Ceramic leaders welcome Chancellor’s Winter Economy Plan

The British Ceramic Confederation has welcomed the Chancellor’s statement today aimed at helping the economy recover from the impacts of coronavirus and protect jobs.Dr Laura Cohen, Chief Executive of the British Ceramic Confederation, said, “We await more detail on the Chancellor’s announcements, but they are broadly very welcome and will provide much-needed relief among our members as they look to recover from the coronavirus crisis.“We appreciate that last week the Chancellor took the time to visit our member Emma Bridgewater to discuss the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. He also received a briefing from us outlining the broader issues with product demand in the rest of the ceramic sector, setting out why a mechanism needed to be in place for supporting job retention in badly affected sectors and their UK supply chains beyond October.  We appreciate in the Job Support Scheme, how our members’ need for flexibility has been addressed, as part-time working to match reduced demand will be likely during waves of the pandemic and recovery.Dr Cohen added, “The delayed repayments on Bounce Back and CBILS loans and extended payment of Q1 2020 VAT bills will provide a welcome boost to cash flow at this challenging time for many ceramic manufacturers around the country.“In addition, the extension of the temporary reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% for food and accommodation in the hospitality and tourism sectors will be welcomed by British ceramic cateringware manufacturers, who have seen demand for their high-quality tableware drop dramatically during coronavirus closures.Dr Cohen added, “The next few months will be critical for our sector. To really help our industry we need government to agree and ratify a trade deal with the EU by the end of the year and be unashamedly supportive of British manufacturing in public procurement.”---ENDS---For further information please contact: Laura Cohen, Chief Executive, British Ceramic Confederation, Federation House, Station Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2SA.Tel:  07827 358613E-mail | www.ceramfed.co.ukNotes to editorsThe British Ceramic Confederation is the trade association for the UK ceramic manufacturing industry, representing the common and collective interests of all sectors of the industry. Its member companies cover the full spectrum of ceramic manufacturing, including the supply of materials, and comprise over 90% of the industry’s manufacturing capacity.