BBPA CEO Emma McClarkin: ‘We have to get to pain point before government will listen’

The government’s communication with and about the industry “has slipped” and needs to be improved, MCA’s The Conversation has heard.

Speaking at the event, British Beer and Pub Association CEO Emma McClarkin said that following the conclusion of the Eat Out to Help Out initiative in August, there was a “distinct shift” in government’s consultation and dialogue with the industry, so now “it’s almost like we have to get to pain point before they’ll start to listen to us.”

Although she said “some” of the dialogue has been regained in the past couple of weeks, McClarkin shared her frustration at the government’s tendency to leak proposed restrictions to the media before, or instead of, consulting with industry leaders, leading to a dip in both business and consumer confidence.

“It’s very frustrating as an industry that we’re finding things out from the newspaper, rather than finding out from the government department or being consulted with on something before it happens,” she said.

“For businesses, it has an impact from the moment that something is leaked. So, it’s not even the date that you enter into tier 3 that the impact starts, it’s the date of the announcement.

“That’s how powerful communications are and so the government have to take control of them.”

And with thousands of businesses across the country having already taken the necessary steps to become covid-secure, McClarkin emphasised the government’s responsibility to those operators “that are investing millions to try and just keep their head above water.

“Every single word is having an impact on our industry,” she said. “The government need to take charge of that message and say, yes, we’ve layered on these restrictions but if those businesses operate in line within these measures, then they are safe places to go to.

“That message has slipped away from them and they need to win it back.”

With first-hand experience of the government’s approach to announcing upcoming restrictions, Night Time Economy Advisor to Greater Manchester and Parklife founder Sacha Lord added that the government’s recent communication strategy “feels like they’re turning their back on us at the eleventh hour.”

“We found out that Greater Manchester was being considered for tier 3 at exactly the same time as Andy Burnham, and that’s because it was the next-day headline in the Times newspaper,” he said.

“It’s not the way to do it. They need to come out with clarity and to be speaking to people on the ground. This is not the way to run the government.”