Part of Questions to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip – in the Senedd at 2:29 pm on 16 July 2019.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. You will no doubt be aware that the number of pubs across Wales is falling. Very often, of course, the local pub acts as a community centre, a place for people to meet up and have a chat. The role of the local pub can often be central in terms of tackling loneliness and isolation and in terms of creating sustainable, cohesive communities in line with the well-being of future generations Act. Now, when pubs close and change their use, often for residential purposes, as seen with a current pub in Resolven, in the Neath valley, the community loses an asset. Will the Welsh Government now commit to looking at protecting pubs and restaurants, by giving local communities the opportunity of registering them as assets of community value, as happens in England, and give these communities the chance to keep these pubs open as community facilities?