Editor

Two news items caught my attention in the Cambrian News, 3 September, that I would like to comment about.

First, Cllr John Roberts’ concern regarding the ‘short step to dictatorship’ by Ceredigion council. His remarks come about due to the so-called ‘safe zone’. He is, of course, correct with those concerns. Why has the council decided to extend these ‘zones’ until February 2022? This has nothing to do with Covid-19 as Cllr Roberts rightly says.

Cllr Roberts says, “most councillors were not party to this even though some of the general public believe that as county councillors are part of the local authority, they must be responsible.” This is very disturbing. What is the point of having councillors if the people cannot voice their concerns?

The second item included comments by Cllr Rowland Evans. I could not agree more that the summer season should be extended. In fact, why have a season at all? There is no reason why tourism can’t be a year-round industry. Tourism is Wales’ largest industry with nearly all the visitors, in the region of 90-plus million, come from the UK. Less than one per cent are from abroad. There is great potential to increase the numbers of foreign tourists.

I worked for five years (1975/80) in Saundersfoot/Tenby in the hospitality industry. We only had the summer months to trade. Both Saundersfoot and Tenby were bustling places with shops and cafés open late into the evening. Many of the hotels kept busy throughout the winter with conferences and with specialbreak deals. Reading replies to social media posts, I notice quite a few are anti-visitor remarks.

Chris Samuel William Street Aberystwyth

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