UKHospitality has welcomed the government’s focus on employment flexibility in the Employment Rights Bill but cautioned that the proposed changes could lead to additional costs and require further consultation to avoid unintended consequences.
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From today (1 October), hospitality workers in Great Britain will have legal protection to receive 100% of tips paid by customers in restaurants, cafes, hotels and other service industries. However, these rights do not extend to Northern Ireland, leaving workers there without the same protections as the rest of the UK.
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In recent years, Scotland has faced a worsening crisis of alcohol-related harm, as the number of deaths linked to alcohol consumption has surged. Despite being the first country in the world to introduce a Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) policy in 2018, the strategy has not achieved the expected results. Coupled with the Scottish government’s controversial plans to ban alcohol advertising, these initiatives have sparked a heated debate on the effectiveness of policy-driven approaches to reducing alcohol abuse.
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A new review of alcohol labelling in the UK has shown almost universal compliance with the Portman Group’s voluntary health labelling guidelines.
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Scotland's hospitality sector is bracing for the impact of new regulations outlined in the Scottish government's Programme for Government 2024-25, including a visitor levy and a proposed 25p charge on single-use cups, which includes plastic beer cups.
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New Zealand Winegrowers has unveiled the New Zealand Wine Roadmap to Net Zero 2050 during the Research & Innovation Forum, part of the Altogether Unique 2024 wine celebrations held on 30 August in Wellington.
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A draft scheme ahead of the Policy and Sustainability Committee meeting on 22 August proposes a visitor levy in Edinburgh, allowing accommodation providers to retain 2.5% of the proceeds to cover their costs. The visitor levy, a fee imposed on overnight stays, is intended to raise funds for local services and tourism-related projects. UKHospitality Scotland supports this measure, emphasising that it is vital to prevent the levy from hindering investment, economic growth and job creation in the sector.
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TikTok has started allowing alcohol advertisements in the US, a change that began in June.
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The government has been urged to collaborate with the drinks industry to reduce the cost of non-alcoholic beers and wines. Mark Pritchard, the MP for The Wrekin, advised health minister Andrew Gwynne to explore ways to lower prices for these drinks.
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Unite the union, representing thousands of hospitality workers, has launched a nationwide campaign to ensure that workers in the lowest-paid sector receive fair pay and tips.
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Adrian Bridge (pictured), CEO of The Fladgate Partnership, has his say on a so-called “social catastrophe” for winegrowers in the Douro region.
The Labour government’s first King’s Speech has been welcomed by the hospitality sector for introducing measures aimed at achieving a 6% annual growth potential. Key proposals include reforms to the Apprenticeship Levy and the planning system, which were major requests from industry body UKHospitality.
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The Abruzzo wine region is undergoing a significant transformation with the introduction of the ‘Abruzzo Model’.
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Ahead of the 4 July general election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to reduce the number of migrants each year under a new Conservative government.
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The Visitor Levy Bill, passed on Tuesday (28 June) by the Scottish Parliament, concludes a decade-long debate on whether councils should have the authority to introduce a visitor levy or tourist tax. The Bill empowers councils to consider and potentially implement such a levy, although it won't come into effect until 2026 at the earliest.
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a surprise general election on July 4 has stirred significant reactions within the UK drinks trade.
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Efforts to align the UK's bottle deposit and return scheme (DRS) across all four nations have hit a snag, with an anticipated launch pushed back to 2027, marking a four-year extension from the original timeline.
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A brewing company has won a legal battle against Alcohol Change UK (ACUK), the charity behind the annual alcohol abstention campaign ‘Dry January’. The dispute arose when ACUK attempted to extend its trademark to cover sales of products such as low-alcohol beers.
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The Scottish government has announced legislation to improve the rights of tied pub tenants.
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The WSTA has issued a warning to hundreds of businesses ahead of May’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) deadline.
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