Plan B - frustration and uncertainty for Peterborough nightclubs

Peter Bell is operations director for Dance, Drink and Entertainment which opened Rhythm Room and Liberation nightclubs on New Road in October, He has hit out at the lack of clarity and uncertainty the Prime Minister’s announcement has created, with new rules on facemask wearing and covid passports to be introduced

“The most important things is that we want our staff and customers to be safe at all times. That is key for our business,” said Peter.

“We will always follow the guidelines and the rules. The frustration is that the guidance is not clear. And we need clarity.

“For instance we have 18-year-old staff who may not have even had a jab yet, what about them working?

“If we are restricted in what we can do and we have to close or have a drop in trade, which means we have to reduce hours, will the furlough come back in to support staff?

“We have already seen a couple of parties cancel which means refunds for presold tickets. These are worrying signs. And it is down to uncertainty that has been created.”

Peter said guidance was not very clear on the government website and he had asked the city council for clarity as it falls under their remit.

“The important thing is it is business as normal this weekend and people can come and have a good time,” he added. “We will reassure the staff and support them 100 per cent where we can while we try to seek some clarity from the authorities about the policies for our businesses going forward.

“The rules have to be clear. At the moment we are all guessing a little bit. It was very clear last year - businesses closed and furlough came in. As much as it was very frustrating it was very clear.”

But it is not just the clubs’ staff and customers affected, Peter pointed out.

“We don’t just have employees, there are other factors,” he added. “We have suppliers and everyone is expecting it to be a really healthy business, but we are in the great unknown of do we stop our Christmas orders? Do we stop people that supply other aspects of our business? It is a real worry and everyone has been left in limbo and not sure what to do.”