Alok Sharma, the local Member of Parliament for Reading West, has welcomed the Eat Out To Help Out Scheme, which will give people in Reading West up to 50 per cent off their bills in restaurants, cafes and pubs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August.

The scheme – part of the government’s Plan for Jobs that will spur the country’s economic recovery from coronavirus – applies to all food and non-alcoholic drinks, with a maximum discount per person of £10.

More than 72,000 establishments are participating in total, including independent eateries and family favourites such as Pizza Express, Costa Coffee and Nando’s.

The scheme will help keep more money in hardworking families’ pockets and give the UK’s hospitality sector a vital boost.

Also included in the Government’s £30 billion Plan for Jobs:

• A temporary cut in VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors.
• A Job Retention Bonus to encourage employers to retain staff who have been on the furlough scheme, with the Government paying a one-off bonus of £1,000 for every employee who was furloughed and who is kept on until 31 January.
• The temporary removal of stamp duty on all homes under £500,000 until the end of March 2021, to catalyse the housing market.
• A new Kickstart Scheme, which will create hundreds of thousands of new, fully-subsidised jobs for young people.

Alok Sharma, MP for Reading West, said: “The Eat Out To Help Out scheme is a great way to boost local businesses and protect jobs across our hospitality sector – which has been hard hit by coronavirus – while allowing families to keep more money in their pockets. I want to encourage my constituents to enjoy summer safely, by going out and supporting their local restaurant.”