Here's the latest Argus column by Caerphilly County Borough Council leader Cllr Philippa Marsden:

OUR focus in recent weeks has very much been upon recovery and supporting our local economy; with the most recent easing of restrictions enabling the reopening of hospitality and leisure sectors.

We were pleased to announce that leisure centres across the county borough will begin to reopen on a phased basis from Tuesday, September 1.

This reopening date has been set to allow time for Sport and Leisure Services staff to transition from their temporary roles of supporting key services throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

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Last month saw the partial reopening of three of our visitor attractions; with Cwmcarn Forest, COFFI VISTA and Llancaich Fawr Manor all welcoming the return of visitors in time for the start of the summer holidays.

Pubs and restaurants also reopened over recent weeks, which came as welcome news to many people working within those industries.

Our licensing team is working closely with businesses, ensuring appropriate measures are in place to keep customers and staff safe.

It was pleasing to see that all premises visited during a recent inspection by the team were found to be complying with regulations.

Visitors have been encouraged back to our town centres over the summer and residents urged to shop locally with our ‘Open for business’ campaign; which shines a spotlight on independent retailers and vendors throughout the county borough.

The Visit Caerphilly team has also compiled a list of nearly 50 restaurants, pubs and cafes in the county borough who have registered to offer diners a 50 per cent discount as part of the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme.

The list can be found on the Visit Caerphilly website: https://www.visitcaerphilly.com/eat-out-to-help-out-up-to-10-off-your-meal/

Finally - I’d like to send my best wishes to all our learners receiving A and AS Level, and GCSE results over the coming weeks – I look forward to visiting some of our schools on results days.