Henley MP wants support for hospitality sector

HENLEY MP Freddie van Mierlo has called on the government to provide urgent support to the hospitality sector following a visit to the town’s Banana Tree restaurant.

Mr van Mierlo has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to highlight concerns of the casual dining sector, following a meeting with representatives from Big Table Group, which operates the pan-Asian restaurant chain. He has written to the Chancellor jointly with Oxfordshire Liberal Democrat MPs Olly Glover, Charlie Maynard and Calum Miller.

Mr van Mierlo relayed Big Table Group’s concerns about rising costs and shifting consumer habits “squeezing” the sector, pointing to inflation and increases in employment costs.

Guests visit less frequently, they wrote, or choose lower-cost options like quick-service restaurants.

Warning of closures and job losses, the letter called for a reversal of National Insurance increases for employers, reform of the business rates system, investment in skills and training through a reformed apprenticeship levy and targeted relief measures for hospitality businesses.

Mr van Mierlo said affordable, casual dining restaurants like the Banana Tree are “essential” to high streets, communities and local economies, adding: “My first ever job was in a causal dining setting as a sixth former, and I know just how important the life skills you learn are.

“It is clear from what I heard in Henley that the current financial pressures are unsustainable. We need targeted, fair support to ensure this vital sector survives and thrives.”