Happy new year

May I wish everyone happy and prosperous new year. The credit crunch and the dramatic fall in the value of sterling against the euro however seem to be conspiring to prevent the prosperous part of my greeting for most of us Brits.

Back in September in my post "sign of progress" I touched on the fact that a lot of business owners in the Algarve were unhappy that the authorities dictate the dates on which they could commence and cease their business activities. Well it would seem that the authorities are not only listening but are also prepared to act.

Concessions along the Algarve’s beaches will be allowed to open outside of the normal bathing season, which is between June 1 and September 30, this year.

The decision was made at a meeting between the Administração da Região Hidrográfica do Algarve (ARH), the region’s hydrographical administration, and other organisations in December.

Bars, restaurants and other facilities that want to open outside of the normal bathing season must present their proposal to the relevant port authority.This must include the proposed opening dates as well as other information such as assistance for swimmers, rubbish collection and access to a first aid posts etc.

No doubt the inevitable bureaucracy involved will be daunting for some business owners but nevertheless we can hopefully look forward to services such as the ferries and aqua taxis operating into the cool autumn months.