Appeal to Drakeford to take pub landlords ‘seriously’
ACROSS the border in England landlords are anticipating to reopen within a matter of weeks.
And further north in Scotland pub owners are also expecting to start up trading again in some form by the end of April.
But here in Wales, no date has been given as to when the hospitality trade will be able to start planning to open its doors again.
When First Minister Mark Drakeford was asked by reporters what the industry could expect, he warned the reopening of pubs would not be included in the next two three-week reviews, which will be on March 12 and April 2.
Now one Cardiff landlord has called on the First Minister to “listen to us” and asked for some more certainty.
St Canna’s Ale House landlord James Karran said: “I would say to Mark, he’s got to listen to us. Hospitality is a huge business for Wales. He’s got to be willing to listen.
“And sometimes I feel that his attitude to the hospitality industry is that it’s an afterthought or it’s something he does not see as a main priority.
“I understand there are other priorities but hospitality is hugely important so we want to be seen to be treated with respect and also to take us seriously.”
In England pubs and restaurants will be allowed to open indoors no earlier than May 17. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced recently it would follow outdoor only service, which should be allowed from April 12.
No curfew will be in place, but the “rule of six” will apply to dining indoors.
And further north in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said pubs and restaurants could open in the last week of April to serve food.
Although sceptical of having specific dates announced, James said even having a month to work towards could help.
He said: “It’s all the uncertainty about the future knowing when we’re going to be able to reopen again and what the restrictions are going to be. So it’s been difficult.
“It would definitely be nice to have a date to work towards but to be honest I’m a bit sceptical of dates.
“If the last 12 months have told us anything its that this can’t be planned for. Who knows when a new variant might pop up.
“So even if we did have a date I think I’d take it with a pinch of salt and use it as a rough guide.”
St Canna’s Ale House is one of the smallest pubs in the capital.
James decided to set up the pub on Llandaff Road in 2017, with the vision of having a proper community spot providing a different experience to the chain pubs found across the city.
He hopes this appeal will mean pubs make a comeback when they eventually reopen.
James said: “I think the pubs will make a comeback. The pub for me has always been more than just a place for somewhere to drink.
“It’s a community, a hub, where people gather and meet and form relationships.
“Those things will always be there. We’re humans and we will always love to interact and meet others.
“It will definitely come back but how long it takes is more of a worry.
“It’ll be a gradual thing because initially people might be a bit hesitant to come out to the pub again, just because we’ve had such a long time without it being a possibility. But I definitely think they will make a comeback.”
James also acknowledged the tough balancing act between safety and the economy, but hopes the vaccine will be the key to some sort of “normality” in the coming months.
He said: “I think it’s the unclarity. They have tried to be more clear this time about times and a roadmap, but the best we’ve had from Mark Drakeford is to say that hospitality won’t be mentioned in the next two reviews which would take us to the end of April.
“And I think that would roughly be in line with Scotland and maybe a bit after England. So it is difficult.”
Last year the pub crowdfunded more than £12,000 to help transform its garden into a space that can be enjoyed all year round regardless of the conditions.
During this lockdown the pub has started serving takeaway pints on Fridays and Saturdays, but the income is far below what a normal weekend would see.
James said: “It’s been really difficult. It’s been a tough time. We’ve been closed since December so we haven’t been able to do anything apart from takeaways on a Friday and Saturday.
“But that’s just loose change really, that’s nothing compared to what we’d normally be taking.”