00:00Albeit in a completely sweet way, but it matters because it shows that when we stand together, our voices can
00:07be heard.
00:08Here's a really awkward bit though, I swear my identity crisis comes down in a full circle, we're not a
00:14pub.
00:15But we're also not just a hotel. So all of these business days are really supportive of what's happened, but
00:22where does that leave us?
00:24We're a hotel with restaurants, we're a bar, we're rural employers, we're a wedding company, we're a conference space, tourist
00:32bankers, and a training band, as I mentioned, for young people.
00:36So when the relief is so narrowly defined, many of us fall just outside of this line, and I'm sure
00:42this applies to other people in the room.
00:45Should I be classifying our business as a pub this year?
00:50What about if cafes get a better deal next year, should we become a cafe?
00:54Do we keep changing hats depending on which label is used for the relief, or do we stay as a
00:59hotel and hope for the best?
01:01We're not asking for special treatment, to reiterate what Phil said, we're just asking for fairness and a joined up
01:08thinking.
01:09BAT that supports domestic tourism instead of discouraging it, business rates that reflect real training conditions,
01:16alignment between policy and taxation, and proportionate protection for small employers when new employment legislation is introduced.
01:28Above all, recognition that hospitality is not an afterthought.
01:34The Forest has been here for centuries.
01:37We just need the chance to make sure that the lights are still on when the next generation walks through
01:42our doors.
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