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Applications open for restrictions business fund grants

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APPLICATIONS are now open to the Restrictions Business Fund introduced to support business sectors impacted by the additional Covid-19 restrictions put in place by the Welsh Government on 4th December.

The fund is primarily directed at the hospitality, tourism and leisure related sectors.

The purpose is to aid businesses into the New Year with cash flow support to help them survive the economic consequences of the restrictions put in place.

Hospitality businesses – including cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and accommodation providers such as hotels – which received the NNDR firebreak grant from Pembrokeshire County Council should receive payments via the Restrictions Business Fund into their bank account before Christmas.

If no payment has been received by Christmas then an application will be required. A form for this will be live from Monday, 4th January.

There are two elements to the fund being administered by Pembrokeshire County Council:

  • The ERF Restrictions NDR Business Fund
  • ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant

Potential applicants are asked to read the details and eligibility criteria https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support and ensure they apply to the correct fund and only if they are eligible.

Under the ERF Restrictions NDR Business Fund there are three grants available.

Grant A: Businesses in the hospitality sectors that are in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) and have a rateable value of £12,000 or less will be eligible for a £3,000 payment. Tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses qualifying for SBRR will also be eligible for support if they have greater than 40% reduction in turnover during the restriction period.

Grant B: Hospitality businesses with a rateable value of between £12,001 and £51,000 being eligible for a £5,000 payment if they are forced to close. Tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses in the same rateable value bracket will also be eligible for this support if they have greater than 40% reduction in turnover during the restriction period.

Grant C: Hospitality businesses with a rateable value of between £51,001 and £150,000 being eligible for a £5,000 payment if impacted by the restrictions. Tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses in the same rateable value bracket will also be eligible for this support if they have greater than 40% reduction in turnover during the restriction period.

For more information and to apply to the ERF NDR Restrictions Fund, see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support/restrictions-business-fund

ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant

The Council will continue delivering the Lockdown Discretionary Grant to businesses and sole traders that have been directly impacted by the additional restrictions stated on 4th December.

As with the firebreak, this grant will continue to be targeted at businesses that are not on the NDR system and therefore not eligible for the NDR linked grants.

A discretionary grant of £2,000 is available to assist businesses that have been forced or required to close as a result of the restrictions.

The grant is also available to businesses which are able to demonstrate that the restrictions will result in at least a 40% reduction in their estimated turnover for December 2020 as compared to December 2019 (or September 2020 if not trading in December 2019).

Applications for the ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant will be dealt with on a first come first served basis. This may lead to applications not being appraised after they have been submitted if the fund is fully committed.

For more information and to apply to the ERF Restrictions Discretionary Grant, see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support/restrictions-business-fund-discretionary-grant

It is reiterated that the Restrictions Business Fund outlined above relates to the restrictions put in place on 4th December and not those announced earlier this week and due to come into force later in December.

For more details on the Restrictions Business Fund see: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support

Given the Christmas and New Year break and volume of applications expected, applicants are kindly asked to be patient as the details are processed.

All payments for successful applications will be received within 30 days.

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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