Pubs cut opening hours
Pubs are reducing their opening hours due to a lack of custom during the economic downturn, according to a report which went to Wealden Council’s Cabinet yesterday.
The report said this was more notable in the more rural areas where several pubs were closing at lunchtime or even on one day each week.
Councillors receive quarterly reports on local and national economic developments with different sections of the council highlighting effects.
Other effects included a significant increase in applications for taxi drivers’ licences, with most applicants citing recent redundancy as their reason for turning to taxi work as an alternative source of income.
Some commercial waste collections had been cancelled as businesses closed and there had been a ‘dramatic’ increase in the number of enquiries and requests for housing advice.
The number of people accepted as homeless rose by 33 per cent in 2008/9 compared to the previous year and there had been a significant increase in the level of rent arrears among council tenants.
The report also said there had been a 15 per cent drop in the number of Wealden vacancies advertised but a five per cent increase in the number of applicants.
See the full report at: http://www.wealden.gov.uk/moderngov/Published/C00000292/M00002539/AI00023467/$EconomicDownturnCabinetreportfinal.docA.ps.pdf
(Added to site Thursday, April 30th, 2009)
.jpg "Chance to raise planning queries with council officer in Uckfield")