Atik Oxford calls on Government to reopen clubs

Atik has teamed up with venues across the country to call on the Government to save the industry from collapse.

As it is, music venues and clubs are relying on the Chancellor’s furlough scheme to pay the wages of ‘tens of thousands’ of staff.

But with that set to end in October and still no clear date on when the venues can reopen, the group of CEOs and managers have asked the PM for urgent help.

They have put forward ideas about how to make venues safer, such as scanning IDs on entry, checking temperatures, hiring security to keep people apart, contactless payments only, better ventilation, bigger venues for social distancing and strict cleaning regimes.

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They say they have watched as pubs and restaurants have reopened but they have been ‘left in the dark’ since March 20.

The majority of late-night operators have also not qualified for any grants, 'bounceback' loans or rent reductions.

Peter Marks, the CEO of the Deltic Group which owns Atik, said: “The late-night leisure sector, a sector which employs tens of thousands across the UK, is at risk of collapse if the government does not act now – it is that simple.

“We need a clear reopening plan, or at the very least fit-for-purpose financial assistance.

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“The sector feels that without a clear plan to allow operators to reopen in a safe, risk-assessed way, it is facing financial collapse.”

Survey results released by the Night-time Industries Association (NTIA) show that 58 per cent of businesses in the 'night-time economy' fear they will not survive longer than two months without further support.

This would put an estimated 754,000 jobs at risk.

This comes as 71 per cent of businesses said they had already set out to make half of their workforce redundant in a matter of weeks.

The night-time sector is one of few remaining sectors without any clear roadmap of when and how it will reopen.