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

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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

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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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Business

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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