Cllr Rhys Thomas is a Vale of Glamorgan County Councillor, representing Plymouth ward in Penarth. He also serves as Chairman of the Learning and Culture Scrutiny Committee.
The best-known part of my ward in Penarth is the famous Esplanade, which is lined with restaurants and cafes right by an art-deco style pier that juts out into the Severn estuary.
It’s at its most popular in the summer months, when you’ll see people enjoying ice creams and exploring the wonderful surroundings.
It’s very much a jewel in the crown of the Vale of Glamorgan, and a big part of that is the variety of cafes and restaurants on offer.
The town of Penarth is incredibly lucky to have this seafront, and lucky to have those business owners who operate restaurants and cafes that entice people to the area.
Those places don’t just provide a service for the people of Penarth and beyond, but also create much-needed jobs.
That’s why local Councils should be doing everything they can to encourage small and medium-sized hospitality businesses, helping to facilitate an environment where they can flourish.
Unfortunately, in the Labour-run Vale of Glamorgan, the local Council are making moves to reduce the competitiveness of restaurants and cafes on the Esplanade through the proposed imposition of parking charges.
Why is this happening? A Vale Cabinet Member said the Council’s decision was in response to businesses on the Esplanade doing “really well”.
Frankly, that shows how cloth-eared the Labour Party is. I’d invite them to get out and actually talk to businesses in Penarth and elsewhere to find out how difficult things are at the moment.
I’ve spoken to local traders. They are working hard in an incredibly harsh economic climate, and they don’t consider themselves to be doing really well. Despite their best efforts, they’re just about managing – particularly over the cold winter months.
The proposed parking charges will discourage people from visiting the Esplanade, meaning less money will be spent in the restaurants and cafes. That will mean less money for the businesses with potential job losses and price rises to follow.
Not only do businesses in Penarth have to deal with an inept local Council, but the Welsh Government has worked to create a hostile environment for business, which includes imposing the highest business rates in Great Britain with the multiplier set to further increase for businesses of all sizes in April.
Their Labour colleagues in Westminster aren’t much better, and the hike in employer national insurance contributions will make life much more difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises.
It’s also important to remember the impact of Covid lockdowns (which were longer and harsher in Labour-run Wales) which were punishing for the hospitality industry and saw so many cafes and restaurants going bust. The legacy of that still lives on.
In the Vale of Glamorgan, Labour’s war on business has deep roots. A few years ago, they were determined to ditch outdoor seating for restaurants on the Esplanade, which had become incredibly popular when lockdowns were lifted. I won my Council seat, in part, because I campaigned against Labour’s cack-handed attempts to hamper those business owners on the Esplanade.
You would think that Labour politicians would have learnt their lesson, but clearly not. Leftists are never happier than when indulging in the politics of envy, seeking to tear down the very people who make our town tick and make it such an attractive place to live, work, and play.
Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of Britain. Our high streets are nothing without them, and they provide jobs that stay in the communities where they are located. Making sure that local people have jobs and our localities have thriving hospitality sectors is something that benefits everyone. Politicians would do well to realise that and let businesses flourish.