Author: Rhys Gregory

A stark financial warning has been issued by Cardiff Council which says spiralling inflation, increased demand and lower than anticipated income levels, has left it with a £53m hole in its budget for 2023/24. The potential increase in costs to deliver services like education, social care and waste services is the highest ever seen in a single year by the local authority. The pace and volatility of economic factors is such that its budget gap for 2023/24 has almost doubled, meaning the council will now have to find £53m in savings and income generation next year instead of the £29m…

Things might be going “bump” in the mine next month, as the sensational Halloween Spooktacular returns to A Welsh Coal Mining Experience at Rhondda Heritage Park. On October 29 and 30,  ghosts and ghouls can enjoy an Underground Spooky Tour, Pumpkin Hunt with prizes, arts and crafts , two small funfair rides, crazy golf and lots of Halloween-themed fun. The web of fun will be cast right across the entire site, with lots of decorations and more to ensure an atmosphere that is frighteningly good. Entry to Halloween Spooktacular is £3.50 for participating children (all participating children) and includes the…

Caerphilly will soon be getting ready for the most wonderful time of the year with the preparation of Winter Food and Craft Markets popping up throughout the Borough. Taking place in Ystrad Mynach, Blackwood, Caerphilly and Bargoed the Winter Food and Craft Markets will include everything you need for a festive day out. Each market will host between 20 and 50 food and craft stalls, a selection of children’s funfair rides along with a jam packed programme of top quality street theatre entertainment. Offering the perfect opportunity for visitors to shop locally, each participating town centre has a selection of…

Over the past year, Caerphilly Council has been busy making major upgrades and improvements to sports facilities across the county borough. In collaboration with Welsh Government and Sports Wales, a new hockey hub has been built with a 2G Astroturf multi-use, all-weather sporting pitch. We saw the opening of the first Athletics Track in Caerphilly. The six-lane, 300 metre floodlit running track also boasts an additional area for off field athletic events such as long jump, high jump, shotput, and javelin. Multiple Astro Turf pitches have been upgraded to 3G pitches and now benefit schools, the community and local clubs…

A successful bid for Welsh Government funding will see the swimming pool at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre and nearby skate park undergo refurbishment costing around £5.3m. Following the announcement, the County Borough Council is working with international leisure facilities developer Alliance Leisure and business services company Red Start to redesign the pool and relocate the skate park closer to the centre. Work is expected to begin on the pool before the end of the year and on the skate park next spring. “We understand and share people’s frustration about the delay in reopening the pool,” said Council Leader Cllr Geraint…

Powys Health and Care Academy’s first campus, at Bronllys Community Hospital, has been officially opened by Health and Social Services Minister Eluned Morgan. The new £1.6 million facility will help improve access to health and social care training in the county and encourage more people to take up a career in the sector. The Bronllys Campus includes a training centre in the refurbished Basil Webb Hall, a new outdoor learning space, and an adaptive living space in the refurbished Magpies bungalow, which will be used to provide simulated learning in a community setting. This is just the start of plans…

Welsh food and drink continues to thrive as latest figures show the sector’s supply chain turnover increased to £23 billion in 2021, Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has said. This represents a growth of 2.9% from the £22.4bn in 2020. The food and drink manufacturing sector in Wales, producing diverse products, experienced very strong growth in 2021 with turnover increasing by 10.2% from £4.9bn to £5.4bn. Today’s announcement follows the news earlier this year that Welsh food and drink exports hit a record high in 2021 reaching £640m. The Welsh Government continues to help businesses in the sector through multiple…

Seven Welsh businesses with expertise ranging from engineering and patient care to grassroots sport are heading to the USA this week as part of a Welsh Government-led trade mission. The delegation is heading to North Carolina and South Carolina, where they will meet with businesses and potential new customers and partners. It is part of the Welsh Government’s commitment to supporting Welsh businesses to grow in Wales and sell to the world, as part of its Export Action Plan. This is the first time that a Welsh Government-led delegation will have visited the Carolinas which have a combined population of…

A Welsh Government-funded programme helping people aged 19 and over to improve their skills and employment prospects has received a £3m boost to focus on digital and net zero skills, Ministers have confirmed today. Personal Learning Accounts (PLA) support individuals on lower-incomes and those whose jobs are at risk, to learn new skills, achieve new qualifications and help to rewrite their careers. £1m will be used to train people in areas including cyber, programming, data analysis, network and cloud infrastructure, database management, and digital analysis skills. £2m will be invested to support individuals to either upskill or re-skill in net…

The Interim Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Gavin Watkins, has confirmed the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in poultry at a site in Anglesey. This is the first confirmed case of avian influenza in Wales since 1st October 2022. A 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone have been declared around the infected premises, to limit the risk of disease spread. Within these zones, bird movements and gatherings are restricted and all holdings that keep birds must be declared. The measures are stricter in the 3km Protection Zone. It is vital keepers of birds remain vigilant and ensure…