Cumbria Tourism is calling on the Government to support the hospitality sector after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s lockdown roadmap announcement on Monday.

In the four step-plan, the Prime Minister hopes to lift all Coronavirus restrictions by the summer.

He warned moves will be cautious but not “irreversible.”

Reacting to the news, Cumbria Tourism managing director Gill Haigh said: “Everyone’s priority remains the safety of our visitors and our communities, but we have been calling for a clear roadmap to allow businesses to plan ahead for reopening and it’s helpful to now have this guidance to plan to.

“The loss of Easter is not unexpected, although it will be a significant further financial blow to an industry that has already lost £2 billion of income over the past 12 months in our county alone. 

“Self-catering, camping, caravanning, retail and outdoor hospitality will potentially be able to open in a restricted way from April 12, but it is hugely disappointing for hotels and indoor attractions who have worked so hard to provide Covid-19 safe experiences and environments.”

Gill said: “We will be looking closely at the detail behind the Prime Minister’s announcement and of course, the Chancellor’s statement on Wednesday, March 3. Our sector was the first to be hit by restrictions and it has been the hardest hit — and it is now the last to fully reopen.

“It is essential that the Chancellor supports the calls that Cumbria Tourism and the wider industry have been consistently making to retain the 5 per cent VAT rate, extend business rates relief, extend furlough and provide support for those individuals and businesses who have been excluded from previous financial packages.”

The Office for National Statistics has analysed the number of people in the UK on the payroll, revealing that the unemployment rate in the three months to December, 2020, was estimated at 5.1 per cent — a rise of 1.3 percent on the previous year and 0.4 percent higher than the previous quarter.

A spokesperson for ONS said: “The redundancy rate, in the three months to December, 2020, was estimated at 12.3 people per thousand employees.”