Author: Rhys Gregory

The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) has published its Annual Report and Accounts 2021 to 2022, reporting a total of more than £400 million raised from Land Transaction Tax (LTT) and Landfill Disposals Tax (LDT) transactions. During the year, the WRA managed record levels of tax and processed its highest number of tax returns to date, totalling more than 68,800. A total of 98.4% of tax returns were filed on time, with almost 99% of transactions filed digitally. Other performance highlights: Surpassed the £1 billion tax revenue mark (since starting to manage tax in April 2018) Recovered an additional £1.6 million…

A cat who had trapped his back leg in a gate in Wrexham has been rescued by RSPCA Cymru. The eldery tabby and white cat was found in a lethargic state on Oxford Street, with a member of the public contacting the RSPCA after they were unable to release his leg – which was caught between the hinge and the gate. RSPCA animal rescue officer Melanie Froude attended and was able to safely wriggle his leg out and took him to a vet for a check up. “He was very lethargic and was laying down when I first saw him,”…

Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid has welcomed Wealthify as a Corporate Partner. Wealthify is an award-winning, simple and affordable investment service based in Penarth, South Wales. The growing Fintech is owned and backed by Aviva – one of the UK’s largest financial services institutions with a 300-year heritage. As a Corporate Partner, Wealthify will work closely with the Chamber and its members to both strengthen and stimulate Welsh business. Wealthify is also offering educational resources and investment services for employees at member companies who want to improve their financial wellbeing. Andy Russell, CEO at Wealthify, said: “We’re…

How can we encourage people to speak Welsh when out and about? People who speak both Welsh and English have to choose which language to speak in any given situation, and many things can influence this decision. For example, Welsh speakers might habitually start conversations in English instead of Welsh due to a lack of confidence, or because they worry that others may not understand them. Understanding how people can be encouraged to use their Welsh could support the Welsh Government in its aim to double the daily use of Welsh by 2050. A lecturer at Bangor University conducted research…

Bangor University, and NNL, the UK’s national laboratory for nuclear fission, have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see them work together to advance education and research in the field of nuclear energy, including skills and training for the nuclear industry. They will also work on joint research projects and share access to infrastructure, facilities and equipment that will advance nuclear technologies. In recent years NNL’s investment in Wales has grown substantially with a series of partnerships with Welsh businesses and educational institutions, including Bangor University. This partnership demonstrates NNL’s commitment to driving up innovation, investment and…

Pupils from Maesteg Comprehensive are among those to have contributed items for a time capsule which is set to be buried beneath Maesteg Town Hall as part of its £8m redevelopment. The capsule, which has been registered with the International Time Capsule Society, will be opened after a hundred years have passed in the year 2122. It will contain a poem called ‘Maesteg: Our Town, Our History’ which has been written by Year 8 students Olivia Waite, Emily Rees, Noah Tanner, Angus Gray and Dylan Norris, and artwork by Year 7 Expressive Arts students Lois Hopkins, Katy John, Shaun Prior…

Bridgend County Borough Council has welcomed news that work has started on a new active travel route which will link Waterton to a new strategic employment site at Brocastle. The £2m route, which is being funded by Welsh Government, runs parallel with the A48 for about two kilometres and incorporates a cycleway, signalised road crossings, replacement traffic signals, street lighting, new kerbing, surfacing works and more. Expected to be complete by early autumn, the new route will mark the completion of the wider infrastructure works at the Brocastle site where £10m has been invested into transforming 116 acres and outline…

With people flocking to the coast amid rising temperatures, the stunning bays and beaches of Porthcawl in Bridgend County Borough are proving to be popular with more than tourists and visitors this summer. The local council and its partners have been receiving a high number of reports about snake sightings, especially in the Rest Bay area. It follows new research published in the Clinical Toxicology journal that reveals more people in the UK than ever before are reporting injuries caused by snakebite. However, most of these have been caused by snakes kept as pets, and Bridgend County Borough Council is…

An important repair scheme will shortly begin to the Gelli Isaf Tramroad Bridge near Trecynon, which is a Scheduled Monument. The scheme will take place over two phases of work, with this year’s work causing no disruption. Gelli Isaf Tramroad Bridge provides a route for pedestrians off the section of the Cynon Trail between Trecynon and Hirwaun. It spans the Afon Cynon at a location to the north-west of the former Mayhew Chicken Factory site. A repair scheme sympathetic to the structure’s Scheduled Monument status will start from Monday, August 1. Centregreat Ltd has been appointed by the Council to…

Young people in Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Youth Forum Project Group have launched a board game to help raise awareness of emergency services. Working with representatives from the emergency services, the Youth Forum Project have created a board game, Siren, which aims to educate young people on what to do in an emergency and raise awareness of emergency services phone numbers such as 101 and the 999-text service in a fun and informative way. The game will be distributed to primary schools, comprehensive schools and youth clubs, projects and groups throughout the borough. Emergency services including the NHS, Fire Service, Gwent Police…