Support is needed for hostels if they are to survive the pandemic, Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts said this week.

The MP has tabled a motion in Westminster calling on the UK Treasury to provide targeted support for hostels impacted by the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has secured widespread cross-party support, and has been sponsored by Arfon MP, Hywel Williams, in response to figures from the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) revealed a £30m drop in income since March.

Mrs Saville Roberts said: “Hostels have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19.

"Shared spaces such as bathrooms and kitchens are often part of a hostel’s business model.

"This has made operating at full capacity and even reopening, difficult for many whilst complying with the necessary health guidelines.

“There is a real fear within the sector that many hostels and bunkhouses will be unable to recover financially during the winter months to sustain them until public health restrictions are lifted.

“Along with many businesses in the tourism, leisure, hospitality, and arts sector; hostels and those whose jobs they support, face a bleak and uncertain winter unless they are sufficiently supported with targeted financial help.

“That is why the government must heed cross-party calls in Westminster but more specifically, from the sector itself and underpin health measures with targeted economic support.”