Author: Rhys Gregory

SWANSEA skate and BMX fans are set to enjoy a new generation of top-class facilities under plans by Swansea Council. More than £1m has been set aside for new equipment to help boost sports that are growing in popularity across the city. And now the council is bringing in fresh expertise to help it develop its plans for the community facilities skate and BMX fans would like to see. Robert Francis-Davies, Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism said: “We want to create among the best community network of skate, BMX and wheeled sports facilities of any local authority in…

Swansea Council’s free bus initiative is back for the summer holidays, offering free travel within the city. The Free Ride Swansea offer means residents will be able to travel on public transport in the city for a total of 20 days between July 28 – August 28 and operates during each weekend (Fri – Mon). The Council-led free travel initiative is now in its third year of operating after it was launched in the school summer holidays of 2021 and has seen tens of thousands of people taking the chance to travel for free, to do the shopping, see friends…

Neath Port Talbot Council has arranged for two free to all shuttle vehicles to act as a temporary last-minute solution to the axing by a local transport company of two vital bus services. A number of bus routes are being cancelled or reduced across Wales due to the uncertainty around the Welsh Government’s continued funding of bus services and the reduction in passenger numbers following COVID. South Wales Transport informed the council that as from Saturday, July 22nd, 2023 it was ceasing Bus Service 202: Neath to Port Talbot and Port Talbot to Neath and Bus Service 204: Neath to…

A survey has been launched to ask the public of their experiences of accessing a range of public services from housing to health. The survey has been created by public sector partners across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys. Feedback will inform work around equality from 2024 until 2028 and how people with protected characteristics are affected or treated when accessing services provided by the sector. The survey focuses on key areas like education, housing, health, crime, leisure and access to the coast and countryside. It asks people to rate their own experiences of these services and their perceptions of the experience that other people in our society may have. All public bodies have to produce a Strategic Equality Plan setting out how they will ensure services they provide are accessible to…

Cabinet has considered proposals to develop the Rock Grounds buildings in Aberdare into a quality hotel, restaurant, bar and spa – and agreed the Council will start a formal process to secure a development partner. At their meeting on Monday, July 17, Cabinet discussed the proposals to renovate and redevelop the current site, retain its buildings, and preserve the historic Rock Grounds building and features. The development would maintain an appropriate level of public car parking and also retain the Keir Hardie bust. The facilities complementing the new hotel would be available for community use as well as for tourists.…

Creatives in three local authorities are to benefit from funding which aims to nurture local talent and extend the benefits of Cardiff’s creative cluster across the region. Cardiff University’s Centre for the Creative Economy is working in partnership with Newport, Monmouthshire and Rhondda Cynon Taf councils on a new Creative Industries Cluster Hubs project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It is hoped the three pilot hubs will drive investment and extend the benefits of Cardiff’s thriving creative industries across the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR). While specific plans are…

A new primary school that will open in south Powys next year has reached a significant milestone with the appointment of a headteacher, it has been announced. Sarah Court has been appointed as Headteacher for the new primary school in Brecon following an extensive recruitment process overseen by the school’s Temporary Governing Body. The new school will open in September 2024 following the merger of Mount Street Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. school as part of Transforming Education plans by Powys County Council. Mrs Court, who lives near Brecon, started her teaching career 30 years…

One of Wales’ most popular spirits, the Single Malt Welsh Whisky, is now officially protected after it secured PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) UK GI status. This is the first new UK spirit to achieve GI status since the UKGI was launched and also becomes Wales’s first GI spirit. Single Malt Welsh Whisky is now the 20th member of the Welsh GI family of products, joining the likes of other great produce such as Anglesey Sea Salt PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI Welsh Lamb, PGI Welsh Beef and Welsh Leeks PGI. The UK GI scheme was established at the beginning…

An agri-environment scheme to support protection of habitats on agricultural land is to be introduced from 1 January 2024 until the beginning of the Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2025, the Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has announced. As the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme ends, this will provide alternative support for all eligible farmers, including Glastir Advanced, Commons and Organic farmers when their contracts expire on 31 December 2023 The application window for the scheme will open later this year, with contracts commencing in January 2024 to ensure a seamless transition as Glastir closes in December 2023.…

2023 marks a unique juncture for global economics due to strategic decisions taken by central banks. Their choices are leading investments into uncharted waters; interest rates, specifically within the UK, serve as an anchor that unifies various investment choices. Let us embark upon an adventure together to discover just how these vital pulses of finance shape investment landscapes. Current climate: an overview of UK interest rates in perspective The Bank of England has recently attempted to achieve an optimal balance by adjusting interest rates to foster economic expansion while counteracting inflation. An increase in interest rates can have various ramifications…