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Press and media: also see our Press Office page
NEWS
2 July 2010
Association WINS the "Sector Representation Award" 2010
 
The Bed & Breakfast Association has been awarded the accolade of best trade association in Britain at representing its members and its sector - out of 313 trade associations across all sectors of business.
The Trade Association Forum, the official body for trade associations established by the CBI with Government support, awarded the Association the highly competitive "Sector Representation Award" for 2010.
The Award was presented to David Weston, Chief Executive of the Bed & Breakfast Association, by Nick Hewer (Alan Sugar's right-hand man on The Apprentice) at a dinner in London last night (1st July). The picture (above) shows David Weston receiving the Award from Nick Hewer.
Mr Weston said: "We are absolutely delighted to have received this amazing accolade - as a relatively new trade association with a very small part-time team, it is an honour to have won the most prestigious UK award - and in the most sought-after category too: for success in representing our sector. We are proud to have been judged the best - but above all, are very proud of what we have been able to achieve for our members."
The Association won the award because of its campaign for sensible and proportonate enforcement of the 2006 fire regulations, which:
gained the support of organisations representing some 460,000 small businesses
secured meetings with two Government Ministers
secured the support of two Shadow Ministers
made its 10 Downing St. petition the 5th best supported business petition, and better supported than over 98.5% of petitions on all subjects on the 10 Downing St. website
helped persuade both the UK and Scottish Governments to issue new less onerous guidelines:
saving £100 million in unnecessary additional cost for Scottish B&Bs, on the Scottish Government's own figures
and saving up to £428 million in unnecessary burden across the UK
The full list of Award winners is on the Trade Association Forum website.
31 March 2010
Shadow Tourism Minister writes for the Association
The Shadow Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism, Tobias Ellwood MP, writes for the current issue of the Bed & Breakfast Association e-Newsletter, on the benefits of "Daylight Saving".
Click here to read Mr Ellwood's article.
11 March 2010
'PRS for Music' Licences
PRS for Music require a licence for copyright music being played in a 'commercial' context - and this includes the music played on, for example, radio alarm clocks and TVs in B&B and Guest House bedrooms.
The Bed & Breakfast Association are concerned that B&B and Guest House owners have reported "aggressive" and "threatening" attitudes in the PRS call centre staff who are calling them to demand payment. We are also concerned that PRS are trying to double charge: the 'minimum' charge of some £44 covers up to 15 rooms and "corridors and foyers" - but if the B&B also has a radio or TV in its lounge or breakfast room, PRS seem to be demanding a much higher licence fee on the basis of music being played in a "public" room - and yet for B&Bs and Guest Houses (unlike say, large hotels), there is no public access and the guests whose music use is covered by the licence 'upstairs' as it were, are the same guests listening to the same music 'downstairs'.
The BBC Radio 4 'You and Yours' programme investigated PRS for Music on 11th March at 12:00. The programme quoted Guest House owner Christopher Bailey, and interviewed Bed & Breakfast Association Chief Executive David Weston and PRS for Music's Head of PR, Barney Hooper.
(Barney Hooper, Press Office, PRS for Music, 29-33 Berners Street, London W1T 3AB; email: press@prsformusic.com)
You can listen to the PRS/B&B section of the programme by clicking the "Listen" button on this BBC web page during the next 6 days.
Detailed information and guidance for owners about how to minimise the impact on your business can be found on our member-only pages. [Read more...]
One of the Association's continuing campaigns is against the ever-increasing burden of regulations - often disproportionate or unnecessary - on small businesses like B&Bs and Guest Houses.
The Association's Chief Executive, David Weston, was interviewed on ITV Evening News last June, as part of a feature on how regulations - including PRS licences - are affecting B&Bs.
Click here to watch the TV clip (4 minutes).
26 October 2009
Strand House, Rye scoops Silver Award
Association Members Hugh Davie and Mary Sullivan have won a Silver award in the Guest Accommodation of the
Year category in the prestigious Tourism ExSellence Awards for their B&B, Strand House in Rye.
The award was given for "an outstanding level of comfort, customer service, attention to detail, staff training and commitment to environmental matters" and demonstrates "the very high standard reached by Strand House especially given the high standard of accommodation in the local Rye area".
Strand House also holds a VisitBritain 4 star Gold award, and has been a Bed & Breakfast Association member since April 2007.
Hugh says “The great thing about Strand House is the people who stay here, everyone has a story to tell. Some come
to sit on the beach, others to stroll round the medieval towns or gardens and some just want to chill out in the
house and garden. We have people come to stay following cancer treatment, a family came from all corners of
the globe to celebrate a lady’s 85th birthday and of course we have had five civil ceremonies which is lovely.”
David Weston, Chief Executive of the Bed & Breakfast Association, comments: "We heartily congratulate Hugh and Mary for what they have achieved in just three years - Strand House shows how B&Bs can achieve success with excellent quality, individuality and that personal touch that hotels cannot match".
8th June 2009
B&Bs and the Burden of Regulations - ITV News
One of the Association's continuing campaigns is against the ever-increasing burden of regulations - often disproportionate or unnecessary - on small businesses like B&Bs and Guest Houses.
The Association's Chief Executive, David Weston, was interviewed on ITV Evening News on 8th June 2009, as part of a feature on how regulations are affecting B&Bs.
Click here to see the TV clip (4 minutes).
Monday 9th February 2009
Some encouraging signs of more proportionate enforcement
of the fire regulations (RRFSO) by Fire Authorities in England
We are starting to hear of instances of local Fire & Rescue Authorities making the changes in their enforcement practices asked for by the Government following publication of the new guidance for small B&Bs produced with the participation of the Bed and Breakfast Association.
The Fire Safety Minister told the Bed and Breakfast Association that the new guidance issued on 18 November (the booket "Do You Have Paying Guests?") has, through CFOA [Chief Fire Officers' Association] involvement, the support of the Chief Fire Officers throughout England. It is our belief that this booklet will help embed a practical, common sense approach to the enforcement of the [RRFSO regulations] by Fire and Rescue Authorities".
After the involvement of the Bed and Breakfast Association and other industry bodies in its drafting, "Do You Have Paying Guests?" is much more helpful to B&B owners than previous official Government guidance.
The Association hopes that the new evidence since the new year of specific changes in enforcement practice in some Fire & Rescue Authorities will mark a real shift in the way the RRFSO is being Enforced in England - if so, the work done by the Bed and Breakfast Associaton will have achieved a genuine reduction in the disproportionate burden of enforcement seen in the first two years since the new regulations came into force in October 2006.
Subscribing members of the Association are being kept informed of the detail of changes in enforcement, in order to avoid unnecessary compliance costs being imposed on their businesses. To join the Association, click here.
Monday 5th January 2009
Scottish Government tells Fire Authorities to hold off enforcement action on small B&Bs
- new guidance will be issued in Scotland after consultation with the tourism industry
In Scotland, fire regulation enforcement action against small B&Bs has been put on hold by the Scottish Government, which admitted that enforcement action has resulted in "expensive and unnecessary fire safety measures being put in place which are not proportionate to the risks".
Following many representations made by the Bed and Breakfast Association and others to Fergus Ewing MSP, the Scottish Community Safety Minister and other MSPs,
the Head of the Scottish Government's Fire and Rescue Advisory Unit, Brian Fraser, has issued a letter dated 19th December 2008 to the Chief Fire Officers of all Fire & Rescue Authorities in Scotland.
The letter notes that "concerns have been raised with Ministers about the enforcement of
fire safety for small bed and breakfast accommodation providers. The concerns raised
suggest that the guidance on which compliance and enforcement is based may be resulting
in expensive and unnecessary fire safety measures being put in place which are not
proportionate to the risks."
The letter informs Chief Fire Officers that "At the recent Ministerial Advisory Group meeting, chaired by Mr Ewing and including
representatives of fire board conveners and Chief Officers, it was agreed that guidance for
this sector would be withdrawn. It was further agreed that a working group, including tourism
industry representatives, will be convened to produce new guidance, which will be subject to
full consultation."
Scottish Fire & Rescue Authorities are told that "To avoid conflict with the revised guidance, which shall be issued as soon as
practicable, enforcement officers should no longer rely on the benchmarks in the small guide
as being appropriate for small bed and breakfast type establishments. It is therefore
recommended that fire and rescue services reschedule their routine audit and enforcement
activity in this sector until such time as the revised guidance is available. However, cases
where serious risk is discovered should still be acted upon."
David Weston, Bed and Breakfast Association Chief Executive commented: "this is very welcome New Year news for small B&Bs in Scotland, and we are delighted that the Scottish Government has shown it can respond decisively faced with disporoportionate enforcement and damage to tourism - which is clearly viewed in Scotland as a key industry."
The Scottish Government's letter to its Fire Authorities can be read in full
here.
Thursday 12 June 2008
"Barking Mad Dogs Ban" Story Goes National
The national media have taken up the cause of farmhouse B&B owners who have been told by Environmental Health Officers in some counties that they cannot allow their dogs in their breakfast room/kitchens, even when strict hygiene in food preparation is observed and pets are kept scrupulously away from food preparation surfaces, utensils and storage areas.
The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2, and the BBC2 business TV show Working Lunch, amongst others, covered the issue. Read the story online in:
The Daily Telegraph
The Times
The Daily Express
Daily Mail
The Association's view is that B&B owners are highly responsible and very conscious of good hygiene practice (we and our families eat our own food every day, after all), and if pets are kept well away from food preparation surfaces and storage areas and food is prepared safely and hygienically, there is no need to "ban" the well-behaved family dog or cat from its place by the fireside.
The expert advice we have received is that such "bans" result from a mis-interpretation of the regulations, which are not so proscriptive, and are intended to be proportionate, workable and based on real risk.
We have made some detailed official advice available to our subscribing members (join now).
Email us your own views at comment@BandBassociation.org.
HALF PRICE subscription to the "Pink Booklet Online"
when you subscribe as a new member
read more...
B&B Association Membership now includes the Special Offers CLUB
 Membership of the Association now includes FREE membership of The Special Offers CLUB, which rewards members with a wide range of offers, discounts and promotions from top brands. These cover both deals for your business, and consumer deals for you and your family. These include deals (typically 5% to 15% off) from Apple Store, HP, Laithwaites, Esso, Tom Tom, Axa PPP, BT, Europcar, RAC, Viking Direct, Royal Mail, House of Fraser, Npower and many others. Membership for a typical family B&B can yield potential savings of many hundreds of pounds annually.
The Special Offers CLUB* is a division of the e-marketing company Special Offers Ltd., which sponsors the Association's website and e-Newsletters, and which celebrates its 12th successful year of trading in 2008.
Read more...
Our Meeting with the Minister of Tourism
Margaret Hodge MP, Minister of Tourism
The Bed & Breakfast Association met the Minister of Tourism, Margaret Hodge MP, on September 11th.
The Minister assured us that she is committed to reducing the regulatory burden on small businesses in the tourism sector. We explained how regulatory burdens had increased in recent years, and made the point that we were concerned not just with the legislation but also with its enforcement - which, as with the fire regulations, is carried out by local authorities inconsistently and sometimes disproportionately.
The Minister undertook to look at any instances of disproportionate or inconsistent enforcement which B&B Association members have experienced - and we will be submitting a number of such instances to her department following our meeting.
We were pleased that the Minister had made such a strong statement against the regulatory burden, and we will do all in our power to help her department and Government reflect this statement in practice in the months and years ahead.
The above is a shortened version of the report sent to BBA members about our contacts with Government; subscribing BBA members receive full regular briefings from these meetings (including notice of and consultation on forthcoming new regulations which will impact the B&B sector). Members also have the opportunity to contribute to the BBA's submissions to Government and regulatory bodies.
There are many other reasons to join. Read more...
"Bed Tax" threat now successfully averted!
The Lyons Inquiry final report was released on 21 March 2007 just before Gordon Brown's Budget. The report itself was not very helpful - it recommended introducing a power for local authorities to levy a tourism tax where there was a strong case to do so.
However, there has been a quick and emphatic response from Local Government Minister Phil Woolas, at the Department for Communities and Local Government stating that:
"Sir Michael examines the case for a tourist tax. He concludes that there is not a strong evidence base for the introduction of such a tax. He puts the case for a consultation on this issue, we are not, therefore, inclined to focus on this area. The Government does not intend to introduce a tourism tax."
So this looks as if it has effectively ended the debate.
Excellent news for all of us as B&B owners - and perhaps the persistent lobbying of the Government by the BBA and others in the industry has helped!
Do you run a B&B in Scotland?
if so, are you happy with visitscotland.com? Please tell us more...
VisitScotland has subcontracted the handling of enquiries via the visitscotland.com website to a company called eTourism Ltd. Many B&B owners in Scotland are unhappy with the results of this policy.
We want to help tackle this situation in the interests of Scottish B&B owners and of tourism to Scotland - especially its rural areas where B&Bs represent the only accommodation.
We are very keen to hear from any B&B owner in Scotland who can help us compile a body of evidence about the effectiveness of visitscotland.com.
Contact us today to give us your views.
The Bed and Breakfast Association was formed to inform members of matters affecting their businesses, including imminent legislative changes, to represent members' interests in consultations with Government and others, and to provide information and support services to members. There are many reasons to join us.
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