IT could be last orders for many in the hospitality industry unless the Scottish Government steps up its support for the trade.

That's the warning from the City Hotel Group, which owns pubs, nightclubs, restaurants and hotels across West Fife.

They're also behind the ambitious new plans to turn the old post office in Dunfermline into a top restaurant but the whole industry is suffering due to Covid restrictions and ban on serving alcohol.

The company's Scott Adamson said: “We’re using up the group's working capital at an alarming rate and that cannot go on forever. It will get to the point when we will have to close some of our venues.

“It’s costing us money to keep open the few places we have still trading but those venues that are closed are also costing us as well. We still need to pay for the national insurance, pensions and ongoing maintenance and it’s not an insignificant amount of money. By March we’d be lucky if we have 10 to 12 weeks of restricted trading this year.”

He continued: “There are businesses that are getting help and then others that aren’t. Similar businesses to ours have been given six figure sums but when we have filled out applications we’ve received nothing.

“Any additional funds released to help specific sectors within the hospitality industry are generally insufficient, vastly oversubscribed and practically impossible to access.

“The Scottish Government need to start helping the businesses that are suffering or there will be massive job losses in the coming months."

Mr Adamson said the freeze on business rates must be continued next year and asked for direct help from the Scottish Government to help businesses that have got the best chance of surviving.

He has been backed by Fife MSP Alex Rowley who warned that many popular venues in our town centres will not be there next year if action is not taken.

The Labour MSP said: “I have met with many of these businesses and whilst they welcome the UK furlough scheme which pays 80 percent of the wages of staff, they point out that running costs like maintenance, utilities and additional furlough costs still have to be paid. If these businesses collapse then the jobs will not be there when the furlough ends."

Mr Adamson said: “I understand measures have to be put in place but the hospitality industry has made changes to accommodate this. We’ve seen our turnover just erode each week and that’s why we’ve closed most our venues.

“It would be heartening to the business community if those appointed to distribute essential business support funds would spend as much time offering this support as finding ways not to.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Every decision we take has the sole objective of trying to keep the country as safe as possible and to get it through what we hope is now the final stage of the pandemic, with as few lives lost and as little harm to health – and, indeed, as little harm to the overall economy – as possible.

“Clearly, if we do not properly control the virus, the damage to the economy becomes worse, and the effects will be even longer lasting. We are doing everything we can with the powers we have to help businesses, offering support which now exceeds £2.3 billion and provides grants to businesses required by law to close, and includes 100 per cent rates relief for pubs and restaurants for the year.”