Business owners at an industrial estate are facing a 30% rent increase after a year of hardship due to the pandemic.
The Blaenau Gwent council-owned Cwmtillery Industrial Estate near Abertillery has been known as a cheaper area for businesses over the past few years, and is home to a number of small start-ups from across the borough.
Tenants have recently been informed of a 30% rent increase by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.
The news has left business owners staggered at the cost and timing of the increases as they prepare to re-open in the wake of a global pandemic.
Wes Fisher, 39, is the co-owner of Flame Protect UK, a company that specialises in fireproofing materials on film sets, and says after more than seven years on the site he couldn't believe the council decided to act on this now.
He said: "We've been here in the unit for a long time and have always been very proud to base our business in our home borough of Blaenau Gwent, so to have this dropped on us just as things are starting to open back up was a bit of a shock.
"We had an e-mail to say the yearly rent would be going up by 30%, and we'd really like to know how they can justify that amount during the pandemic.
"In our case with a lot of our business coming from across the border we've been unable to work at full capacity throughout the majority of this last year, and there has definitely been a bit of stress to make ends meet.
"We had saved up for a rainy day, but we didn't know we'd end up having a rainy year, and we feel this rise makes things a little bit more difficult.
"Any increase could be a blow as it stands, so we're just relying on the fact that business will pick up to where it was before the pandemic hit now."
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Business partner at Flame Protect UK, Christian Carpenter of Abertillery says he was also surprised to hear of the vast change in price, particularly as there has been no regular review on the property since they moved in to the unit 2014.
"It's a big increase to come all at once, and we definitely weren't expecting to get it at this point on top of everything that's happened over the last year," he said.
"We would have understood if it had come in stages over the last few years, but there has been no regular review of the price since we came in which is just mind blowing.
"People can plan and adjust when things go up steadily, but to give us the rise all in one hit when we're at our lowest is very frustrating.
"It's a worry, and while we are confident we can get back on track after the pandemic we feel for other people who could go under as a result."
Darren Davies works for Gain Nutrition, another local company based on the site that produces nutritional products for local gyms, athletes and sports teams.
Using the unit to mix and package product, Darren said after being notified about the increased cost of rent this month he was baffled by the timing.
He said: "The fact that our rent has gone up like this is a little disappointing, particularly for a company like Gain Nutrition, who rely on things like gyms being open to trade.
"With all that being closed due to the restrictions it has had a big knock on effect for us, which means we have barely traded at all in this time, and now we have this on top.
"It might be a five or six hundred pound increase over the course of the year and it all counts with the pandemic ongoing, so hopefully we can work something out."
A spokesperson for Blaenau Gwent Council said they remain committed to supporting businesses in Blaenau Gwent, and are always happy to work with them through any changes.
They said: "We have provided assistance and support throughout the covid pandemic which has included offering rental payment holidays during what we recognise are challenging times.
“We have started to carry out a review of our entire portfolio of industrial estates and units in order to ensure that our rental rates are fair and equitable to all, and also in line with current market values as assessed independently.
“This review has confirmed that some businesses occupying council owned units have not been subject to the regular rental reviews that should have taken place, and so have not received an increase in their rental payments, in some cases for several years.
"For this reason, a number of businesses will see their rent increased so that it is in line with the current market."
