Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visited a holiday park in Kent to see the effects of millions of pounds of investment into UK businesses.
Ms Reeves attended Haven Kent Coast Holiday Park in Allhallows near Rochester today where work is underway on a “first of its kind” £10 million leisure facility.
The politician visited the newly opened Wetherspoon’s pub, The London Stone, and also oversaw work on the £10 million swimming pool to be opened this winter, which includes an Aqua Play area and water slide.
The Chancellor also toured newly built holiday homes and met with both guests and Haven team members, including some of the company’s 119 apprentices.
Ms Reeves said the investment from Haven into its parks demonstrated businesses were confident in the government’s handling of the UK economy and would create new jobs.
She said: “This is a sign of confidence in the UK economy and in the Kent economy.
“As a result of this investment we’re going to have better family holidays here in Kent, around 100 extra jobs just at this one site in Kent, and more growth in the economy.
“If we’re going to grow the economy we need to bring investment into our economy and it’s investment over the last decade or more that has really been absent from the UK economy.
“So to see businesses and international investors backing Britain with investments like this £143 million investment in Great British holidays, that is a real sign of confidence.”
Haven has put a total of £660 million into upgrading facilities, new holiday homes and improved dining across its 39 parks in England, Scotland and Wales since 2021 and is celebrating a record-breaking 3.7 million visitors this year. This year is has invested £140 million alone.
The Haven Kent Coast employs 450 people from March to New Year and offers over 1,100 pitches.
Ms Reeves added that despite employer’s national insurance rises, the government had made changes to prevent this negatively impacting small businesses.
She continued: “The higher national living wage and the higher national minimum wage means more money in the pockets of working people here in Kent.
“That’s more money going into businesses but most importantly supporting hard-working families here and across the country.
“I do recognise things are often tough, particularly for smaller businesses, and that’s why we exempted the smallest businesses from paying any national insurance contributions at all.
“So if you’re a small business employing the equivalent of four people on the national living wage you will pay no national insurance whatsoever.
“For a million small businesses it’s either less national insurance or the same national insurance as what you were paying previously.”
Simon Palethorpe, CEO Haven said: “We’re investing significant capital to give customers more of what they love, more familiar brands, more and better facilities, more choice of holiday homes.
“The UK hospitality industry provides over three million jobs and is vital to the country’s economy.
“I’m delighted that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been able to come and see for herself the value we provide to the communities in which we operate, the people who come to our parks and our team who look after them.”
