Westminster Council: West End to receive millions in recovery support fund
Westminster Council is to inject millions of pounds into reviving the borough’s hospitality industry.
Within a £190m investment to support the area, the council has announced a dedicated £1m to recruit waiters, baristas and bar staff, it said yesterday.
Some £150m is to be used to redesign the Oxford Street district and make Strand Aldwych more pedestrian friendly.
Hospitality firms have struggled to recruit staff, in the wake of the pandemic and Brexit, particularly in central London.
Under a new recruitment drive, restaurants and bars will be connected with local jobseekers, colleges, and training centres.
The council is trying to future proof Westminster for the next two decades, as well as supporting its immediate Covid recovery.
Funding will also be used for a series of free public outdoor art installations and performances, promoting the West End to international tourists, and a deep clean programme to spruce up the streets.
The council is also calling on the government to introduce an online sales tax on internet giants to level the playing field for bricks and mortar retailers.
It will also launch a campaign lobbying for the return of VAT free shopping and calling on ministers to ease visa restrictions for foreign tourists.
Cllr Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said: “At the heart of the capital, Westminster has a special role in the nation’s economy – we generate more than £60bn a year and support one in eight jobs in the capital.
“Westminster and the West End were hard hit by lockdown. As the local authority area with more restaurants, bars and cafes than any other in the country, we feel we have a special obligation to support the hospitality industry, which is why we have today announced our new £1m recruitment scheme. The venue owners work night and day to support jobs; the Council can play its part by providing trained staff for those jobs.”