News

Letter to Drakeford: The impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality sector

Published

6 years ago

June 22, 2020

IN AN OPEN letter from the Pembrokeshire hospitality industry, business leaders have written to the First Minister to express their concern regarding uncertainty over the lockdown being lifted.

The letter has been singed by seven of the county’s top hospitality businesses owners. The letter reads as follows:

Dear First Minister,

Re: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Pembrokeshire Hospitality Sector – An open letter from the industry

We operate numerous hospitality businesses within Pembrokeshire and write to outline our collective concerns about the significant challenges that we face from the impact of COVID-19. Our industry is one that has been most affected by the Government measures that have been put in place to control the spread of the virus in Wales. It is now at a critical point as we face increasing financial pressures and great uncertainty for the future. We ask that you listen to the views of our sector and urge you to take them into consideration.

We were very pleased to see the leisure, tourism and non-essential retailers given the green light to open during your recent announcement on Friday 19th June. This announcement has provided a sense of optimism and an important lifeline for businesses operating within these sectors. Sadly, the lack of reference to our own sector, has highlighted Welsh Government’s lack of recognition of the important contribution that the hospitality industry makes to the Welsh economy, the visitor experience and to the quality of life for residents in Wales.

The hospitality industry is a fundamental part of tourism in west Wales and we are concerned that this has not been acknowledged at a Ministerial level. The west Wales tourism experience is intertwined with accommodation, leisure and hospitality business working together to deliver the unique brand that has been successfully developed over the years. This symbiotic relationship is key. They rely on one another to attract, entertain and accommodate tourists and will not work successfully without the other.

We understand from your statement, and the subsequent detail released, it appears that pubs and restaurants will be closed for a further 5-6 weeks. This means that the industry will have been dormant for nearly four months with still no clear picture of a road to recovery provided for our businesses. This will have a far-reaching and devasting effect on the sector with thousands of jobs across west Wales, and the whole of Wales, now at risk.

For the industry in Pembrokeshire, we rely heavily on a good spring/ summer tourism season which helps sustain us through the winter months. Being closed for one third of the year will pile unimaginable pressure upon us as we fight with every breath to keep staff and suppliers paid and our businesses afloat.
We have been left in an uncertain and worrying position at a time when we need strong leadership to help support us through this extremely vulnerable period. We now urgently call upon you to review and reconsider your position on the hospitality industry. We ask that you give due attention to the critical areas of support (listed below) that we need to give us a lifeline and prevent the collapse of business for so many in our sector.

Our industry asks you to…
1. Offer a detailed pathway out of lockdown. We need to be provided with set dates subject to continued control of the “R” number;
2. Review financial support via grants to the sector. This needs to address the prolonged closure faced by this industry compared to others who have already begun to trade normally yet have received the same level of grant funding. Co-financing of Job Retention Scheme from July will be impossible with zero income. Welsh Government must intervene, or risk thousands of jobs being lost.
3. Provide strong and enforceable commercial lease guidance. This will allow operators to seek rent-free periods from their landlords. Welsh Government must either make funding available to remove barriers currently created by landlords or create a financial incentive.
4. Revisit the 2m social distancing rule. We acknowledge the 2m rule has been critical in controlling the virus in Wales. However, we ask that this is reviewed in line with other nations and reduce the 2m social distancing rule. We do not believe that it is sustainable and will make the difference between businesses achieving profitability or collapsing.
5. Provide positive communication about the sector. Positive communication and engagement with the sector are vital at this time. It would help to re-build confidence and forge a closer working relationship between Welsh Government and the sector as we move forward in these uncertain times.
We are professional business people who have the ability to work with Welsh Government and with all the necessary guidelines issued. We must be given the responsibility to work collaboratively across our industry to ensure that we can safely get back to business in the coming weeks.

We ask that you give consideration to the voices of the industry echoed in this letter.

Kind Regards,

Dan Mills – DM Catering (Pembs) Ltd
Martha’s Vineyard, Milford Haven

Oli Blakiston – B.G. Betterspoons Ltd & West Coast Inn’s Ltd
The Sloop Inn, Porthgain; The Farmers Arms, Fishguard; The Bishops, St David’s; The Royal Oak, Newport & St Davids Cross Hotel, St David’s.

Simon Vickers
The Griffin, Dale

Ross Barnes
The Buccaneer Inn, Tenby; Harbwr Bar and Kitchen, Saundersfoot & Harbwr Brewery, Pembrokeshire

Chris Vane – Coco’s Pembs Ltd
Coco’s Restaurant, Milford Haven & Coco’s Brasserie, Dale

Shayne Busby
The Lounge, Milford Haven & Foam, Milford Haven

Matt & Helen John
The Swan Inn, Little Haven

News

Parties make final push as Wales prepares to vote in historic Senedd election

Published

13 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Campaign leaders criss-cross country in last-minute battle for crucial votes

WALES heads to the polls tomorrow (Thursday, May 7) after a frenetic final day of campaigning that saw party leaders, candidates and activists make one last push to win over undecided voters in what is being described as the most unpredictable Senedd election in modern Welsh history.

With polling stations due to open at 7:00am, parties spent Wednesday targeting key battleground constituencies across the country, including the new Ceredigion Penfro seat, amid growing expectations of a fragmented Senedd and a dramatic shake-up in Welsh politics.

The election is the first to be held under Wales’ new expanded Senedd system, with 96 Members of the Senedd being elected across 16 large constituencies using a proportional closed-list voting system.

Reform UK appeared to finish the campaign with significant momentum following a major rally on Tuesday attended by party leader Nigel Farage. The event drew large crowds and considerable online attention as Reform attempted to convert strong polling figures into seats in Cardiff Bay for the first time.

Farage used the rally to attack both Labour and Plaid Cymru, while positioning Reform as the party of “change” for disillusioned voters. Reform campaigners have focused heavily on immigration, cost of living pressures and opposition to what they describe as “wasteful government spending.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth spent the final day presenting his party as the main alternative to both Labour and Reform UK, insisting Plaid could “build a fairer Wales” while warning against what he described as “divisive politics.”

Labour figures, including First Minister Eluned Morgan and deputy leader Huw Irranca-Davies, urged voters not to “take risks” with public services, arguing only Welsh Labour could protect the NHS and local councils during a period of economic uncertainty.

Labour activists were heavily focused on turnout operations in traditional strongholds, amid polling suggesting the party could lose ground after decades as the dominant force in Welsh politics.

The Conservatives attempted to rally core voters with warnings about both Labour and Reform, while also focusing on farming, the rural economy and healthcare waiting lists.

In west Wales, Conservative candidates Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz spent the day meeting voters and carrying out final campaign visits across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, arguing their experience and local knowledge would be important under the new electoral system.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party also maintained visible campaigns in several areas, hoping tactical voting and the proportional voting system could help them secure representation.

Across Wales, campaign teams handed out leaflets outside transport hubs, supermarkets and town centres, while social media campaigning intensified throughout the day.

Political analysts believe turnout could prove decisive, particularly because the new voting system means relatively small shifts in support could determine the allocation of the fifth and sixth seats in many constituencies.

The campaign has been dominated by debates over the NHS, farming, the economy, transport, tourism and the rising cost of living, alongside concerns about the future direction of Welsh devolution.

Polling stations open across Wales from 7:00am until 10:00pm on Thursday, with counting due to begin on Friday morning.

The Herald will provide live election coverage online throughout polling day and count day, including updates from count centres, candidate interviews and reaction as results emerge from across west Wales and the rest of the country.

News

Plaid Cymru projected to lead Senedd as Labour faces historic collapse

Published

13 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Final poll suggests Welsh politics could be on the brink of a major realignment

PLAID CYMRU is on course to become the largest party in the Senedd, according to the final YouGov MRP projection for ITV Cymru Wales before polling day.

The model suggests Labour’s century-long dominance of Welsh elections could be coming to an end, with Plaid projected to win 43 seats in the newly expanded 96-member Senedd.

Reform UK is forecast to finish second on 34 seats, while Labour is projected to fall to just 12.

The poll, based on responses from more than 4,600 adults between April 25 and May 4, puts Plaid Cymru on 33% of the vote, ahead of Reform UK on 29%. Labour is on 12%, the Conservatives on 9%, the Greens on 8% and the Liberal Democrats on 6%.

Labour facing major losses

The projection points to a dramatic collapse in Labour support across Wales.

YouGov’s central estimate would represent a notional loss of 32 seats for Labour compared with the 2021 result under the new electoral system.

It would also be Labour’s worst result at any major Welsh election since 1906.

The model suggests Labour may fail to top the poll in any of the 16 new Senedd constituencies, and could return no members at all in four of them.

In west Wales, Labour’s support is projected to have fallen into single figures in some areas.

First Minister Eluned Morgan, who leads Labour’s list in Ceredigion Penfro, could also be at risk if the projection proves accurate.

Reform surge

Reform UK is projected to make major gains, rising from just 1% of the vote in 2021 to 29% in the final pre-election model.

The party’s support appears to be spread widely across Wales, though it is weaker in Cardiff and strongest in parts of the south Wales valleys.

One of the most striking projections is in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, which includes the Merthyr Tydfil area where Keir Hardie was elected as Wales’s first Labour MP in 1900.

There, YouGov’s central estimate puts Reform UK narrowly ahead on 34%, Plaid Cymru on 33%, and Labour on 14%.

Smaller parties

The Conservatives are projected to win just four seats, which would be their weakest devolved election result.

That would leave them one short of the five members needed to form an official political group in the Senedd.

The Greens are forecast to enter the Senedd for the first time, winning two seats in Cardiff.

The Liberal Democrats are projected to win one seat in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, keeping Jane Dodds in the Senedd.

No majority expected

No party is projected to win the 49 seats needed for an outright majority.

YouGov’s modelling suggests Plaid Cymru would be best placed to lead the next Welsh Government, but would probably need support from another party.

Plaid and Labour together reach a majority in most of the model’s simulations, while a Plaid-Green arrangement does so far less often.

A Reform-Conservative majority appears unlikely in the projection.

Under the new D’Hondt voting system, small movements in vote share could still make a significant difference, particularly for the final seats in each constituency.

Polling stations open tomorrow, Thursday, May 7.