The news that Castell Howell Foods Ltd are beginning consultation with their employees on possible job losses is deeply worrying. The company is a major employer in Llanelli and the rest of West Wales and this will be a concerning and uncertain time for everyone involved.
I hope that a company such as Castell Howell, which is much valued and respected locally, will be in a position as the consultation period progresses, to begin to see the benefits of lockdown measures being safely relaxed before any firm decisions will have to be made.
It is becoming clear that as different parts of the economy begin to recover at different speeds from the Covid-19 crisis, the UK Government needs to be far more flexible with the support that it provides through the Job Retention Scheme to each sector. A one size fits all approach will not work if we are to avoid further announcements of this kind and I will be continuing to press the case for Castell Howell and other similar local businesses to be listened to over the coming weeks and months.