Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the need for Government support during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown for businesses in the (a) wedding industry and (b) wider events sector that do not qualify for currently available grants.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like the wedding industry and wider events.

During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups, and other government departments to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 across all key areas of the economy.

Some businesses that are not eligible for the Local Restrictions Support Grant schemes or from the one-off grants for closed businesses may still benefit from the £1.6bn of discretionary funding (the Additional Restrictions Grant) which has been allocated to local authorities to support their local businesses.

In addition, the Chancellor has extended Government loan schemes until the end of March 2021, and introduced ‘Pay as You Grow’ options for businesses which have taken out loans through BBLS or CBILS, giving a longer repayment period and allowing further flexibility on repayments.The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) have also been extended until the end of April 2021.

Eligible events and businesses may have also benefit from business rates relief, a moratorium on commercial tenant evictions and the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund supporting thousands of cultural organisations including theatres, music venues, comedy clubs and festivals.

We will continue to monitor the impact of government support on public services, businesses, individuals and sectors, including the events and wedding industry, as we respond to this pandemic.