OUR local news has been dominated in recent days with the return of Stormont and business groups have been quick to outline their requirements from the new Executive and appointed ministers.
As leading legal advisers to the hospitality sector, the return of the Assembly is timely and much needed by many in this particular sector given the pressing issues which face business owners in this area, most notably reform of our licensing laws and review of draft business rates which were released last week.
The draft business rates revaluation made sobering reading for the hospitality and hotel sector which is due to see steep increases introduced this coming April.
Figures in the public realm show some huge increases to some of Belfast’s best known pubs - a hike of 563 per cent for the Sunflower, 318 per cent for Henry’s and 121 per cent for the Dirty Onion, for example, have been described as ‘a major blow to the hospitality sector.’
With the sector already under pressure from VAT, increased staffing costs and a competitive marketplace, many will view the rates increase as a challenge too far and could potentially see businesses forced to close.
One of the many tasks now facing new Minister for Finance Conor Murphy will be reviewing these draft revaluations and in particular the ‘receipts and expenditure model’ on which the valuations are based which has drawn criticism from those in the industry.
A bill to modernise licensing laws had already been introduced to the last Assembly before its collapse in January 2017. Since then, the calls for reform have only grown stronger with events in the intervening period such as The Open at Portrush only serving as further reminder that changes to our laws are necessary to cope with modern events and requirements.
With licensing reform and an ambition to bring more large scale events such as The Open specifically referenced in the New Decade New Approach deal, the industry will be keen to see changes made sooner rather than later.
Given that a draft bill had already been introduced, one would be hopeful that this could be achieved and groups such as Hospitality Ulster and the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation will be putting our politicians under pressure to deliver on their promises.
With the UK’s position with Brexit now clearer (to a degree), and with Stormont back up and running, the hospitality sector will be hopeful that 2020 may be the year that sees some stability or even growth in the market. But fresh events such as Reval2020 show that turbulent times may yet remain.
:: Christopher Bullock (Christopher.Bullock@oreillystewart.com) is associate solicitor (commercial) at O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors (www.oreillystewart.com) in Belfast
