Council warns non-essential businesses

Bridgend County Borough Council has thanked local businesses for complying with national public health advice and shutting their doors to help combat the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

But the authority is also warning that swift action will be taken against non-essential premises which flout the instructions and put people’s lives at risk by remaining open for business.

Checks are being carried out to ensure that premises deemed to be non-essential are complying with the guidance, such as pubs, clubs, restaurants and more.

At the same time, the council is awaiting details of Government support designed to help businesses during the crisis, and has already set in place its own three-month rent-free period for those using council-owned premises.

National guidance on this issue has been very clear. Covid-19 is one of the biggest public health emergencies this country has seen in generations, and premises which do not comply are playing with people’s lives.

It is great to see that the vast majority of premises in the county borough are behaving responsibly, and are playing their part in helping to maintain public safety.

The council will take firm and swift action against anything which puts public health and the well-being of local communities at risk during this pandemic, and we will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that the national public health guidelines are being adhered to.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations