FSB Wales has written to the Vale of Glamorgan Council leader, Councillor Neil Moore, and urged him to reconsider a decision to charge cafes and coffee shops for tables and chairs placed outside of their premises.
Vale of Glamorgan Council has announced plans to enforce charges – which could be between £150 and £750 a year – for local businesses that have tables and chairs outside of their premises.
Business owners raised concerns about the impact this move would have when the sector was trying to recover from the pandemic and after over a year of repeated closures and restrictions which have seen hospitality firms required to close for more of the year than they have been able to trade.
Rob Basini, FSB South Wales Development Manager, said:
“It is FSB’s view that these charges would be damaging to the economic prospects of businesses in the Vale of Glamorgan at this time.
“Small hospitality businesses have faced some of the worst disruption of the pandemic and are only just beginning to get back on their feet. They are still in receipt of business rates holidays which demonstrates how early we are in the process of recovering from the shock of Coronavirus to our towns and high streets. Whilst these charges might be necessary at some point in the future, now is not the time.
“FSB has written to the council and requested that at the very least these charges be suspended for the time being to allow firms to take full advantage of the crucial summer months ahead.
“We hope to work with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to help chart a successful future for businesses across the area.”