Author: Rhys Gregory

Last Friday, the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Licensing Team carried out a taxi licensing operation  – Operation Beccles – alongside our colleagues from the Swansea Council taxi licensing team. The date coincided with the first day of this year’s Op Advent, which involves policing activity to ensure that visitors can enjoy the city centre’s night-time economy during the festive period, as well as an Operation Chirk day of action, which saw outstanding suspects brought into custody. During the evening, marked police vehicles patrolled the city centre and identified Hackney carriage and private-hire taxis to be brought back for spot-checks…

Transport for Wales has now electrified 99% of the railway lines in South East Wales as part of the South Wales Metro. Overhead wires across the Rhymney railway line were switched on this past weekend, signifying another major milestone for the project, as well as the recent official opening of the South Wales Metro depot at Taff’s Well by His Majesty King Charles. Since 2023, the Rhymney, Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr, Coryton and Caerphilly railway lines have all been electrified, with the final section of railway along the Cardiff Bay line planned to go live from early 2026. Dubbed the ‘Welsh…

Cardiff Council is exploring bold new ways to tackle congestion and further improve air quality in the city, by exploring an alternative option to a congestion charge, a Workplace Parking Levy.Although the air quality in Cardiff is far better than it ever has been, further work is required to reduce harmful pollutants, reduce congestion, and provide much-needed investment in public transport. The three-step business case process for a Road User Payment Scheme, which can take several different forms began in April 2023, examining various charging options in detail. More recently the Council has completed the first stage of the process,…

Plans to address long-standing problems caused by ground movement on the A469 between Pontlottyn and New Tredegar have been agreed by Cabinet. Cabinet agreed to commit £20 million using a combination of repurposed budgets and borrowing, to fund the major engineering project. Leader of Council, Cllr Jamie Pritchard said, “I’m pleased that in the few short weeks since becoming Leader of the Council, I have delivered on my promise to seek the funding needed to get this work done. We recognise the significant impact the road is having on residents and businesses in the Uper Rhymney Valley, so we are…

Merthyr Tydfil’s eagerly awaited new Indoor Market will open its doors this Saturday, 13th December, just in time for the Christmas trade! The new market, located in St Tydfil Shopping Centre, will see a mixture of traditional stalls and exciting new food offerings located within the refurbished building that was once the ground floor of the former Wilko premises. This exciting project has come to fruition following the Merthyr Tydfil Placemaking Plan consultation in Summer 2024, where we listened to the community’s suggestions to re-locate the current indoor market. The Council’s Regeneration team have also worked closely with existing traders…

Organisations across Mid Wales are now invited to submit proposals for new capital projects to help shape a strengthened regional investment pipeline. The open call is now live. The purpose of the pipeline is to identify, support and prepare a range of high-impact, investment-ready projects that can help drive long-term economic growth across the region. It will provide possible options for investment through the Mid Wales Growth Deal, but also position Mid Wales strongly for future funding opportunities and wider private sector investment. This pipeline-led approach will support the region in bringing forward proposals that are ambitious, deliverable and capable…

Faster, more convenient hearing care will be available closer to people’s home, as part of a radical reform of audiology services. The Future Approach for Audiology Services will move a range of hearing services from hospitals into local communities, building on successful models already delivering results across North Wales and in the Swansea Bay University Health Board area. The transformation will reduce pressure on hospital ENT departments, GP surgeries and community nursing services, ensuring older people can access specialist hearing care closer to home alongside earwax removal services. Audiology services are the last part of primary care services to undergo such…

Japanese Ambassador joined First Minister at Conwy Castle to sing Welsh national anthem, to mark end of the year of Wales and Japan. A year of deepening cultural and economic ties between Wales and Japan was concluded this week as Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki joined First Minister Eluned Morgan to perform the Welsh national anthem at Conwy castle, to highlight the bond between Wales and Japan. It is the second time the Ambassador has visited Wales this year. In 2019, Conwy Castle and Himeji Castle in Japan became the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites to be twinned. Since then, the relationship has gone from strength to strength, including renewing…

The Minister for Pensions, Torsten Bell MP, addressed a full house of finance, HR and pension professionals at a lunch event hosted by Quantum Advisory at the Twenty Ten Clubhouse, Celtic Manor Resort in Newport on 4 December. The event, held just over a week after the Autumn Budget, offered exclusive insights into the government’s ongoing work to improve the pensions landscape. In his keynote, the Minister emphasised that “policy makes a difference”, citing three major success stories: Pension poverty has halved since the mid-1990s, now at 15%, thanks to measures like the State Pension triple lock and pension credit. Workplace…

Welsh businesses operate in environments where equipment reliability directly affects productivity, safety and long-term cost control. Many facilities are discovering that large savings do not come only from major investments, but from smaller engineering choices that influence how equipment moves, responds to load and withstands daily wear. When mobility systems work seamlessly, operations stay predictable and maintenance budgets remain stable. Why Small Adjustments Deliver Big Results Most maintenance overruns in warehouses, workshops and manufacturing sites across Wales originate from avoidable stress on equipment. When mobility components begin to fail, the impact spreads quickly. Floors deteriorate under repeated point pressure, handling…