Wales’ first minister has sparked controversy after urging the public to stop watching Netflix and go to the pub instead to support struggling hospitality businesses.
In the Senedd, Eluned Morgan said consumers would need to “leave their homes” and go to pubs, restaurants and cafes if they wanted to survive after the Welsh Government announced a one-year discount on business rates for the sector.
Her comments came after ministers confirmed a 15 per cent discount on business rates for pubs, restaurants, cafes and live music venues in Wales for the 2026-27 financial year. The measure is intended to help around 4,400 companies with rising costs, but the duration is only one year.
England, on the other hand, has introduced a longer support package. Under plans announced by the UK government, pubs and live music venues in England will receive a 15 percent discount from April, with business rates frozen for a further two years.
During a heated exchange in the Senedd, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth warned that the hospitality sector in Wales was facing an “existential crisis” and called for urgent reform of the business rates system.
In response, Morgan said government support alone could not save the sector.
“If people want these companies to succeed, they have to use them,” she said. “They need to stop buying things online. They need to leave their houses and stop watching Netflix.
“They have to stop buying that bottle of wine at home and going to the pub. You can’t expect the state to step in and do the job that the public should be doing.”
Opposition parties reacted angrily, accusing the First Minister of blaming the public rather than addressing the structural pressures on the hospitality sector.
Ap Iorwerth later said Morgan was “totally out of touch” and had a habit of “blaming others rather than taking responsibility for the failures of the government itself.”
Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar said the first minister had previously blamed Brexit and Donald Trump for Wales’ economic difficulties and was now “blaming Welsh citizens and Netflix”.
Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, added: “People are not willingly choosing Netflix over the high street. They are being forced indoors because prices continue to rise but wages do not.”
The Welsh government defended the one-year duration of the scheme and said decisions for 2027-28 and beyond would be made for the next Senedd, with an election in Wales in three months.
Finance Minister Mark Drakeford said ministers were clear that hospitality and music venues were facing “real pressures ranging from rising costs to changing consumer habits” and argued the rate cut would provide significant short-term relief.
Trade body UKHospitality Cymru welcomed the inclusion of restaurants and cafes but said it was “remarkable” that the relief only applies to a single year. It also warned that hotels facing the biggest increases have been completely excluded.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in Wales also welcomed the discount but warned that rising property valuations could still lead to pub closures.
Business rates in Wales are set by the Welsh Government and collected by local authorities, with some businesses facing steep increases following reassessments.
