Stroud MP, Siobhan Baillie, has met with a Gloucestershire hotel to discuss the positioning of local businesses amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis – with talking points ranging from Government support to sustainability and Brexit.
Baillie, who has served as a Member of Parliament since 2019, was recently welcomed to Stonehouse Court, located in the heart of the Cotswolds, to hear and reflect on the challenges currently engulfing the hospitality industry as a result of spiralling economic uncertainty.
Last year, UK Hospitality released a survey revealing that prices across the sector had increased by 11%. On top of this, further increases in energy (41%), labour (19%), food (17%), drink (14%) and insurance costs left many of the businesses it represents in debt and running out of available finances, the organisation said.
Amongst the most pressing areas of discussion were the rising costs of energy and the sustainability practices available to counteract such costs, as well as current labour challenges and the impact of Brexit.
Commenting on the discussion, Maz Jurko, General Manager at Stonehouse Court, said:
“Throughout our community and across the country, businesses are feeling the full effect of the cost-of-living crisis and the precarious financial landscape it creates as a result.
Meeting with Siobhan was a perfect opportunity to cast a spotlight on the current situation and discuss viable solutions to ensure no local businesses are at risk of going under or seeing their long-term future in question, with conversations about how the Government can support the industry as a whole.
“We also spoke in-depth about the success of Stonehouse Court championing sustainability-focussed initiatives to help create viable-proven solutions to reducing energy costs. We feel it’s important to not only become greener but also to help the country by taking some pressures off the national grid. Here at Stonehouse Court, we’re determined to become an ever more environmentally-focussed community and the conversation with Siobhan reinforces our determination to do so.”
Siobhan added: “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Stonehouse Court and was impressed by the hotel’s vision to champion conservation so that future generations can enjoy all the natural beauty that Stroud has to offer. Managing, innovating and limiting our carbon footprint is a fundamental part of the vision to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it, so it was fantastic to see Stonehouse share and champion this vision.”
To date, Stonehouse Court has committed to installing new energy-efficient boilers, using 100% renewable electricity through its provider, Ecotricity. In addition, it uses 95% LED lighting throughout the building, motion light sensors in corridors and has implemented efficient recycling and waste minimisation schemes, as well as a flagship on-site bottling system for its water needs.
