and what he will do right now."

Burnham said the fact that all the mayors turned up to the summit showed “we valued you and your industry”. He added: “We know that you bring vibrancy to us, so when is this country going to start recognising the thing the UK does best?”

Creativity & innovation

Kill also asked what the future of hospitality looked like in each region. Brabin said the last few years had been really hard for hospitality due to Covid, the cost-of-living crisis and energy costs. “But as creatives, we’re never down,” she added. “We’re always finding new ways of delivering a good time for people.”

Brabin had launched the You can Make it Here fund for businesses to expand, invest and export. She said West Yorkshire was “on fire” with culture, citing Leeds’ light night, Bradford’s curry mile and literary interest and the bars and clubs in other student-heavy areas.

Street said times had been challenging for night-time economy businesses in the West Midlands, but he admires their sense of innovation and feels “very optimistic” for the industry.

Both Brabin and Street said consumers were veering away from alcohol, with many in the West Midlands brought up not drinking.

Experiential events are thriving, said Street, with international conferences and food experiences bringing people to the region, with many Black Country pubs becoming tourist attractions.

“It’s hard but it’s changing, and success is where the innovation lies,” he added.

Burnham said the mayors had got to keep working to give the industry a voice. He said: “It is incumbent on all of us to make Government understand the value of your industry, understand the music industry, and start celebrating what you collectively represent.”

He later reiterated this point, stating “we need to fight for you when we’re off this stage and we will.”

Recognising value

Echoing this, Rotherham added: “We can do so much as mayors but we need the Government as well to recognise the value of the sector.”

Burnham said when you start building new residential towns outside city centres, this breathes new life into area that have perhaps felt forgotten.

Brabin believed she had a responsibility to hospitality to invest in transport, so people could go on a night out and know they could get home. “It isn’t right that you’re in Leeds and go to an amazing gig in Manchester then worry you can’t get home,” she said.

Burnham said he is about to run a night bus pilot in Greater Manchester, and addressing transport could help the industry to be on much more solid ground than it currently is.

Kill then asked the panel what difference it would make if there was a centralised minister for the night-time economy in Government – one thing NTIA has called for in its manifesto.

Burnham believed this would remove the responsibility from the Home Office and ensure the night-time economy had a body representing it.

Safety first

He also said safety needed to be something the industry thought about more. He urged the sector to get behind Martyn’s Law to make hospitality “the best, the safest in the world”.

He added: “Don’t pull away from it, we should all back Martyn’s Law.”

Brabin said the approach to safety had to inclusive women, LGBTQ+ people and people of colour. “We have to make it completely inclusive.”

She outlined the initiatives in West Yorkshire designed to keep women and girls safe. These included night marshals, taxi marshals, safe spaces, an app, Ask for Angela, and spiking roundtables. “We’re taking a front-footed approach about safety,” she explained.

In Liverpool, there are QR codes on buses women can click to seek help, and the region is looking at night buses and CCTV to ensure people feel safe going to venues as well. He iterated that venues had a part to play in helping customers feel safe.