Author: Rhys Gregory

ouncillor Graham Hinchey has been confirmed as Cardiff’s new Lord Mayor at a meeting of the full council on Thursday. Cllr Hinchey, 64, who will be supported by his new Deputy Mayor, Cllr Abdul Sattar, succeeds Cllr Rod McKerlich in the honorary role and has chosen Guide Dogs Cymru as this year’s charity. “As someone who was born in Cardiff and lived in Cardiff all my life, I’m pleased, proud and honoured to have been chosen as the new Lord Mayor. “I have no doubt that I have an exciting and memorable year ahead of me, and I relish the…

A new all-weather pitch that will benefit thousands of players in the years to come has been fitted at the Phoenix Centre in Townhill. Swansea Council provided the funding that also included an upgrade to the floodlights at the popular venue. The council is also improving the nearby multi-use-games-area as part of the project that represents an investment of up to £300,000. The centre’s former pitch was laid around 20 years ago and was well used by the community including local sporting clubs. Council Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism, Robert Francis-Davies, visited the site this week to check…

Pembrokeshire County Council has been awarded a £10,000 grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to carry out Community Engagement on the future of Haverfordwest Castle. This community engagement will inform planning over the future heritage redevelopment of the medieval castle. The Council will engage with local people to ensure the project benefits the local community and shapes the castle’s future as a heritage asset for Haverfordwest. This will aid the Council’s ongoing regeneration of the County Town and provide a popular space for local people and events. A consultant will be appointed to assess local views; collate ideas and…

A project is offering £10,000 grants to businesses and community groups to develop local food supply chains. The Food4Growth programme in Torfaen, Caerphilly and Monmouthshire has two grant schemes available, aimed at increasing the amount of locally-produced food, creating new food networks and offering a sustainable solution to food poverty. The Rural Business Scheme is open to businesses who have innovative ideas to add value to their produce, such as diversifying or looking at new processes like vertical growing. The Community Food Scheme is open to third sector organisations, community groups or public sector services with ideas of new ways…

The Annual General Meeting of Blaenau Gwent Council has been held yesterday (Thursday, 26th May 2022). Councillor Stephen Thomas of Labour was formally elected as the Leader of the Council with responsibility for Corporate & Performance. Councillor Helen Cunningham was elected as Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Place & Environment. Councillor Chris Smith was elected as Presiding Member of the Council. The Presiding Member will: Chair Council Meetings; Maintain order and to protect the rights of Members including ensuring that Council business is handled on the basis of equality and impartiality; Promote democratic engagement and leadership The Deputy Presiding…

Merthyr Council will be able to strengthen their Welsh language activities going forward, thanks to a generous £9700 award from The National Lottery Community Fund. The funding will help in promoting the authority’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan and Welsh language strategy. The substantial award will also further improve the Welsh language communications going forward and ensure that the Council can continue to support partners with marketing Welsh language events across the Borough. Sue Walker, Education Chief Officer, said: “We are pleased to receive this grant from the lottery. It will support a range of community events across the County…

Powys County Council’s new Leader, Cllr James Gibson-Watt, has today announced the membership of his new cabinet and their areas of responsibility. Cllr Gibson-Watt, who was elected Executive Leader at the Council’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday (May 26), announced that the new Cabinet will have 11 members covering 10 portfolio areas. The Cabinet will consist of seven Welsh Liberal Democrats and four Welsh Labour members after a progressive partnership agreement was reached by both parties. The new Cabinet is: Leader and Cabinet Member for an Open and Transparent Powys: Cllr James Gibson-Watt Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a…

Gottwood Festival and Merthyr Rising will both take place over the weekend of 9-12 June and are looking forward to welcoming back the crowds at both ends of the country. They have received in principle support from the Welsh Government through Event Wales, intended to help the event owners grow and develop the events. Merthyr Rising is a festival which takes place during the anniversary of one of the very first organised uprisings by workers in 1831 known as the Merthyr Rising. The festival now celebrates this symbolic event through a cultural festival of music, arts, political discussion. Gottwood is…

The Welsh Government has today published the latest data on student teachers in Wales. The annual data is for entrants onto Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses that led to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the academic year 2020/21. ITE courses that lead to QTS are the main route to becoming a teacher in Wales. The data covers student teachers at universities in Wales and also students from Wales studying across the UK. The number of students training to teach in Welsh increased for the second year in a row, following a five-year decline between 2013/14 and 2018/19. 455 students were…

The First Minister is expected to confirm that the last remaining coronavirus regulations will be removed from Monday 30 May. He will announce the outcome of the latest three-weekly review of regulations in a press conference at midday today (Friday). The Welsh Government is expected to continue to recommend people take simple steps to protect their health – including staying up to date with Covid vaccinations and self-isolating if they have Covid-19 symptoms. According to the Welsh Government, over the last three weeks the public health situation has continued to improve and the number of Covid-19-related patients in hospital is…