Author: Rhys Gregory

An additional 2,600 pupils attending primary schools in Swansea are now able to enjoy free school meals after the offer was extended to all Year Three pupils at the start of this term. It means around 10,000 in the city are now eligible as free meals were already on offer to all Reception, Year One and Year Two pupils. The Welsh Government has made a commitment for every primary school pupil to receive a free school meal by 2024 and Swansea Council is working to achieve this target. In Swansea more than £4m is being invested in improving school kitchens…

Neath Port Talbot Council has taken delivery of a new pothole fixing machine which will make repairing the damaging road defects much quicker and easier. Council Leader Cllr Steve Hunt and Cabinet Member for Streetscene Cllr Scott Jones have been to see the JCB Pothole Pro in action on the roads of Neath Port Talbot. Cllr Hunt said: “This impressive machine will make a big difference to our ongoing fight against potholes by speeding up the operation and it will also be safer for our workforce. “They will be safely in cabs when the work is being done, not exposed…

An upgraded culvert system will be installed at a bridge in the rural area of Gelliwion Road Maesycoed from Monday, September 25. The Nant Gelliwion Bridge is located at the sharp bends towards the southern end of Gelliwion Road, to the west of Penycoedcae and south west of Graig. Walters UK Ltd is the appointed contractor to undertake the work, which will alleviate the risk of carriageway flooding using Welsh Government funding earmarked for Storm Dennis repairs. The bridge will be replaced with a larger culvert system – while the road will be widened to help vehicle movements. Other work…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet has this week (20th September) unanimously approved ambitious plans to deliver 1,000 new low carbon affordable homes over the next ten years to meet increasing local need. The plans were approved as part of the ‘Development and Governance Strategy: ‘Building Together’.  The strategy also proposes the establishment of a Development and Governance Project Board, which was agreed by Cabinet; whose role will be to oversee the development of the Council’s needs based, customer focused, ambitious development programme. Cabinet members also approved plans for the Council to sign up and agree to the key principles outlined…

BRAND new rail services are set to be launched on one of South Wales’ key lines, almost doubling the number of travel options. Thanks to a £70 million investment through the Welsh Government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Transport for Wales and Network Rail will be delivering direct services between Ebbw Vale and Newport. From December, the line will have two trains per hour – one to Cardiff and one to Newport. That means the line will have more than 60 services running on it every single day. TfW Project Sponsor Kevin Lewis said the project was an example…

New guidance will help NHS Wales to build a culture in which ‘Speaking Up’, is supported safely and all concerns are listened to. This week, the Welsh Government and NHS Wales have published the Speaking up Safely Framework for NHS Wales. This framework will enhance existing procedures to ensure a consistent approach across Wales and provide assurances to staff that concerns will be taken seriously, heard fairly and will not result in personal repercussions. Developed in social partnership with trade unions and NHS Wales employers, it sets out the responsibilities of all NHS Wales organisations, their executive teams, and boards,…

Today, Public Health Wales has published new guidance for secondary schools to tackle vaping. The guidance sets out details of vaping use among young people in Wales and actions schools can take to address vaping. Figures from the School Health Research Network show that 20% of young people from year 7 to year 11 say they’ve tried vaping, with 5% of secondary school pupils in Wales vaping at least once a week. Health and Well-being is a mandatory part of the new Curriculum for Wales, and the guidance provides opportunities to introduce learning about vaping and vaping devices. This should…

Businesses are urged to review security systems and make it clear that there is no cash on the premises overnight. This month, 11 businesses in Penarth and Barry have been broken into or been subject to attempt burglary. Small independent businesses and larger premises have been hit. Common themes of the recent burglaries are: Committed overnight. Entry gained by smashing doors or windows. Cash stolen from tills. As part of the police response, detectives are reviewing forensic opportunities, speaking to witnesses and viewing CCTV, to identify and arrest those responsible. Local Policing Inspector for Penarth,  Abi Biddle, said: “Being a…

Jordan Scaffe has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, after being convicted of six counts of exposure and three counts of voyeurism. Scaffe, 28 from Llantrisant exposed himself on a number of occasions to victims including young girls. Scaffe filmed women while they were undressing in a changing room and of schoolgirls’ reactions as he showed them his genitals. However, when arrested and his phone was seized, officer in the case DC Harri Andrews found key evidence on Scaffe’s phone, where he had filmed some of his offending which meant…

Jamie Bartlett who believed he was arranging to have sex with seven-year-old girl was caught by undercover officer. Bartlett, 46 from Aberdare, believed he was talking to a man with access to a made-up seven-year-old girl but was actually speaking to an officer from the Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT). During the communication he said, “”I really hope it’s not a fantasy mate, I’m really up for it” and he also told the undercover officer that he had previously had sexual activity with an eight-year-old girl. When told that fictitious girl was “seven-years-old”, he responded “Mate, that’s perfect to be…