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Firms from fruit-growers to lorry operators and hotels are finding it impossible to recruit enough staff Laura Salt, operations manager at Steve Fellows Road Haulage Services in Branston, Staffordshire. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Laura Salt, operations manager at Steve Fellows Road Haulage Services in Branston, Staffordshire. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Thu 8 Jul 2021 01.00 EDT Employers across the UK are struggling to hire enough staff as Covid restrictions ease amid nationwide worker shortages. However, some sectors are finding it tougher than others. Fi...

By Sylvia Hui, Associated Press  | | The Tower of London has been closed since the pandemic began. Photo Credit: Petr Kovalenkov/Shutterstock.com LONDON (AP) -- The cobblestones are deserted at the Tower of London. A biting wind blows and there is no sign of life. Even the storied ravens are nowhere to be seen. England's top paid attraction, which normally draws more than 3 million visitors a year, has been closed for all but a dozen weeks since the pandemic began and international tourism to London came to an almost-complete standstill. The quiet has been surreal for Amanda Clark, one of th...

Chefs spy light at end of Covid tunnel after Sunak budget Chefs and restaurateurs across London have welcomed Rishi Sunak’s “life saving” budget plans announced today. A raft of measures aimed at keeping the embattled hospitality industry afloat until it can fully reopen in June includes an extension of the furlough scheme, grants of up to £18,000 for pubs and restaurants, and an extension of the VAT cut. Jack Stein, chef director of Rick Stein Restaurants says he is impressed with the ‘super deduction’ for investment. “This will definitely stimulate our sector a...

Chefs and restaurateurs respond positively to the budget Chefs and restaurateurs have reacted positively to the measures for hospitality businesses laid out in the Chancellor’s budget, although many would still like to see more support given to the sector. Yesterday (3 March) Rishi Sunak unveiled a number of measures to help stimulate the economy​​ and aid struggling businesses, including some targeted specifically at the hospitality sector. These include an extension to the business rates holiday through to the end of June, and hospitality and leisure busi...

London's year as a ghost city – and how our tourist hotspot could emerge from the pandemic We're heading back to the 'bad old days' of the nineties, suggests one hospitality leader Piccadilly Circus, usually littered with tourists, stands empty at the start of the latest lockdown Credit: Getty Cast your mind back to last March 23, 2020. It was our first day we were told to “stay at home”. The city emptied of office workers. Tourists retreated. Some businesses were forced close. The exodus from London’s streets was stark. Images of an empty Piccadilly Square and deserted Regent Street�...