Mark Drakeford barred from 100 Welsh pubs after banning alcohol
Wales’ First Minister has been barred from more than 100 pubs after he banned them from serving alcohol and staying open beyond 6pm.
Mark Drakeford’s strict new rules to tackle a rise in cases will come into force this Friday.
But the measures have sparked fury from business owners in the hospitality industry, with some taking matters into their own hands.
The West Conwy Pubwatch group said the First Minister would be banned from entering their members’ premises for at least 18 months.
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The pub watch organisers say more than 300 hospitality businesses in North Wales are backing the move.
In an open letter, they said: ‘All licensees have a legal duty under the Licensing Act of 2003 to ensure that disorderly, argumentative, violent behaviour and anti-social behaviour does not occur on or around their premises and to prevent the occurrence of criminal offences.
‘As a result of your behaviour on November 30th 2020 at the Senedd Cymru your actions class as anti-social behaviour for the damage caused to our members’ premises.
‘The licensees of the West Conwy Pubwatch have jointly decided that in order to discharge their duty as referred to above they are exercising their right not to allow you entry to their premises.’
They added: ‘Should you attempt to ignore this notice and enter any of the licensed premises listed on our website the assistance of police will be sought, if necessary to eject you from the premises and an extra six months will be added to your ban.
‘This ban is effective from the date of this letter and will remain in force until the 30th of May 2022 or until your review which will be at our meeting in the first week of August 2021.
‘If your review is successful we will be in touch to inform you. If at any time you request to reconsider this decision you can do so on our website under our appeals section.’
The group’s vice-chairman Phillip Ashe said Welsh business owners were ‘angry and devastated’ about the decision.
He said: ‘I know about seven or eight premises that will not be here [next year]. They rely on Christmas to get through January and February.
‘The evidence isn’t there. Between all our members, which is around 180 premises in the county of Conwy, we would have found that evidence but we didn’t and now we’re asking him to produce it.
‘We have had an [infection rate of] 19 per 100,000 people but people will now go to Chester or have house parties and the rate will shoot up.’
He added: ‘We have had around 380 premises put their name to what we’ve said.
‘If he wasn’t a politician and he had done as much damage to our premises as he has, then we would have done the same thing, so it’s not a publicity stunt.
‘I don’t think he would be coming up in the next 18 months anyway.’
Mr Ashe, who runs The Peacock Lounge in Rhos on Sea and The Peacock Lounge Capelulo in Penmaenmawr, added: ‘This will devastate a lot of businesses in North Wales.
‘Premises will not open by March because without the December trade they will have nothing to fall back on in January and February.
‘We are going to have a lot of people out of work. [The rules] are like opening a butchers and asking them not to sell meat.’
He called on the Welsh Government to circulate the evidence from SAGE used to make the decision.
The Welsh Government declined to comment on the decision.
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