Survey predicts lockdown will cost tourism thousands of jobs

* Jim Jones, chief executive of North Wales Tourism.

Around 10,500 jobs will be lost in the tourism and hospitality industry in North Wales even if it’s allowed to start trading again on July 1 – with another 2,000 at risk if it’s a month later.

That’s the stark conclusion of a survey conducted by North Wales Tourism with support from the North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council.

More than 320 businesses from across the region responded to the survey this week about the dire impact of the Covid-19 lockdown.

The analysis showed that when they’re allowed to open, 60 per cent of them will be trading at 50 per cent or less capacity with the current social distancing guidelines.

The study looked at the impact of two different scenarios, reopening on July 1 and August 1, assuming the two meter social distancing rule was in place, that there were no domestic travel restrictions within the UK and that the UK Government furlough scheme would end in October.

According to Jim Jones, the chief executive of North Wales Tourism, the survey had underlined the “cataclysmic” impact the pandemic was having on the sector.

He said: “If businesses are allowed to open on 1^st July, average turnover loss for the year will be 58% and the forecast is for 10,500 job losses which represents 25 per cent of those currently employed in the sector in North Wales.

“If the opening date is delayed to August 1, the number of job losses increases by approximately 500 a week to 12,500 for the year, or around 30 per cent of the people employed in the sector.

“These job loss forecasts do not include job losses in the businesses supplying into the tourism sector.

“Not surprisingly, nearly half of businesses are very concerned about their financial viability opening under current social distancing rules which would mean additional costs and reduced capacity.

“The results of the survey present a very stark picture of the impacts on the tourism sector, even if businesses are free to open.

“The figures suggest that reviews of both a continuation of the furlough scheme beyond October for the tourism sector and the two metre social distancing rule are carried out, if these major job losses are to be avoided.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Ashley Rogers, the commercial director of the North Wales Business Council.

He said: “The tourism sector responded with incredible speed to this call for live feedback on what is likely to happen in North Wales and should be applauded for their support.

“We will now work with North Wales Tourism, Business Council members and partners in the public sector to see how we can use this valuable data, to best support the region.”

Continuum Attractions CEO, Juliana Delaney said “If the closed sign is not removed from the Tourism sector in Wales, it will jeopardise both this and next year’s season. That would be an economic car crash for Wales”.

Sean Taylor, President at Zip World UK said "I appreciate there is a lot of pressure on the First Minister at the moment from different opinions throughout Wales. I’m hopeful that the First Minister has the confidence to lift the 5 mile restriction on Friday and allow the Welsh Visitor economy to avoid a catastrophic economic depression. This will be based on consumer, community and staff confidence."

Coronavirus updates from the Welsh Government

Latest coronavirus updates from the Welsh Government are: 

• Health Minister Vaughan Gething has published a written statement update about face coverings, the NHS Wales Test, Trace and Protect service, mortality rates across UK nations and screening services: https://gov.wales/written-statement-covid-19-update

• Education Minister Kirsty Williams has launched the updated School and Community-Based Counselling Operating Toolkit
• The toolkit is available at https://gov.wales/school-and-community-based-counselling-operating-toolkit
• More information: https://gov.wales/written-statement-school-and-community-based-counselling-operating-toolkit-revised-2020
• All care homes in Wales have been offered coronavirus testing: https://gov.wales/written-statement-covid-19-testing-care-homes
• The winners of the annual St David Awards have been announced https://gov.wales/heroes-recognised-in-st-david-awards-2020

• Grant funding of £150,000 has been announced to help strengthen cyber resilience skills across the public sector by Finance Minister Rebecca Evans today: https://gov.wales/new-cyber-training-grant-for-welsh-public-services
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• Public Health Wales confirmed 48 new cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number to 14,970, although the actual number will be higher.

o   Sadly, there were five deaths of people with confirmed coronavirus reported by Public Health Wales, bringing the total reported by Public Health Wales to 1,471.

Where to find the latest information

• Public Health Wales provides a daily update about the number of cases of coronavirus in Wales. It is available at: https://phw.nhs.wales/news/public-health-wales-statement-on-novel-coronavirus-outbreak/
• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• Queries about support for businesses, including about eligibility for the Economic Resilience Fund? Visit the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/
• If you can help the effort to produce PPE in Wales please visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/news-and-blogs/news/provision-critical-equipment-and-personal-protection-equipment-ppe
• Want to know when and where to wear a face mask? https://gov.wales/face-coverings-frequently-asked-questions
• Want to make your own face covering? https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2020-06/how-to-make-a-3-layer-face-covering.pdf
• The Welsh Government holds a daily media briefing about coronavirus. These are on-the-record, on-camera and routinely supported by a BSL translator. They will be held at 12.30pm every week day. They are live-streamed on our @WelshGovernment Twitter channel and are broadcast live on BBC One Wales and S4C.
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• Health Minister Vaughan Gething held yesterday's press conference – you can watch again at: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1273578094859743232

Campaign to combat fly-tipping starts today

The Welsh Government Duty of Care campaign to encourage people to help tackle fly-tipping relaunches today. 

The aim is to remind householders in Wales that they must always use a registered waste carrier to remove unwanted household items and excess rubbish from their homes.

With over 70% of fly-tipping incidents in Wales containing household rubbish, the campaign, in partnership with Fly Tipping Action Wales, calls on people to take responsibility for their excess rubbish, keep their local area clean and avoid fines and prosecution by using their duty of care to ensure they know where their waste is going and not put it in the hands of fly-tippers.

Although Wales has led the way when it comes to the amount of waste being recycled, there has been concern over an increase in individuals posing as legitimate waste disposal businesses on social media; during the temporary closure of waste and recycling centres due to the Covid pandemic.

These individuals often use social media and low prices to dupe people into believing they are legitimate rubbish collection services, when in reality the collected waste is later fly-tipped in fields, along country lines and on the roadside.

The Welsh Government campaign urges everyone to use their duty of care and ensure all waste is disposed of legally by a registered waste carrier and to report any fly-tipping to their local authority. A list of registered waste carriers can be found on the Natural Resources Wales Website.

Other recommendations include asking waste collectors where their rubbish is going, requesting a receipt and to record details of the vehicle involved. These small steps will not only protect households from fines and prosecution but will help to combat fly-tipping in the long run.

As recycling centres across Wales reopen the Welsh Government urges people to check with their local authority to find out what restrictions or booking systems are in place alongside information on what items are being collected.

The Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn said: “Everyone in Wales has a duty of care to dispose of their household waste responsibly and to know where their rubbish is going. By working together we can combat fly-tipping and keep Wales clean.

"I encourage everyone in Wales only use registered waste carriers and not put their household waste into the hand of fly-tippers, by being aware of potential scammers and adverts promoting cheap waste collection services.

"Local Authorities are working hard on this issue and I don’t want to see any households duped or potentially fined as a result of trusting these unscrupulous collectors to dispose of their waste legally.”

Latest coronavirus update from Welsh Government

Latest Covid-19 updates from the Welsh Government are:

• Public Health Wales has announced that screening programmes in Wales will resume sending invitations and reminders to people eligible for screening for cervical, breast and bowel cancer, starting with Cervical Screening Wales from the end of June.
• Health Minister Vaughan Gething has also urged people not to ignore symptoms which may be cancer, saying the NHS is continuing to provide urgent treatment and diagnostics for suspected cancer.
• https://gov.wales/essential-cancer-services-and-support-campaign-urges-patients-dont-wait-dont-leave-it-too-late
• Health Minister Vaughan Gething has published a written statement about dexamethasone https://gov.wales/written-statement-dexamethasone-covid-19

• The Chief Statistician for Wales’ latest blog article is about coronavirus mortality statistics and how Wales compares with the rest of the UK: https://digitalanddata.blog.gov.wales/2020/06/16/chief-statisticians-update-how-does-covid-19-mortality-in-wales-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-uk-and-how-does-it-vary-within-wales/
• The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism has published a written statement about the return of professional sport in Wales, including the return of Championship football behind closed doors in Wales https://gov.wales/written-statement-return-professional-competitive-sport
• Updated guidance for taxis and private hire vehicles https://gov.wales/taxi-and-private-hire-vehicle-guidance

• Public Health Wales has today confirmed 53 new cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number to 14,922, although the actual number will be higher.

o   Sadly, there were 10 deaths of people with confirmed coronavirus reported by Public Health Wales today, bringing the total reported by Public Health Wales to 1,466. 

Where to find the latest information

• Public Health Wales provides a daily update about the number of cases of coronavirus in Wales. It is available at: https://phw.nhs.wales/news/public-health-wales-statement-on-novel-coronavirus-outbreak/
• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• Queries about support for businesses, including about eligibility for the Economic Resilience Fund? Visit the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/
• If you can help the effort to produce PPE in Wales please visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/news-and-blogs/news/provision-critical-equipment-and-personal-protection-equipment-ppe
• Want to know when and where to wear a face mask? https://gov.wales/face-coverings-frequently-asked-questions
• Want to make your own face covering? https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2020-06/how-to-make-a-3-layer-face-covering.pdf
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• The Welsh Government holds a daily media briefing about coronavirus. These are on-the-record, on-camera and routinely supported by a BSL translator. They will be held at 12.30pm every week day. They are live-streamed on our @WelshGovernment Twitter channel and are broadcast live on BBC One Wales and S4C.
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• Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language Eluned Morgan held today’s press conference – you can watch again at: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1273215556041052162

County's urgent message for parents about schooling changes

* Ysgol Dinas Bran.

Denbighshire County Council is informing parents and guardians that school hubs, created to provide childcare for criticial workers and vulnerable children during the coronavirus crisis, will close on Friday, June 19. 

But it says those youngsters will be able to access the childcare in the normal school they are enrolled at as of Monday, June 22.

The council advises that parents and guardians will not need to re-register for the service, as the local authority will forward the information to each school about those children who are already on the childcare register.     

The schools will then liaise directly with families about the childcare arrangements at the individual locations.

If the current hub building happens to be the child’s usual school, they will return to the same location from Monday, June 22.

The council says the reason for the change is to prepare the hub school buildings to re-open their doors when the new arrangements for schools comes into effect at the end of the month. 

Parents are asked to note that whilst all concerned are working very hard to put the necessary arrangements in place and share necessary information, arrangements may change  and they will be kept fully informed.

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “The hubs were set up to provide childcare for children of critical workers and vulnerable children. 

“I would like to thank all the staff involved in working at the hub schools over recent weeks for providing such a valuable service at a really crucial time. This has allowed parents/ guardians to carry out their critical roles in the fight against covid-19.

“As our focus turns to the preparation for schools to re-open across the county later this month, the children attending the hubs will be asked to relocate to their usual schools from June 22 where the childcare provision will continue. We would like to thank parents and guardians for their co-operation in advance."

Work to start on major A55 junction

Work to improve junction 19 of the A55, to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, will begin today (Wednesday), says the Welsh Government.

The junction, known as the Black Cat roundabout, is a busy intersection where the A470 meets the A55 near Llandudno Junction.  The work will include widening the junction, the construction of safer crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, the installation of traffic signals at key locations and an upgrade from the current street lighting to an energy-efficient LED alternative. The routes for cyclists and pedestrians will also link with the current path on the A470 to encourage active travel in the area.  Traffic signals will help manage congestion on the off slips, reducing the length of queues and the traffic speed to improve safety on the roundabout. The work would originally have been carried out after the summer embargo. But traffic levels on the A55 are almost half their normal level as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, providing a window to complete the work earlier than intended with minimal disruption to the public.  Construction workers will follow strict social distancing at all times. Transport and North Wales Minister Ken Skates said: “This is an important scheme on a very busy junction where two of our major roads meet. The scheme will encourage walking and cycling by making the junction safer. Traffic speeds will also be lowered as a result of the improvements, helping reduce the number of accidents. “This is the first of our pinch point schemes to go ahead and it will deliver a real difference to all forms of transport once completed.” The first phase of works is scheduled to begin on June 17 and will continue until the end of September, depending on weather conditions, but every effort will be made to finish ahead of schedule if possible, says the Welsh Government. If the coronavirus restrictions are eased and traffic increases, the contractors will modify their way of working to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Works which are likely to cause more disruption have been prioritised to take place during the first phase  while traffic levels remain lower than usual. The works will require the narrowing of the lane on the junction 19 circulatory and there will be a single lane closure on the A55 eastbound and westbound off slip in addition to the installation of discrete areas of traffic management as the project progresses to accommodate some installation works. Work will be carried out during extended daytime shifts.

MP backs community power generation schemes Bill

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes (pictured) has signed up to support the Local Electricity Bill in Parliament.

The Bill seeks to enable small, community-scale generators to become local electricity suppliers and sell their energy directly to local people.

Currently, a community that generates its own energy - for example, a housing estate with solar panels – cannot sell the energy they generate directly to local people, but must sell it to a utility which then sells it on to customers. 

The Local Electricity Bill would give small-scale suppliers the right to sell their energy directly to local people and make it financially viable to do so.

Simon Baynes said: “Corwen is a good example of a community that would benefit in terms of additional income. They are already at the forefront, having launched their own renewable energy project pooling power from a local hydro scheme and domestic solar panels.

“I think this Bill has real potential to boost renewable energy projects, like we see in Corwen, and provide more environmentally-friendly, potentially cheaper energy for people in communities across Clwyd South.”