Recent visitors to Singleton were keen to try our local cuisine - well lets say they wanted to support a local cafe, sit down, enjoy the scene with a good coffee and some tasty food.
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Only trouble was it was Sunday lunchtime and all of Singleton's popular cafes were closed.
Since COVID-19 Singleton's Sunday food offerings have greatly diminished with the exception of the highway franchise outlets.
Few if any places are open for breakfast or lunch unless you head out of town to Pokolbin or Broke.
The number one reason for this according to business owners is the difficulty of finding staff and the extra costs involved with Sunday trading.
So how can we create a more vibrant Sunday in Singleton which may also encourage more cafes to open on that day?
Singleton Council's Vicki Brereton, Director Organisation and Community Capacity, said Singleton Council and Business Singleton are working in partnership on several economic development programs to boost the vibrancy of our local community.
"The local expenditure in the Singleton local government area (LGA) has been increasing steadily since 2019, with 44% more spent annually in 2023 than it was in 2019.
"Visitor expenditure is also increasing with a 14% increase in expenditure from visitors outside of the LGA spending in Singleton between 2022 and 2023.
"Singleton Council and Business Singleton are also collaborating on industry development, skills and employment programs, with the Support Local, Spend in Singleton and local procurement programs boosted by a Singleton Community Economic Development Fund grant this year."
To help boost employee numbers, in particular for the hospitality industry, Council's Industry Development Program developed an action plan with local hospitality and retail businesses. There is also the Skills and Employment Program that focuses on developing key skills to support local employer jobs in Singleton, with key industries being hospitality and retail.
These programs continue to support and encourage local retailers and hospitality businesses and promote vibrancy within our town, Mr Bereton said.
Mr Bereton said Council is also currently reviewing the 10-year Community Strategic Plan, which outlines the community's vision and priorities for the future of Singleton over a ten-year period. "This is the best way for everyone in our community to be part of setting the vision and direction for Singleton for the next 10 years," she said.