Industry ‘crying out for clarity’

PEOPLE running hospitality businesses in Wales are crying out for clarity from the Welsh Government over the reopening of their livelihoods.

Last Monday, hospitality businesses in England were able to reopen outdoors for the first time in 2021.

However, in Wales businesses are not allowed to reopen for another two weeks until April 26.

This has caused much frustration among people in the industry but it is not the only source of their anger. There is also a perception that, despite the Welsh Government claiming to have the most comprehensive support for businesses in the UK, that they have moved the goal posts by not announcing new funding after March 31.

Business owners also say that, unlike in England and Scotland, there are no reopening grants to help businesses with initial expenses like purchasing stock.

On top of this many owners say that there is a lack of clarity over what the rules will be when they reopen, meaning that they are not sure if it is even viable.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We have set out a series of measures to relax restrictions through April and May, subject to public health conditions being favourable. We continue to take a careful step-bystep approach.

“We have made unprecedented levels of funding available to support Welsh businesses during these incredibly challenging times, with a full 12-month rates holiday package until March 2022 for those in the hardest hit sectors. To date, we have provided more than £2bn in business support during the pandemic, safeguarding 165,000 Welsh jobs.”

It added: “The Welsh Government has prioritised the full reopening of education ahead of hospitality. Since Monday, all children and students in Wales have been able to return to face-toface education.”