Author: Rhys Gregory

Tickets are now available for the Mayor of Neath Port Talbot’s Armed Forces Festival Concert on Friday 11 November. The concert will be one of the highlights of this year’s Festival, following a break of two years when the festival was held as a virtual event because of Covid-19. Mayor of Neath Port Talbot, Councillor Robert Wood said: “The concert is going to be a really special evening during which we thank and remember those who have served their country and honour the contribution of the Armed Forces, their families, and civilians in Neath Port Talbot. “2022 marked the 40th…

Pembrokeshire County Council is delighted to announce the welcome return of The Pembrokeshire Spotlight Awards (last held in 2019) which celebrates children and young people who have made a real difference and achieved something exceptional. It is a joint venture between The Children & Young People’s Rights Office and Children’s Services within Pembrokeshire County Council. The public is invited to nominate individuals or groups of children and young people who deserve recognition for their outstanding achievements. There are 10 different categories (more information on the categories can be found by clicking on the link below): Nomination are invited for the…

Great news for Aberdare residents as a new re-use shop is officially opened at 31/32 Cannon Street. The third, ‘The Shed’ which is based on the high street in Aberdare town centre, has been officially opened by RCT Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure, Cllr Ann Crimmings. The new shop, which is open Monday – Saturday 9.30am-4.30pm, aims to provide additional recycling and re-use facilities to residents in the Cynon Valley area – and now means that there is a ‘Shed’ in every area of Rhondda, Cynon and Taf for residents to enjoy. With future plans to host regular…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s first marine clean up proves successful. This autumn, Caerphilly County Borough Council and Keep Wales Tidy are calling upon volunteers to dust off those trusty litter pickers, pledge their support and take part in Marine Clean Cymru, targeting rivers, waterways, and beaches across Wales. Marine litter is a growing threat to our aquatic and coastal environment, with 80% coming from land-based sources. Most litter found in our waterways eventually makes its way into our oceans, so it is an issue which is not only relevant to coastal areas. The problem needs to be stopped at source,…

Young people and education staff in Wales can now access free Welsh lessons as part of a Welsh Government initiative to increase the number of Welsh speakers. The commitment is part of the Co-Operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru. 18-25 year olds can enrol on Welsh courses with the National Centre for Learning Welsh, and will not be asked to pay when registering. Free Welsh lessons are also available to all teachers, head teachers and teaching assistants as part of the Welsh Government’s efforts to strengthen the teaching of Welsh in the new Curriculum and increase the number of practitioners who can…

A significant investment of nearly £100m is being made by the Welsh Government to improve childcare availability, boost Welsh language provision and fund free part-time places. The funding includes £26m for the next phase of the expansion of part-time Flying Start childcare; £70m for improvements and essential maintenance available to all childcare settings and £3.8m to support more childcare providers to improve their Welsh language provision. The investment is part of a phased plan to expand early years provision to all two-year-olds in Wales, with a particular emphasis on strengthening Welsh-medium provision, which is a commitment in the Co-operation Agreement…

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans and Plaid Cymru Designated Member Cefin Campbell visited tourist sites in Portmeirion and Penygroes on Friday to discuss proposals to give local authorities the powers to introduce a visitor levy. The Welsh Government launched a consultation on the levy on Tuesday, which would be a small charge paid by people staying overnight in accommodation raising new money to be re-invested in local areas. In the first of a series of planned visits across Wales during the consultation period, the Minister and Designated Member met with a group of community and tourism industry representatives in Portmeirion earlier…

The First Minister has today urged people to put their nominations in for the 10th annual St David Awards before the closing date next month. The St David Awards are the national awards of Wales and recognise the phenomenal work carried out by extraordinary people across Wales. A shortlist of nominees for each category will be chosen by an independent, expert panel, which will be looking for people who have gone beyond the call of duty or carried out selfless acts to support the community. The award categories are: Critical Worker (Key Worker) Environment Champion Bravery Community Spirit Culture Sport…

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has visited Energizer Auto UK in Ebbw Vale to celebrate a quarter of a century in the Valleys and reaffirm its partnership with the Welsh Government. The facility, established in 1997, now employs 50 skilled staff producing more than 700 automotive fragrance and appearance products ranging from fuel additives to car wash products across 43 different countries. The company has a long-standing partnership with the Welsh Government and is benefitting from the Flexible Skills Programme which helps employers to develop their staff’s technical, professional and leadership skills. Energizer has also strong established links with the Valleys…

The Welsh Government has raised concerns over a new Bill that could see the UK Government legislate in areas of devolved responsibility without the consent of Welsh Ministers or the Senedd. It has also warned it could lead to reductions in standards, and uncertainty for people and businesses. The Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on Thursday. The Bill contains a series of wide-ranging powers that would allow UK Government Ministers to change or delete a vast body of laws in devolved areas that date from the time of EU membership, almost…