With another Bank Holiday weekend on the horizon, visitors and
second home owners are again being urged not to travel to
Pembrokeshire during the current lockdown.
“We are extremely grateful to the vast majority of people from outside
our county who are obeying the lockdown restrictions” said
Pembrokeshire County Council’s Leader, David Simpson.
“We need that compliance and co-operation to continue over this
coming weekend when Monday the 25th is a Bank Holiday.”
“This is especially important at this time given the change of rules in
England.”
Councillor Simpson emphasised: “The message stays the same. We
will welcome our visitors back when it is safe to return.”
He stressed that journeys to holiday lets and second homes are not
classed as ‘essential travel’ and therefore constitute a breach of the
lockdown regulations.
The penalty for breaching the stay-at-home rules has recently been
increased by the Welsh Government. Details on the fine increase can
be found at: https://gov.wales/fines-increased-repeat-coronavirus-
lockdown-breaches-wales
In the lead up to the recent Easter break, the Council’s Public
Protection Division received a significant number of reports of people
arriving at various properties in the County to take up occupation –
allegedly in contravention of the restrictions.
As a result of this intelligence. a joint letter endorsed by all members
of the Dyfed-Powys Local Resilience Forum- and signed by the
Council’s Chief Executive and the Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys
Police – was sent to over 6,000 owners of second homes/holiday
properties in the County.
The letter outlined the key requirements relating to the use of the
properties.
Councillor Simson revealed that the letter had been effective as the
number of complaints over the recent May Bank Holiday was
significantly reduced.
The Authority also carried out a programme of visits to establish
whether the properties reported to the team were ‘let as part of a
business’. These visits were supported by Neighbourhood Policing
Teams.
Sixty-eight properties spread out across the county were visited with
the following results:
thirty-six per cent of premises were found to be unoccupied
fifty-four per cent were either the primary residence of the
occupant or they were second homes in which the owners had
taken up residence prior to the lockdown – a situation which
the regulations doesn’t prohibit
five per cent had not sought a permit from the local authority to
accommodate key workers and other displaced individuals.
Approval was subsequently sought and the premises were
added to the list of over 60 permitted accommodation providers
five per cent required follow up by the Public Protection
Division as there was potential occupation of a holiday
accommodation as part of a business.
Pembrokeshire County Council and Dyfed Powys Police continue to
work in partnership to protect our communities.
Council officers will continue to follow up any reliable intelligence of
‘persons renting out holiday accommodation as a business’ and will
also support police cordons that will be in place over the Bank Holiday
and are designed to stop those travelling into Pembrokeshire without
‘reasonable excuse’.
For further guidance on the position as it applies in Wales see
https://gov.wales/guidance-note-holiday-accommodation-owners-
health-protection-coronavirus-restrictions-wales
We appreciate the extreme challenges faced by many of our
businesses and would encourage those facing difficulty to visit our
web-site: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-
support for advice on financial support that you may be entitled to.
