Pubs will be able to turn their car parks into beer gardens on April 12th

Makeshift beer gardens will be allowed when hospitality venues reopen on April 12th it has been confirmed.

As part of the government’s plans to ease lockdown rules, pubs and restaurants can reopen from April 12th as long as they serve outdoors.

Speaking back when the policy was first announced, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “I know we all look forward to seeing our pubs, cafes and restaurants open their doors again and I’m determined to give them a helping hand to get back on their feet and their staff back to work safely.

“That’s why we are introducing changes to make it quicker, easier and cheaper for them to set up outdoor seating and street stalls to serve food and drink.”

Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants will be able to use car parks to create makeshift dining areas for punters. 

In a bid to help the hospitality industry, VAT was temporarily reduced from 20% to 5% on food purchases last July. Rishi Sunak announced that this will be extended for a further six months with the 12 months after that being at a 12.5% rate.

The Campaign for Pubs expressed disappointment at this, explaining: “While this helps some pubs, it does nothing for many non-food pubs while giving millions of pounds of tax relief to fast-food chains.” 

Business relief rates for all retail, leisure and hospitality businesses has also been extended until the end of June.