CIC pledges to continue support
The Government’s newly‑unveiled industrial strategy pledges investment, skills development, and energy relief – but UK Hospitality is right to say it overlooks 70% of the economy, including hospitality, leisure, and tourism.
For a sector employing over 7 million, enabling flexible working pathways and delivering social mobility, this is more than a missed opportunity – it’s a setback.
At CIC, we’ve partnered with hospitality clients – pubs, restaurants, hotels, golf clubs, for nearly three decades. We’ve witnessed firsthand the unique pressures they face – energy costs, staffing gaps, and the need to balance the maintenance of often old properties with modern comfort. These are not abstract problems; they’re daily realities for businesses striving to thrive.
For years, the sector has navigated rising costs – employer NICs hikes, business rates bills, and unpredictable energy prices – without the strategic support routinely given to other industries. And although this strategy reinforces clean energy and skills investment, the reality is that many hospitality operators remain in limbo, shouldering burdens with little sign of targeted help.
Without support the industry risk seeing even more closures, from our coastal towns, market centres, suburbs to cities – venues that do more than serve food and drink; they knit communities together. The hospitality industry is more than socialising it’s about growth, opportunity, and social bond.
CIC will continue to advocate for this sector, using our long heritage of working in hospitality to amplify these needs
