Eat Out to Help Out proclaimed a success

More than half a million meals were claimed in Swindon and Wiltshire under the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Newly-released figures put the total at 530,000, and the meals were among more than 100m claimed across the UK under the scheme, which ran throughout August.

A total of 84,700 eateries throughout the country signed up, including 673 in Swindon and Wiltshire and 6,671 across the South West, and nearly £2.7m was claimed in discounts across the county.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has hailed the success of the scheme, which was designed to support the hospitality industry after a challenging few months because of coronavirus. 

The Chancellor said: “From the get-go our mission has been to protect jobs, and to do this we needed to be creative, brave and try things that no government has ever done before.

“Today’s figures continue to show Eat Out to Help Out has been a success.

“I want to thank everyone, from restaurant owners to waiters, chefs and diners, for embracing it and helping drive our economic recovery.

“The scheme is just one part of our Plan for Jobs and we will continue to protect, support and create jobs to ensure we come back stronger as a nation.”

On average, each registered restaurant in the county claimed 788 discounted meals – 61 a day for the 13 eligible days.

The scheme is credited by the Government with protecting 1.8 million jobs across the country, with restaurant bookings significantly up on the previous year.

Data from online reservation service OpenTable shows bookings increased by an average of 52 percent on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the whole of August, compared to the same days in 2019.

Plan for Jobs is a £30bn strategy to create, protect and support jobs as the country bounces back from coronavirus.

The Government says it will continue to support the hospitality industry with a temporary discount to VAT, from 20 percent to five percent, until 12 January 2021.