Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the news that 105,000 meals were claimed in Wealden under the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
In total, more than 100 million meals were claimed across the UK under the scheme, which ran on Mondays Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the month of August. In total, 84,700 establishments across the country signed up to the scheme, including 117 in Wealden. Over 105,000 meals were claimed for in Wealden, totalling a discount of £461,000.
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme was designed to support the hospitality industry after a challenging few months of disruption to business due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme protected 1.8 million jobs across the country, with restaurant bookings significantly up on the previous year. Data from OpenTable shows bookings increased by an average of 52% on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the whole of August, compared to the same days in 2019.
Nus Ghani said: “We are extremely fortunate to have so many excellent local cafés, pubs and restaurants in Wealden, who provide a huge and varied range of locally sourced foods and drinks. I am pleased with the level of support for the Eat Out to Help out scheme and for our brilliant restaurants and hospitality businesses in Wealden. Eat Out to Help Out was about far more than just discounted meals. It helped to protect jobs in a sector which has greatly struggled throughout the coronavirus crisis and I hope that such great levels of support for our local pubs and restaurants will continue in the months ahead.”
