Instead of Eat out to help out...

[Rhianna1980]

I believe gov has miss-used the placement of help to get the economy back up and running. The subsidy for restaurants with the eat out go help out Scheme, is a waste of money to patch things up temporarily.
The money should have gone to schools to help them create a safer CV19 environment to reduce virus outbreaks and closures and reduce the chances of families to have to self isolate and then we are back to square one where the economy is suffering again.
No CV19 money or help has been granted to schools. Which is shocking. It’s as if they have been forgotten about. Schools are the WEAK LINK in all this.
It makes me furious that money has thrown at an industry to patch it up short term, but
this industry is ultimately affected by any school CV19 outbreak looking long term.
They aren’t not treating the problem, they are patching up the symptoms.
The country is high in debt, the money should have been used wisely, but instead they used to party all summer, now winter is coming...
PS I don’t blame anyone who used the scheme to enjoy a cheaper nice meal to encourage them to go out before I get flamed at on here.

[Lostatsea1988]

Once more for the people in the back: THE THINGS THAT BRING IN EXCHEQUER REVENUE PSY FOR THE SCHOOLS AND THE NHS.

that is why pubs and retail are allowed to reopen.

If the govt genuinely didn't give a shiny shit about public health theatres and stadiums would also be open. ££££!

But they're not because they can't be safely managed.

Did you forget that the tories brought in furlough? Extended it? Banned evictions?extended that ban too?

I despair of people trying to politicise the pandemic.

[AlphaJura]

I'm not sure it's the most well thought out scheme. We went for a meal with family because it was FIL's birthday. The place we went to was packed with mostly pensioners. No one wearing masks, people chatting and sitting in close proximity (luckily we were nr a window). It's just the sort of environment where the virus would spread. Encouraging the older age group (because that's the sort of people who are available to go and eat out mon-weds) to go and sit in a high risk environment doesn't seem sensible to me . I understand it's supposed to be about getting the economy going but surely they could've thought of something less risky?

[BatShite]

It makes no sense to me because..apparently it was mainly to elp smaller businesses. However, the way its actually happening, apparently small businesses cannot bear the cost until the gov refunds them (not exactly sure how it works but DH cousin was hoping to do this but cannot due to setup). So it seems only larger companies can take advantage of this, which is the opposite of what it was meant for?

[RaspberryRuff]

I don’t think turning into schools v hospitality is very helpful. I agree schools should have extra funding but that doesn’t mean hospitality, which was forcibly shut for months, shouldn’t get support. As for the comment about furloughed staff, at least teachers know they’ll get paid out of the public purse too regardless of whether schools open or not. I have a foot in both camps I have kids at school and a husband who works in a restaurant, so his work is very volatile plus he’s at risk of bringing home the virus

[RaspberryRuff]

@Mashingthecompost

I am not an expert, but a friend pointed out that there were people getting furlough on massive wages, who could have taken a cut and used a portion of the profits to keep things going instead of being propped up by the government. This hasn't been mentioned much where I've been looking (but I avoid these threads mostly tbf). I think it's not one vs the other, I think the govt screwed themselves by pandering to the big election funders and ran out of cash, so had to stop the scheme and get people spending. Proportionally, that will have cost way more than this scheme.

Given furlough was capped a max of £2500 a month, and subject to tax and NI, no one was getting “massive wages”

[Fifthtimelucky]

I've used the eat out to help our scheme twice. Both times at an independently run village pub, so just the sort of small businesses that we should be supporting. We ate outside - the first time in the garden, the second time outside but under cover (because it was raining). All very well organised. We sat well away from others, staff wore visors. It didn't seem at all risky

My husband and I are both retired so our income has not been affected by Covid. We didn't need the discount, but it prompted me to go out to eat out when otherwise I wouldn't have thought about doing so.

Planning to go again once more before the scheme ends. Yes, I'm taking advantage, but it helps keep people in work and I'd rather the hospitality was supported through schemes of this sort than by furlough.

[Fifthtimelucky]

Just seen some figures that suggest over 14,000 schools applied for the extra financial help that was available. Don't know how many will get it of course.

[TheMarzipanDildo]

“I am not an expert, but a friend pointed out that there were people getting furlough on massive wages, who could have taken a cut and used a portion of the profits to keep things going instead of being propped up by the government.”

But if they’d have been payed less, they would have less money to spend now, which is what keeps the economy going?

[rosesandcashmere]

It shouldn't be all about schools though. Not everyone has children. The hospitality will die on its arse without this help and so many will be unemployed. The money to pay for those unemployed people will not help create more funding for schools.
It's not always so black and white.

[Backtobasics5]

@CherryPavlova

I think people with sufficient money to eat out usually should show more morality and humanity than the government and use the saved money to but food for foodbanks.
I think the government has decided to prioritise their own voters and appease the masses as a popularist act that detracts from their serious failings.

How would that help? If nobody started eating out businesses would go bust. People then loose jobs. It’s not up to the poorer people to fund food banks (just because they can afford to dine out).

[BikeTyson]

There were not people furloughed on “massive” wages, it was subject to a cap of £2500.

[BadAbbot]

They should have done both.

[NameChange84]

I think the money should have went elsewhere for sure but it is a dilemma because part of it is about getting the economy moving and protecting the jobs of those in the hospitality trade. I don’t know what the alternate answer would have been in that respect.

I’ve not been out for a meal or sat in for coffee etc since a fortnight before we locked down. I’m in a high risk category and I have a parent who has several high risk factors and most likely wouldn’t survive Covid but otherwise could live for decades yet. I wouldn’t prioritise a half price pizza over my own health or being able to see my parent for a fortnight. It’s non-essential so I’d prefer to not “eat out to help out”.

I’m finding the mixed messages really frustrating tbh.

Don’t meet up in your family’s home but go to the pub.

Your kid can’t have a birthday party or mix with a group of friends but they’ll be mixing in big “bubbles” very soon.

We have an obesity crisis and lots of us need to lose weight as this is also risky with Covid but we all need to go out and eat half price McDonalds, Miller & Carter, Costa etc to “Help Out”.

Face masks on, face masks off. It’s mandatory but it’s not enforceable.

Don’t sing/chant in church/temple/mosque. Pub Karaoke is fine (given the volume from the pubs I’m near).

Stay at home. Go to the Office.

My brain is like scrambled eggs at the moment.

[CherryPavlova]

Backtobasics5 I think the caveat was around those that could afford to. It supports the economy by using the money to purchase food from shops to give to foodbanks. Is it right that multimillionaire MPs post on Twitter about their cheap lunches kindly donated by the government when others can't feed their children? I rather think not.

[LynetteScavo]

But giving people cheap meals is a fun thing to do. You Wind friends and influence people and get votes at the next election.

Nobody would notice whether schools were cleaner. People just expect schools to be clean and safe. Throwing money at schools doesn't win votes.