North Wales Member of the Welsh Parliament Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to give Bed and Breakfast businesses the support they need amid the Covid-19 pandemic following warnings from them that they will not survive without it.
Mr Isherwood has been contacted by a number of Bed and Breakfasts across his regional constituency in recent weeks who are concerned about their futures as a result of the current crisis and disappointed by the lack of financial support from the Welsh Government.
Raising the issue during yesterday’s virtual Plenary meeting of the Welsh Parliament with the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans MS, he said:
“Although the Top-up Business Grant scheme announced by the UK Government for England includes Grants to Bed and Breakfast businesses that pay domestic rates rather than business rates, the Welsh Government omitted this when it extended its Covid-19 grants scheme.
“How do you therefore respond to the bed and breakfast owners in North Wales who have asked me to tell you that if they don't receive the grant, their businesses will cease trading?”
The Minister replied: “I'm very aware that they're not currently able to access support, and I did say that the economic resilience fund has currently been paused in order for us to continue to consider where the gaps remain in terms of the support that people are able to access at the moment, and also to consider the balance that we've put on continuing to respond to the immediate crisis, but then also turning our focus onto the recovery and the reopening of the economy. So that work is continuing in terms of the next phase of the economic resilience fund, and I know that my colleague, Ken Skates, looks forward to making an announcement as soon as he is able to.”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood said:
“Although bed and breakfast businesses are the mainstay of the economy in many parts of North Wales, their comments to me include “as the weeks go by with no income and no financial support through no fault of our own we are being penalised and we are getting further into debt”, “we only have enough finances for about two more weeks”, and “the lack of willingness of the Welsh Government to grab the bull by the horns and support businesses like mine calls into question its competency and fitness for purpose.”