One of Britain’s most famous seaside theme parks has had to cut down its operating hours after Rachel Reeves’ so-called jobs tax put its wage bill “through the roof”.
James Mellors, director of the Mellors Group which owns Fantasy Island, said the much-loved attraction is “absolutely getting punched” by soaring labour costs and energy bills.
Difficult decisions have been made to help bring down overheads. The theme park is now opening five days a week rather than seven during the off-peak season and shutting earlier in a bid to save money.
Fantasy Island is one of the biggest employers in the area but has also had to reduce its number of seasonal workers by about 50 (15%) as part of the cost-cutting measures, with the business facing up to a £400,000 hit in National Insurance contributions alone.
“I feel like we’re getting hit in more ways than one,” Mr Mellors said. “We’re absolutely getting punched.
“Our electricity has gone up – it was £600,000 in 2022, we’re now over £1 million… so we’re closing two days, we’ve got to reduce power.”
