SAVVY Collective founder backs call for dedicated Hospitality Ministry

Steven Hesketh, founder of hospitality group SAVVY Collective, has backed chef Tom Kerridge's call for the Government to create a dedicated Ministry for Hospitality, warning that policy affecting the sector remains too fragmented across departments.

Steven, who has worked in hospitality for more than 30 years, pointed out that the industry supports around 3.5 million jobs in the UK, roughly one in ten of all jobs, contributes approximately £93 billion directly to the economy and generates around £54 billion in tax.

Figures show 1,839 licensed venues closed during the second quarter of 2026, with a similar number opening over the same period.

Steven said: "The data shows there is still plenty of confidence and ambition in the industry. But I don't think we should look at that and say everything is fine."

"The biggest problem is that decisions affecting hospitality businesses are made across different Government departments, with business rates, employment costs, licensing, planning, VAT, National Insurance, apprenticeships, skills and energy costs all considered separately despite landing on the same business at the same time.

"When you actually run a hospitality business, none of these things are separate. They all affect the same P&L. And sometimes it feels like policies are being made without anyone looking at the full picture."

Steven added that hospitality businesses are not asking for special treatment, but for the Government to properly understand how the sector works before introducing new costs.

"Adding another cost might sound manageable in isolation, but when it lands on top of wage increases, energy bills, food inflation, business rates and National Insurance, it can be the thing that pushes a business too far," he said.

He continued that a dedicated Ministry for Hospitality would mean there are people in Government whose job is to understand the sector properly before decisions are made, rather than the current situation where responsibility for the industry is split between wages, tax, planning and skills policy with no single department considering the combined impact.

"Nobody seems to sit in the middle and say: what does all of this actually mean for the operator? That is the question that matters," he said.

He said hospitality businesses are resilient and have continually adapted by cutting costs, changing menus and opening hours, restructuring teams and renegotiating with suppliers, but warned there is a limit to how much a business can absorb.

"A dedicated Ministry for Hospitality would not solve every problem," Steven said. "But at least there would be somebody whose job it is to understand the problems properly. Someone to connect the dots, someone to challenge decisions where necessary, and someone sitting at the table speaking for an industry that employs millions of people."