Staff, managers and owners of English language schools will meet outside Parliament in July to demonstrate over the lack of government support for the ELT industry.

The protest, on the afternoon of 19 July, will call on the government to provide business rates relief for all ELT centres from the start of the pandemic until 2022 as well as targeted grant support. Participants are asking their MPs to meet them to discuss these issues and raise them with the government.

The College Green event will also greet colleagues who have travelled 500 miles from York via UKLC centres to highlight the plight of ELT and raise money for industry charity the Eddie Byers Fund.

“We’ve done a lot of lobbying for business rates relief in the last 18 months, including getting 36 Conservative MPs to write to the Prime Minister, and our members have been fantastic in writing letters to their MPs, local councillors and more.

“This was a great opportunity to get everyone together for a last big lobbying push before Parliament goes into recess for the summer, and cheer on our colleagues from UKLC who have walked and cycled between their centres to raise awareness of our problems,” said membership director Huan Japes.

The UKLC fundraising event, 500 miles for UK ELT, will travel from York to London, with final stages on 19 July of a cycle ride from Chichester to London King’s College and Queen Mary University and a walk to College Green in Westminster. They hope to raise £3000 for the Eddie Byers Fund.