Council say they are “responding to two complaints against supermarkets” but give short shrift to request from MS to visit each store

Wrexham Council are ‘responding to two complaints against supermarkets’ in Wrexham, however appear to have rejected a request from the local MS to visit each supermarket to check for compliance with coronavirus regulations.

Locally multiple accounts of possible social distancing and other pandemic non-compliance at supermarkets have been circulating on social media.

Speaking about possible local inspections of supermarkets recently Chief Executive of Wrexham Council Ian Bancroft said, ““We have our environmental health team, our public protection team, if we have any concerns raised to us or aware of those, clearly we have those powers to go out, they’ve obviously been extended in terms of Welsh Government to deal with issues.

“So clearly from a general management point of view, thats our normal business if we’ve got concerns with business premises, but obviously we’ll review that and also we’ll look at what complaints we get, or issues raised by members of the public or by other people.”

One such complaint has come in to Wrexham Council via local MS Lesley Griffiths, who is also the Minister responsible for the issue on a Wales-wide basis.

Wrexham’s MS made a letter from the 10th of September public this week, where she wrote to the Leader of Wrexham Council Mark Pritchard asking that ‘each’ supermarket in Wrexham is visited by Council Officers and conveyed ‘complaints’ from constituents:

We asked Wrexham Council if ‘each’ supermarket in Wrexham had been visited, or that was underway to confirm how many had been visited so far.

We also pointed to Rhondda Cynon Taf council who published a named list of supermarkets with issues found and notices served, so asked if there were any such supermarkets in Wrexham is it possible to know the brand and location.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Protection, on Wrexham Council replied: “Public Protection officers have been responding to two complaints against supermarkets in Wrexham County Borough and over 100 complaints relating to social distancing concerns at other premises over the last few months.”

“Our Officers have a good understanding as to current Covid19 related risks and efforts have been undertaken to proactively inspect specific business sectors such as the pubs and bars to ensure that social distancing measures are being appropriately implemented. We will also be undertaking a specific programme to advise and monitor those business providing close contact services, such as hairdressers/barbers etc. as these present specific covid19 related risks. Our Officers have and will continue to take enforcement action if required to ensure that all business within the County Borough comply with relevant measures, however we are also mindful that certain business sectors present higher risks than others, this is reflected in the different measures outlined in Welsh Government’s guidance.”

“Officers will continue with their pro-active work for as long as necessary in order to Keep Wrexham Safe.”

“I encourage everyone in Wrexham to continue to exercise social distancing and to pay close attention to hand hygiene. We none of us wish to have any of the freedoms recently gained to be taken away as has happened in Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taff and now the North East of England.”

“Please help us all to keep Wrexham safe.”

Wrexham Council have not named the two supermarkets subject to complaints.

The Council said anyone with concerns about premises not operating within the mandatory guidelines should contact them via email at [email protected]

Last week we asked the asked First Minister about the issue and if Welsh Government should enforce the standards at such companies with outlets in multiple local authority areas. We noted that often councils are talking to lower level staff who can’t alter national chain policy. We also asked how fines of a few hundred pounds was any kind of penalty to such large entities.

The First Minister said: “We do set national rules that all those supermarkets are bound by.

“My colleague Lesley Griffiths MS meets almost every week with national representatives of the supermarkets in Wales, and most supermarkets have done a remarkable job and many of them continue to do so.

“But, we have too many examples of where in local areas, local arrangements are no longer at the level that we need to see to protect staff and customers from the risk of coronavirus.

“That’s why I am pleased to see those improvement notices being served. I think it brings home to the supermarkets the need for them to sustain the standards that they had in place earlier in the pandemic.

“I don’t think that the the incentive for supermarkets to do the right thing is in the few hundred pounds worth of fines. I think it’s in the reputational damage that is done to them where customers see in the window of a supermarket that an improvement notice has had to be served.

“I think it’s much more likely that people voting with their feet and going to places that are well managed and well run that will cause supermarkets to make sure that they are not the place where improvement notice is needed.”

Top Pic: Wrexham’s MS Lesley Griffiths back when the Senedd was full.