Business

Restaurant boss says minimum wage rise ‘disaster waiting to happen’ for hospitality

Published

4 months ago

November 25, 2025

“If people – politicians, decision makers, landlords, councillors – don’t start understanding just how fragile this sector is becoming, the places they love simply won’t be here in a year or two.”

A LEADING Milford Haven publican has warned that next year’s minimum wage increase could push many Pembrokeshire pubs and restaurants “off a cliff”, saying the hospitality sector can no longer absorb rising costs.

Dan Mills, owner of Martha’s Vineyard on the Milford waterfront, said the decision to raise the National Living Wage to £12.71 an hour from April will hit small independent businesses hardest at a time when margins are already under intense pressure.

The rise is part of the UK Government’s plan to boost the earnings of lower-paid workers. But Mr Mills said the cumulative effect of wage rises, tax changes and energy prices was becoming unsustainable.

‘We can’t just absorb the cost’
Reacting to the announcement, Mr Mills said the assumption that hospitality businesses can simply absorb rising costs “couldn’t be further from the truth”.

“We’re already running on margins that get smaller by the month, and this government seems determined to squeeze every last drop out of us,” he said.

“Energy costs are going up, ingredients are going up, rents are going up, business rates are going up and VAT is absolutely crippling the industry. Meanwhile our customers, real people, families, are already struggling under the weight of this government in their everyday lives. We can only pass on so much before they simply stop coming out.”

Concerns for local suppliers
Mr Mills stressed that the impact would not fall solely on pubs and restaurants but also on their wider supply chain – including Pembrokeshire’s farmers, fishermen and local producers.

“Hospitality isn’t some faceless industry,” he said. “It’s my team, it’s our local suppliers, it’s the farmers who raise the beef and grow the potatoes, the fishermen who land the lobsters, the families who choose to spend their hard-earned money with us. It’s our town, county and community.”

He said pubs and restaurants could adapt and innovate, “as we always do here”, but warned that rising fixed costs were pushing the sector towards breaking point.

***More costs for businesses is ‘economic suicide’, Dan Mills warned on Tuesday***

‘Driven off a cliff’
“This is bordering on economic suicide for small businesses like mine, and thousands of others who are the backbone of our communities,” he said.

“If people – politicians, decision makers, landlords, councillors – don’t start understanding just how fragile this sector is becoming, the places they love simply won’t be here in a year or two.”

He added that for him the issue was not political but personal: “It’s livelihoods and it’s our community. And right now, it feels like we’re being driven off a cliff.”

Pembrokeshire context
Hospitality is one of the biggest employers in Pembrokeshire, with tourism-related businesses making up a major part of the local economy. Industry groups have warned previously that continued above-inflation wage rises, coupled with VAT pressures and energy costs, risk causing closures over the next two years.

Responding to the Chancellor’s announcement, The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates Chief Executive Andy Slee said cost of living pressures were real, but the burden of implementing wage rises fell hardest on small employers.

“Cost of living pressures are very real for people and we all want to see living standards rise. However, the responsibility of delivering wage increases is most felt by small businesses, including small independent breweries who are already facing significant pressures,” he said.

“We have lost more than 100 breweries in the past year and more tell us they are on the edge. If they close, there won’t be any jobs at all.”

Mr Slee added that the removal of age-based pay bands failed to reflect the additional training and development required for younger workers entering the sector.

“Brewing is a skilled job and we want to encourage more young people to enter the sector, but continuing to close the aged-based pay gap does not take account of the additional training and development that young people need,” he said.

He urged the Chancellor to use tomorrow’s Budget to support the industry by expanding Draught Relief.

“Tomorrow’s Budget is the opportunity for the Chancellor to offset these challenges for breweries by expanding the Draught Relief to 20% or more. This would mean that beer mostly sold in pubs has a lower rate of beer duty, bringing benefits to beer drinkers and small breweries around the country.”

The Treasury said the new rates aim to balance “the needs of workers, the affordability for businesses and the opportunities for employment”.

The minimum wage rise will come into effect in April 2026.

Business

Oil firm praised for putting customers first during price surge

Published

2 days ago

March 14, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A PEMBROKESHIRE heating oil supplier has been praised by a local customer after choosing to honour its original prices despite a sharp rise in fuel costs.

Sarah Maling contacted The Herald after receiving a delivery from J E Lawrence & Son Ltd, saying the company had prioritised fairness to customers during a period of intense demand.

The customer had ordered around 800 litres of heating oil on March 2 after her tank began running low. However, due to extremely high demand, the company was unable to deliver until Friday (Mar 13). Despite heating oil prices increasing rapidly since the order was placed, the firm honoured the original quoted price and delivered 500 litres instead, ensuring more households could receive some oil.

Sarah said the delivery driver arrived at her home at around 11:30am after already completing 27 deliveries that day.

She said: “Prices have gone insane since I ordered yet they stuck with the quoted price and delivered 500 litres and explained why in the letter.

“This is putting the customer before profit and making sure everyone who needs oil will hopefully get oil at a more affordable price.

“I just wanted it acknowledged that not all delivery companies are out to make a profit but care about their customers – the people of Pembrokeshire.”

The letter included with the delivery explained that distributors across the sector had cancelled existing orders as prices surged last week.

However, the company said it had chosen not to cancel earlier orders and instead decided to limit deliveries so that more customers would receive some fuel.

The letter stated: “We have experienced huge volumes of orders and deliveries are now taking two to three weeks.

“Most distributors cancelled existing orders when prices increased rapidly last week, and those customers had to go to the back of a very long queue with another supplier.

“We have chosen not to do that and your original price has been honoured.”

The company added that limiting deliveries was the only way to ensure all customers could receive oil during the current supply pressures.

It apologised for the inconvenience caused but said the situation was being driven by “a very uncertain climate which is outside our control”.

Business

Legal action backed in case over development at Dinas Cross

Published

3 days ago

March 14, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

LEGAL action against a landowner, who repeatedly failed to comply with an enforcement notice served back in 2023, has been backed by Pembrokeshire’s national park.

Members of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s March development management committee meeting were asked to back delegated authority for prosecution proceedings in the magistrates’ court for failure to comply with steps required to be taken by an enforcement notice on land to the south of Parc Yr Eglwys, Brynhenllan, Dinas Cross.

A report for the committee said that, in May 2023, the park received a complaint that a green field in the open countryside had been stripped of its vegetation and turned into a mobile home park by the new landowners.

Following a site inspection, a planning contravention notice was served in relation to the removal of hedgebanks/hedgerows, widening of the existing access, alterations to ground levels, construction of a track and the siting of a storage container.

After that, a 2024 retrospective planning application was received by the park seeking retention of the hardstanding area, siting of storage container and additional landscape works, which was refused that May.

“As no voluntary steps were taken to remedy the breach of planning control and no appeal made against the refusal of planning permission, the Authority considered it expedient to issue and serve an Enforcement Notice as the development and use of the land resulted in an unnecessary incursion into the rural countryside which causes a significant visual intrusion to the detriment of the special qualities of the National Park,” the report said.

An enforcement notice was service in January 2025, but, the following month, the landowner lodged an appeal with Planning & Environment Decisions Wales, which was dismissed that June; the enforcement notice taking effect.

A further application, seeking permission for a small-scale seasonal campsite on the land was received in June 2025, subsequently refused that October; officers confirming to the landowner the enforcement notice remained in effect, running through to January 3 of this year.

A site inspection undertaken by officers on January 6 confirmed the breach of planning control continued, the report added.

This was followed by a further planning application seeking to regularise the development on January 21.

That application was refused on March 9.

The report concluded: “The landowner has had multiple opportunities to regularise the development through both retrospective applications and an appeal against the enforcement notice. Those processes have not resulted in permission being granted nor compliance being achieved.

“The continued failure to comply with the enforcement notice undermines the integrity of the planning system and public confidence in its proper operation.

“It also results in an unnecessary incursion into the rural countryside which causes a significant visual intrusion to the detriment of the special qualities of the National Park.

“Officers therefore consider it expedient and in the public interest to pursue prosecution proceedings should the breach remain unresolved.”

Members backed the recommendation.

Business

Tesco B&Q Haverfordwest click and collect pod approved

Published

3 days ago

March 14, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a B&Q ‘click and collect’ pod at a Pembrokeshire supermarket, to save customers having a make a round trip of nearly 60 miles to the nearest home improvement store, have been approved.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, B&Q Ltd, through agent Pyrke Planning, sought permission to install a modular ‘Click and Collect’ pod, with associated livery and signage, on the access road to Haverfordwest’s Portfield Road Tesco Extra superstore.

The application included a related scheme for signage for the proposal.

A supporting statement said: “This planning application seeks permission for the installation of a Click and Collect pod to be operated by B&Q Limited within the car park of the Tesco Extra store at Portfield Road, Haverfordwest.

“It does not involve any construction but simply the placing of a modular unit within the car park which, together with dedicated collection spaces, will take up 12 parking spaces and be situated within the customer car park.

“B&Q Limited (B&Q) is the UK’s largest home improvement retailer, serving both the general public and tradespeople. It supplies a wide range of DIY, home improvement and garden products, primarily from its stores across the UK but also through its online website.

“The trial of a new fulfilment service – B&Q Collect – in partnership with Tesco, is another step forward in their evolution. It gives customers greater choice over how they collect and return their items and helps make it easier to do their home improvement projects.

“B&Q does not have a store in Haverfordwest, with the nearest outlets being situated in Carmarthen (28 miles), Llanelli (37 miles) and Swansea (46 miles).

“It is consequently proposed to introduce a click and collect option for DIY customers and local tradespeople to allow next day collection of products which it is inconvenient for people to have delivered at home and to remove the need for a minimum c.50-mile plus round trip to one of the established stores.”

No objections to the proposal were raised by Haverfordwest Town Council.

The application, and the related signage scheme, were conditionally approved by county planners.