Cheers! Rural pub landlords say Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s unprecedented coronavirus handout gives them a chance of survival
- Rob and Donna Taylor run The Compasses Inn in rural kent
- Said Mr Sunak’s stimulus package could prove ‘massive’ for small businesses
- Mr Taylor, 38, said he was ‘shellshocked’ when Mr Johnson ordered closures
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Pub landlords Rob and Donna Taylor said a weight had been lifted from their shoulders after the Government announced its ambitious plan to pay staff wages.
The couple, who run The Compasses Inn in rural Kent, said the stimulus package could prove ‘massive’ for the survival of small businesses.
Despite expecting to be hit by the coronavirus outbreak, Mr Taylor, 38, said he was ‘shellshocked’ when Boris Johnson ordered the closure of Britain’s pubs yesterday.
Pub landlords Rob and Donna Taylor said a weight had been lifted from their shoulders after the Government announced its ambitious plan to pay staff wages
He said: ‘It’s a massive shock and we are still trying to figure out exactly what it will mean for us.’
The Taylors had kept their award-winning gastropub, outside Canterbury, open this week in an attempt to pay the wages of their three full-time staff and other part-time workers.
Mrs Taylor, 45, said the move provoked a ‘backlash’ from some, but they mitigated concern by implementing social-distancing measures and training in how to deal with the virus.
‘Our mindset from the beginning was that we would stay open to make enough for the staff, to support them and make sure they weren’t out of a job,’ Mr Taylor said.
‘The announcement that wages might be covered is a bit of weight lifted off our shoulders.
‘It is a massive move because there is no way we would have been able to cover their pay.’
The couple, who run The Compasses Inn in rural Kent, said Mr Sunak’s stimulus package could prove ‘massive’ for the survival of small businesses
Following the Government’s announcement last night, the couple held a 20-minute meeting with staff to discuss their futures.
Speaking of the months ahead, Mr Taylor, who is the pub’s head chef, said: ‘It’s very uncertain ground for us and I still do not know if we will be able to reopen.’
The publican said he hoped to take advantage of a grant and said the pub’s ultimate owner, the Shepherd Neame brewery, had offered a ‘huge relief’ by suspending rent payments.
‘All of these little things will be very helpful and with any luck could give us time to regroup, look at what we are doing and to come back stronger,’ he said.