Author: Rhys Gregory

A landlady has been ordered to pay over £10,000 at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court for a catalogue of failures relating to a house she owns and rents out as a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO.) Rowshanara Begum from Clive Street, Grangetown, Cardiff, did not attend court on December 1stand was sentenced in her absence. A fine of £2,000 was given for each of the five offences, resulting in a £10,000 fine, as well as £2,000 in costs and a victim surcharge of £190. The case came to light following a complaint from a tenant about the conditions at the rented property…

Roads in need of repair in Swansea are set to benefit from an additional £1million investment this year. The funding will also be targeted towards flooding hotspots in the city which have suffered most during severe weather. Swansea Council is seeking to approve a report which sets out plans to invest £5million extra into the city’s highway network over the next three years. The overall investment will mean that in 2022/23 an extra £1million will be spent on highway maintenance, including repairs to pavements and also tackling drainage and flooding issues in parts of the city. £2 million will be…

SWANSEA panto stalwart Kevin Johns MBE has been awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City. Mr Johns was honoured for his charity work and for being an ambassador for the city at a ceremony at Guildhall on December 8. Mr Johns follows Catherine Zeta Jones, rugby legend Alun Wyn-Jones and a host of others who’ve had the honour down the years. Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said: “While he’s in the public eye a lot, there’s also much Kevin does behind the scenes to support people in need and that’s one of the reasons why he deserves this award.…

Newport City Council’s cabinet will next week consider how it will change the services it provides in the face of a major financial challenge. With a budget gap of £27.6 million, there will be many difficult decisions to be made. Last month, Councillor Jane Mudd, Leader of the council set out the scale of the challenge in a video address and since then, the authority has been looking at every option to limit the impact of the inevitable changes on the people of Newport. https://youtu.be/Fp8gLuQmhWE At the meeting on Wednesday 14 December, 29 proposals will be considered in detail before the…

In the first fortnight of Monmouthshire County Council’s Christmas Wishes appeal, presents and donations of money have been coming in from generous residents and businesses, including the construction firms working on the new through-school in Abergavenny, across the county. The annual appeal delivers some Christmas joy to vulnerable children and young people who might otherwise not receive gifts over the festive period. This year’s appeal is running until 18th December and despite the challenges so many people are facing due to the Cost of Living Crisis, the community have been digging deep to help. Cllr. Groucutt, Cabinet Member for Education,…

This autumn at the annual Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership Board meeting, Emma Thomas was announced as the new Chair of the Board. The Chair of the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership plays a key role in helping the region to drive its vision for learning and skills, represent the voice of the private sector, to influence and support decision-making and to champion the Mid Wales region at a national level. Emma Thomas is currently the HR Manager at ABER Instruments, a Life Science Manufacturer, and has been with the company for the last seven and a half years. With…

Welsh farms will receive a share of £62.5 million as Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2022 full or balance payments are made today (Friday 9 December). Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths said payments are being made to over 14,400 farm businesses across Wales, which is 90% of claimants. This is in addition to the £161m BPS advance payments made to 97% of claimants in October. This was the second year Rural Payments Wales (RPW) made automatic BPS advance payments in October following simplification of the BPS requirements. Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths said: “I am pleased we are yet again making…

Welsh homebuilder, Persimmon Homes has announced exciting changes to Community Champions, the company’s generous charitable scheme which has supported hundreds of charities, sports clubs and local organisations. Through the scheme, Persimmon Homes’ regional businesses in East and West Wales previously provided grants of £1,000 to a range of worthy cause throughout the year. The company has today announced that the two regions will be providing grants of up to £6,000 to community groups and charities every three months, at least £24,000 per year. Previous beneficiaries of Community Champions donations in Wales include organisations such as Welsh Hearts, Cefn Fforest Miners…

World Rally Championship star Elfyn Evans this week launched a series of walking routes in his home village which offer spectacular views of the famous UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere in Mid Wales. The Llwybrau Cerdded – Mawddwy – Walking Paths are based in Dinas Mawddwy, an unspoilt, hidden area between Machynlleth and Dolgellau which is steeped in history. The paths comprise eight, waymarked, circular walking routes, ranging from one-and-a-half to 12 miles, covering a total distance of 46 miles. They have been developed by Cwmni Nod Glas Cyf, a social enterprise formed by an industrious group of volunteers. This area has…

Activity in the Welsh housing market continues to weaken, with higher interest rates and a difficult macroeconomic outlook both taking their toll on buyer sentiment, according to the November 2022 RICS UK Residential Market Survey. For the seventh month in a row, buyer demand in Wales continued to fall, with the net balance coming in at -34%. Whilst this is less negative than the -65% reported in the previous month, the market remains in a firmly downward trend with indications that this will continue in the near term. For agreed sales, a net balance of -48% was reported over this…