Government extends business eviction ban until end of the year

The NHBF welcomes the government’s decision to extend support to stop business evictions for the rest of the year.

Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick recently announced that commercial tenants, which includes hair and beauty salons, barbershops, nail and eyelash bars and tanning shops, will be protected from the risk of eviction until the end of 2020, helping businesses to survive and protect jobs.

The NHBF’s most recent survey has shown that the sector’s recovery is dependent on additional help like this from the government. The NHBF has been fighting hard to secure additional funding for businesses affected by local lockdowns, which includes:

• VAT reductions;
• student loan style repayments to Bounce Back loans;
• a further extension to business rate reliefs;
• the introduction of a high street voucher scheme similar to the ‘eat out to help out’ initiative;
• an extension to the furlough and self-employed income support schemes specifically for sectors hardest hit such as ours.

Hilary Hall, NHBF Chief Executive said “We are continually communicating to Government that there isn’t a level playing field here. Hair and beauty were amongst the sectors closed for the longest time and beauty then faced further restrictions in the treatments which could be provided. In addition, the coronavirus restrictions massively affect the amount of income that businesses can generate, with one in four unable to cover their current outgoings.

She continued, “The NHBF is using every resource to keep pressure on the government to recognise that ours is an industry worth saving. The recent announcement of £1,000-£1,500 grants for businesses forced to close due to local lockdowns was a great win, as well as the recent announcement to extend the current business premises eviction protection from landlords until the end of the year (originally due to end on 30 September), both of which we have been campaigning for.”