Published
Fri, Apr 30, 2021, 14:20
- "There is no alternative," says Mike Grieve, managing director of Sub Club.
The Scottish branch of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) is suing the government over Covid-19 restrictions.
Earlier today, TLT Solicitors served a legal letter to Nicola Sturgeon's government on behalf of the industry body, which represents clubs, bars and venues across the country. Scottish nightlife supports around 39,000 jobs.
"Our clients and the businesses they represent have concluded that it is now very clear that the Scottish government is, at best, completely indifferent and, at worst, actively opposed to the interests and well-being of Scotland’s night-time economy," the letter reads.
This comes after more than a year of severe disruption to the nightlife sector, including multiple lockdowns.
"As things stand, we have no ability to trade, no indicative date for reopening, no ongoing funding, and no prospect of keeping our staff in employment," Mike Grieve, managing director of Sub Club and chair for NTIA Scotland, said in a statement. "Meanwhile, the oft-quoted 'scientific data' backing the regular assertion from Scottish government that hospitality settings are a significant factor in Covid-19 transmission has yet to be produced. It is completely wrong to decimate an industry based on untested presumptions."
Part of the reason for the legal action is that venue owners and stakeholders have been given no clear dates around reopening. Scotland's Covid-19 roadmap system, which differs from England's, makes no mention of the return of nightclubs, even at the lowest-risk level.
Scotland is currently at Level 3 on the roadmap. As of last week, small groups could gather inside or outside at pubs and restaurants.