Wellington City Council is doing its bit to #LoveLocal by providing partial fee refunds to the hospitality sector.

Businesses that have paid a renewal fee for a food registration and/or pavement lease between 1 July 2019 and 31 March 2020 will be able to apply online for a 25% refund through the Wellington City Council website.

Fees for the current quarter, until July 2020, have been set at $1 for food registrations, pavement leases and alcohol licences – this is the lowest amount possible where a nominative amount is required for legal reasons for food and alcohol licence applications. Any businesses that have paid fees after Wednesday 1 April 2020 will also be invited to apply for a refund.

Manager Public Health, Helen Jones, says they have been working closely with bars, cafes and other food businesses in Wellington and know just how difficult it is to trade in this environment.

"We hope this reflects our commitment to helping where we can. This is just one of a number of initiatives we are exploring with the hospitality industry for their immediate future, and the longer term in a post Covid-world.”

Economic Development Portfolio Leader, Councillor Diane Calvert, has been working with business owners from the hospitality, accommodation, retail and the broader business community, to understand how Wellington City Council could support these businesses and soften the blow of Covid-19.

“The fee refunds are a way we can help as part of our Economic Recovery Plan. We’re also supporting commercial rate payers to apply to defer their fourth-quarter rates without penalty and pass on these benefits to tenants.

“We will also continue to work with our Economic Development Agency, WellingtonNZ, to further develop our economic response. In the meantime, I encourage businesses to contact their helpline or attend one of their online workshops or webinars for businesses. These are just some of the ways we are helping our local businesses get through the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Councillor Calvert.

Mayor Andy Foster is asking Wellingtonians to ‘Love Local’ by supporting their local businesses.

“We want to help with fee refunds to ease the burden on businesses and we ask all Wellingtonians to support our local cafes and restaurants.

“This week we moved to Alert Level 3 and have seen many of our hospitality businesses transform the way they trade to meet the Government’s regulations. We want to ensure that as we continue our return to normality, we are supporting these businesses that give Wellington the vibrancy and culture it is famous for.”

Businesses that are eligible for a refund can apply online at: https://forms.wellington.govt.nz/s3/COVID-19-Hospitality-Fee-Rebate

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