Author: Rhys Gregory

Two men have been jailed for being part of an organised crime group linked to the murder of Tomasz Waga. Ajet Mehalla, 43, from Fairwater, was convicted of participating in the activities of an organised crime group following a trial at Newport Crown Court. His nephew Ardit Mehalla, 26, from London was convicted of being concerned in cultivation of cannabis. The court heard that the organised crime group was involved in the production and supply of cannabis from a house at 319 Newport Road in Roath, Cardiff. It was this cannabis factory that Tomasz Waga and a second man had travelled…

The Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council has approved the ‘Relationship Building Together’ (RBT) initiative – a project largely evaluating how services using the Trauma Recovery Model (TRM) can benefit those children affected by trauma. The collaborative bid to establish the RBT scheme involved six teams within the local authority, working together with the All-Wales Forensic Adolescent Consultation Treatment Service (FACTS) – a department of the Children and Adolescent and Mental Health Service (CAMHS). The RBT scheme is one of only three successful projects across England and Wales to secure funding through the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF).  The latter funds…

The Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council has approved how funds will provide standard annual bus passes for college students in the coming academic year, who live more than three miles from Bridgend College.  The passes will be used on existing First Cymru services, rather than a dedicated college bus service– a move which will in turn support bus networks across the county borough. First Cymru is the current dedicated service provider for student travel back and forth to Bridgend College campuses. The contract, due to end in July, has not been renewed for the forthcoming academic year, due to…

Bus operators across Wales will be announcing registered alterations to some of the services that they offer, largely due to changes in the support offered by Welsh Government. Welsh government ended its ‘Bus Emergency Scheme’ fund in July, which has been followed by the ‘Bus Transition Fund’, commencing from July to 31 March 2024.  The transition fund is there to ensure that the majority of the current bus provision will be supported, so that vital services can continue across the network. Most of the bus services operating within the county borough will remain unchanged. However, the bus services listed below…

Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved the early transfer of land to Bridgend College to secure the new town centre campus. As part of a ‘master’ planning programme which aims to regenerate Bridgend town centre over the next ten years, the proposed college development will be built on the former South Wales Police Station and Brackla One multi storey car park at Cheapside. The demolition of the police station took place in June, and the removal of the multi storey car park is set to be completed by April 2024, with tenders just being issued. The demolition of the…

Do you want to create a fairer world for every child? Are you passionate about equality for girls and young women? Do you have a plan to put your idealism into action? Child Friendly Cardiff, which is driving the city’s ambition to be recognised as a UNICEF Child Friendly City, has joined forces with Plan UK (Wales) to fund new projects aimed at doing just that. The Young Changemaker Grants are worth up to £1,000 and are offered to young people aged 13-24 and organisations working with young people. The new Cardiff grants aims to provide opportunities for young people…

Significant repairs to the flood walls at two locations along the Rhondda River in Treorchy will get underway next week. Residents will notice site activity at Swn-yr-Afon, with the first works starting in the week commencing Monday, August 7 – followed by works at Glynrhondda Street later this summer. The Council has appointed Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd to carry out the work, which is anticipated to cause minimal disruption to the community. The respective schemes will carry out scour repairs beneath the flood walls, to future-proof the structures. The work represents a significant investment, funded through Welsh Government’s programme for…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet recently approved those roads that will be ‘exceptions’ to the new legislation from Welsh Government reducing the default national speed limit from 30mph to 20mph on restricted roads. The legislation will come into force across Wales on 17th September 2023. From that date, the maximum speed you can legally travel on restricted roads will be 20mph. On some roads, a 20mph speed limit would not be appropriate. These roads will be known as exceptions, and the 30mph speed limit will remain. The majority of roads identified as exceptions will go ahead as planned, apart from…

Monmouthshire County Council has officially confirmed the details about the resurfacing of the Wye Bridge in Monmouth. The work has now been put out to tender and a contractor will be appointed by mid-August. The plan is for a closure of the bridge for up to five weeks from an expected date on 16th October, 2023. The bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic for 24 hours a day to enable major resurfacing work to be undertaken. The essential work will involve the removal of 10cm of the road surface from the bridge, which was built c.1615 and widened 1878-80.…

MonLife’s recent School Swimming Festival welcomed over 345 primary school children to participate in inclusive aquatic activities across Monmouthshire. Festivals in Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth leisure centres allowed pupils to participate in a series of non-competitive fun events, including floats, strokes and woggle races. The events that saw 23 primary schools participate, were supported by Swim Wales and 24 MonLife Leadership Academy students. The MonLife Leadership Academy provides support for young people in Monmouthshire to achieve their full potential. Participants gain valuable skills through sport that can be transferred into everyday life. Cllr Sara Burch, Cabinet Member for Inclusive…