THREE Neath Port Talbot Councillors have written to the chief executive of a major hospitality company to urge him to reconsider the closure of a local Beefeater restaurant.
Councillors Josh Tuck, Carol Clement-Williams, and Susanne Renkes, who represent the Baglan ward of Neath Port Talbot, have sent a joint letter to the Whitbread CEO Dominic Paul.
It came shortly after the announcement that the Bagle Brook site in Baglan was one of a number of restaurants in Wales facing closure as the company looks to implement a new five-year strategy aimed at achieving £250m in cost savings.
The Premier Inn owners unveiled the plans which could eventually see approximately 3,800 jobs slashed across the UK and Ireland as well as the closure of its Beefeater and Brewer’s Fayre restaurants.
In the letter the councillors said while they understood the hospitality sector was facing “significant challenges” and the commercial pressures that exist the impacts on local jobs livelihoods and community life should be given equal consideration.
They said: “For many people locally this is far more than simply a restaurant. The Bagle Brook has become an important part of community life in Baglan.
“It is a place where families gather to celebrate milestones, friends meet to catch up over food and drinks, and local residents come together to maintain the social connections that are so important to community wellbeing.”
They also asked for clarification on plans for the Baglan site moving forward, specifically over whether or not it could be sold on or if there were plans to turn it in to additional Premier Inn hotel rooms.
Additionally they questioned how many local jobs were at risk, what measures were being taken to protect those jobs, and what efforts would be made to redeploy existing staff.
They added: “At a time when communities such as ours are working hard to strengthen community bonds and protect places where people can come together decisions like this have a significant local impact.
“We urge Whitbread to reconsider the closure of the Bagle Brook or at the very least provide full transparency about its future plans and meaningful support for the staff and community affected.”
A spokesman speaking on behalf of Whitbread responded to the letter saying the proposals were still subject to consultation with no final decisions having yet been made.
Restaurants in Wales that could face closure include:
Beefeater
Cardiff – Coach and Horses, Walston Castle
Llantrisant – The Longbow
Newport – The Coldra
Port Talbot – Bagle Brook
Swansea – The Waterfront
Brewer’s Fayre
Swansea Vale
Aberdare
Llanelli
Ebbw Vale
Abergavenny
