Staff 'owed £23k in wages' after hotel closure

The Angel Hotel, in Lavenham, ceased trading last month due to financial difficulties

A hospitality manager has launched a fundraiser for his colleagues after they lost out on thousands of pounds in wages following the closure of a historic hotel.

The Angel Hotel, in Lavenham, Suffolk, which is more than 600-years old, ceased trading on 12 February due to financial difficulties.

Andrew Guy, the venue’s head chef and manager, told the BBC that 24 staff members - including himself - are owed more than £23,000 of wages.

Hotel owner John Raines, who took over in 2017, has not been available for comment.

Former employees at the Angel Hotel say they have been left out of pocket

"I don't think they [the owners] have racked up these bills to have a load of people over - they have lost absolutely everything and it’s not a smash and grab," he said.

"It’s not like they've got a house in the Bahamas or Lamborghinis, and you can't say they are bad people - we’re all human beings at the end of the day.”

'There's no money trees'

Mr Guy, 43, said he and his colleagues are owed £6,330.70 for the work they did between December and January, including on Christmas Day, and a further £17,131.48 for the shifts they put in from 21 January to 12 February, when the hotel “abruptly” closed.

He has now launched a fundraiser on behalf of his colleagues in a bid to generate enough money to cover what they are all owed, but it has so far only received £1,100.

He said some staff wanted the owners to use their own money to resolve the unpaid wages, but hoped people could still show compassion towards them.

"There are no money trees around, it's a myth," added Mr Guy, who believes the Angel Hotel will open again in the future and become a "raving success".

"I don't expect everyone to foot the bill but all these fundraising pages should be somebody else's problem, but they're not, and that's why they are there."

He said energy provider EDF was also owed £78,000, leading to the power being shut off at the venue.

'Staff are stuck'

A former bar manager, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC they were present on the day the venue shut.

They claimed there were given a 10-minute warning before EDF shut off the power.

"There's been massive resentment toward the owners for a while, but has been only amplified by the situation of closure," they added.

"But the decision to leave is not a light one, and staff are stuck in this financial cycle."

The timber-framed Angel Hotel, which is a Grade II-listed building and boasts medieval vaulted cellars, was opened in 1420.

But, according to Campaign For Real Ale (Camra), the building itself could date back to at least two centuries earlier.

The 15th Century hotel was under the same family ownership from 1990 until 2011, before being taken over by celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White.

His time at the helm proved controversial, however, not least with locals, who felt its pale pink makeover "lowered the tone".

Following intervention by Babergh District Council, it was replaced with a more traditional, darker, Suffolk Pink.

Hotel owner Mr Raines, who took over in 2017, has been approached for comment.

EDF has been contacted for comment.