Author: Rhys Gregory

Construction workloads in Wales fell through the final quarter of 2025, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction Monitor, but surveyors are optimistic that workloads will pick up over the next year. A net balance of -13% of survey respondents in Wales reported a fall in overall construction activity in Q4, which is the lowest this balance has been in two years, and the second consecutive quarter this balance has been in negative territory. All subsectors saw declines in activity: private housing (a net balance of -8%), other public works (a net balance of -8%), private…

No single tool can accurately measure people’s diets, but new research shows that combining different methods — from wearable cameras to analysing dietary biomarkers — could be the most reliable picture of what people eat. In a review published in ‘Nature Food’, an international team of scientists highlights long‑standing problems with traditional self‑reported dietary tools, which often rely on memory and guesswork and place a heavy time burden on participants. These limitations make it difficult for researchers and policymakers to reliably link diet with health outcomes, and to understand how diets are changing in response to global sustainability challenges. The…

Opening at Wales Millennium Centre on 1 March, Haunts is a brand-new Virtual Reality experience celebrating the Welsh party scene, set to take audiences on a nostalgic journey back to 2006 – twenty years on. The bilingual experience has been made possible with The Heritage Lottery Fund and is a Wales Millennium Centre, Pilot Theatre and Dreaming Methods co-production in collaboration with The National Library of Wales and The Museum of Youth Culture.  Narrated by Welsh star, Callum Scott-Howells (It’s a Sin), in English and Steffan Donnelly (Theatr Cymru) in Welsh, audiences are transported to Llanberis, a rural former slate…

It’s 2016 and Wales is making history. The Welsh men’s football team is about to reach the semi-finals of the European championships, Little Haven beach in Pembrokeshire becomes the first smoke-free beach in the UK, and the country appoints a Future Generations Commissioner. Wales is the only country in the world with this statutory role, dedicated to protecting the interests of people not yet born. Ten years later, as more than 220,000 babies have been born in Wales, the role, established by the Well-being of Future Generations Act, has influenced policy across education, transport, the economy, health and climate action…

A 32-year-old man who burgled a school and a home in Wrexham has been jailed. Stephen Lee Jones, also known as ‘Skell’, of no fixed abode, appeared at Mold Crown Court on 29 January for sentencing. He admitted two counts of burglary, theft from a car and assault. He was jailed for two years and eight months. On 10 December last year, Jones broke into St Christopher’s School in Wrexham, where he tore through cupboards, broke multiple desks and stole an ipad. A number of blood stains left around the room linked Jones to the crime. Earlier that morning, he…

Swansea Council has released key details from a recent meeting with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and the Ospreys where they outlined proposals on the future of regional rugby in Wales. The Council has also issued pre‑action legal letters to the WRU and Y11, owners of the Ospreys, calling for an immediate pause to the current restructure of Welsh rugby. The meeting took place on 22 January 2026 between the Leader of Swansea Council, five senior council officers, WRU Chief Executive Abi Tierney, and Ospreys Chief Executive Lance Bradley, following a request from Mr Bradley. While the Council had intended…

Cabinet Members have approved proposals for the Council to acquire residential properties at Clydach Terrace in Ynysybwl that face a severe flood risk. It follows several instances of major flooding, a previous announcement by Natural Resources Wales that possible flood risk solutions are unviable, and a subsequent period of engagement with property owners and tenants. A report to Cabinet on Monday, February 2, recommended that Members authorise the acquisition of 1-16 Clydach Terrace (excluding 6a and 6b that are built at an elevated position and do not face a significant flood risk). It was also recommended that officers are authorised…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has announced the launch of a pre-application consultation for a new state-of-the-art operations depot on Dyffryn Business Park in Ystrad Mynach. Plans for the new facility are a key part of the council’s ambitious Waste and Recycling Strategy and the implementation of Welsh Government’s ‘blueprint’ collections from 2028, which was agreed in Cabinet on 23rd July 2025. Councillor Chris Morgan, Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling, said: “Residents will be aware that we are working hard to increase the amount of waste that we recycle, and to achieve this we need a modern, fit‑for‑purpose facility here…

Sustainable business units are available to lease at two new commercial property schemes in Carmarthenshire, following £15m in funding from the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council. Parc Gelli Werdd, which features 26 state-of-the-art workshops and offices at the Cross Hands East Strategic Employment Site, is demonstrating strong market demand for low carbon business premises. The development includes an innovative system which allows tenants to manage electricity consumption to achieve cost efficiencies, and benefits from high performance insulation and solar panels to deliver reduced building running costs and benefit the environment. It is currently around 70 per cent let, with…

Sinema Cymru, a collaboration between S4C, Ffilm Cymru Wales and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales, has announced the recipients of its second round of funding, a scheme aimed at developing several Welsh-language feature film concepts with a view to progressing at least one into production funding. The fund makes up to £30,000 available for individual projects with the potential to be ready for production within 12 months of the start of the development period, with smaller awards of up to £10,000 available for earlier stage projects. Six projects have been successful for feature development in this second round: MOGI…