Lake District businesses risk having 'to close their doors' due to Government migration plans
Watch Fiona Marley Patterson's report
Hospitality businesses say they face having to close their doors as a result of the Government's proposed immigration rules.
The government says it is essential to reduce the immigration numbers in the UK from the current record high to improve community cohesion and protect public services.
However, the news was met with dismay by businesses and politicians in the Lake District and Cumbria with the hospitality industry in particular reliant on workers from abroad in the summer months.
Miguel Sanchez came to Windermere from Spain 14 years ago, starting as a waiter before progressing to become the general manager of the Windermere Hotel in the town. The Lake District has become home for him and his family but he believes the Government's proposals will prevent others from following in his footsteps.
"Many of the people that came with me have left," he explained. "They came for a couple of years. They save money. They paid their taxes and then they left and went back to their countries.
"Some of us, we decided to stay and build a life here but with the new rules, it just won't be possible."
At the Windermere Hotel, 90% of the workforce are from international backgrounds. Without foreign workers, Mr Sanchez believes there will be not enough people to fill Cumbria's hospitality jobs.
"It's impossible to bring talent from abroad," he said. "So we are at a standstill point and I think that next season is going to be difficult for us.
"The last two people we hired are a couple that come from Sri Lanka. They are brilliant.
"With the old rules, she was able to come and study, work for 20 hours during term time and later she can work 40 hours after term time while her husband can work full time.
"But with the new rules, she would be able to come but not with her husband and that probably would be a deal breaker. Without them, probably we wouldn't be able to open our doors."
There is a similar feeling across the area with other businesses scared that the proposals could force them to close.
"Businesses just can't believe what's happened," explained Gill Haigh, Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism. "They are really frustrated by it.
"I've had one business that's emailed me this morning to say that this could be the difference between them surviving and having to close their doors.
"The bottom line is you've got a super ageing population here in Cumbria, and that just means that there are not enough people within the county to fill the jobs that we've got.
"It just feels like a really shortsighted decision by the Government that is actually going to affect our economy."
The Government say that the changes have been made to encourage businesses to employ more British workers.
"The simple truth of the matter is we have analysed the figures, we know which sectors have brought in the most people," said Home Secretary James Cleverly in the House of Commons debate. "The hospitality sector is an incredibly important sector in the UK, a fantastic employer of local people.
"That's what we want to see in that sector."
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