Author: Rhys Gregory

A SERIES of major school building and refurbishment projects could be under way in Neath Port Talbot including a new-build replacement for the evacuated Godre’rgraig Primary School and a new build special school to replace Ysgol Hendrefelin. On November 20th, 2023, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet will be recommended, via education officials, to seek permission for ambitious new school project submissions to be included in the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning funding programme (formerly known as 21st Century Schools). The proposed new submissions are:  A new-build, English medium, £17m replacement for Godre’rgraig Primary School at Gnoll Road, Godre’rgraig, providing…

A community drop-in will be hosted by Transport for Wales this Saturday, 18th November to discuss plans for the new South Wales Metro services. They will be joined by Councillors William Hennessy and Gillian Bruce at Rhoose Community Centre. The meeting will give members of the public a chance to ask any questions relating to the project and the benefits that it will bring to the Vale of Glamorgan. Representatives from Transport for Wales will share the progress to date and answer any questions or concerns. The Metro is an integrated network of bus, rail and active travel (walking and cycling) that is…

Members of Pembrokeshire’s Beavers, Cubs and Scout groups got the chance to meet decision makers at Pembrokeshire County Council as well as a special guest recently. A special event during UK Parliament Week was held at County Hall to focus on democracy and how it works with more than 35 young people and 15 Leaders attending. Questions were put to First Minister Mark Drakeford MS who attended the event virtually and further discussion was had with Cabinet Members and Councillors, along with the Council Chairman and the Chief Executive. Supported by the Children and Young People’s Rights Office and their…

‘2023 has seen good progress of the Mid Wales Growth Deal and it is now nearing the delivery phase’ is the update shared between UK and Welsh Government ministers and Powys and Ceredigion County Council Leaders at a virtual meeting held on 09th November. This year the Deal has received £4m of funding, the first allocation of funding from both governments as part of an agreement made early 2022. The current Mid Wales Growth Deal portfolio currently consists of a mixture of Programmes and Projects that aim to boost the following Strategic Growth Priority areas: Applied Research & Innovation Agriculture,…

The number of disused coal tips in Wales has been made publicly available today with interactive maps showing the locations of the 350 that are inspected more frequently. The publication of the data comes after the Coal Tip Safety Taskforce was established following the landslide in Tylorstown in February 2020. A key objective from the taskforce was to address the gap in information around disused coal tips and, as a result, the Coal Authority were commissioned to lead on a data collection project by Minister for Climate Change, Julie James. In October 2021, the Welsh Government published a breakdown of…

The Chief Medical Officer for Wales has called on people with clinical vulnerabilities to come forward for their winter vaccinations to protect themselves and the health service. With just over a third of all those eligible having received their COVID-19 booster vaccination, Dr Frank Atherton said it was vital those most at risk of winter illnesses took up the offer of a COVID or flu vaccine when they are invited. The most recent data from Public Health Wales shows that while uptake has been steady amongst those aged 65 and over, those in clinical risk groups have been slow to…

Rougemont School in Newport has marked remembrance with a poignant art installation created by pupils and staff called “The Missing”. Inspired by the Thiepval Memorial in France which honours over 75,000 men and boys missing in action, the sculpture was created by Caerleon-based Tim Webb who works at the school as a DT Technician. Created from scrap metal including donations from parents of used helium canisters, the sculpture signifies a hand moving up from the ground surrounded by ceramic poppies made by the children. The poignant sculpture was unveiled during the school’s whole school remembrance assembly today where over 800…

Global electronics company, Panasonic, has today cemented its ongoing commitment to Wales by announcing an up to £20m investment in its facility in Cardiff. The firm has earmarked the Welsh capital to roll out a state-of-the-art net-zero power system as part of its ambition to use the site as a Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies within the UK. Panasonic’s self-sustaining system makes use of hydrogen fuel cell generators, photovoltaic generators, and storage batteries and will strengthen Panasonic as a key supplier in assisting customers achieve Net Zero. The technology is currently only in-use at another of the firm’s facilities…

The Welsh Government has launched a consultation today [Tuesday 14 November] seeking views on possible approaches to redesigning the council tax system to make it fairer. Council tax helps to fund the everyday essential services provided by local councils, which we all rely on – from schools to local libraries, social care to street cleaning. A key goal in making the system fairer is that the changes do not seek to increase the overall amount of council tax raised, and any redesign should raise the same amount of council tax across Wales as the current system would. The current system…

FinTech Wales has announced the resignation of Sarah Williams-Gardener as CEO, who will move to assume the role of the organisation’s Chair, replacing Louise O’Shea, from January 2024. As Chair, Sarah will support the new CEO to further develop FinTech Wales’ strategic direction, as well as ensuring the continued robust governance structure of the organisation to maintain its transparency and inclusivity. Having established Wales as a thriving fintech cluster on a global stage, it’s now time for a new CEO to lead FinTech Wales and the Welsh fintech ecosystem through its next chapter, which will be focused on attracting and…