Author: Rhys Gregory

The Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council will meet next week to discuss the local authority’s budget proposals for 2022-23. The council’s medium term financial strategy has been updated to reflect a record 9.2 per cent increase in funding from Welsh Government – an increase of £19.6m when compared to last year. If approved, the council’s budget proposals will mean: No council tax increase for 2022-23. No cuts to frontline services. An extra £2.5m to ensure that all care workers receive a pay rise which reflects the real living wage. An extra £1.5m a year for local primary, secondary and…

The Powys Local Development Plan (LDP) 2011-2026 is now under review to determine how well it is functioning and to assess what updates are required. It was adopted nearly four years ago (April 2018) and sets out the county council’s policies for the development and use of land in Powys (excluding the Brecon Beacons National Park). And, together with national planning policy, guides decision-making on planning applications with the aim of securing sustainable development. Powys County Council’s (PCC) findings and conclusions on the review are detailed in the Draft Review Report which is now available for comments. These should be…

Applications are now open for the Viridor and Prosiect Gwyrdd Community Fund. The Viridor and Prosiect Gwyrdd Community Fund is a £50,000 per annum donation that Viridor has committed to make available to community initiatives that operate in the local authority regions that make up Prosiect Gwyrdd; Caerphilly, Cardiff, Monmouthshire, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan. The donation was first made available in 2016 and will be available every April for 25 years. Funding of projects is awarded on a set of criteria based around sustainability, local need, community involvement, value for money and education. All projects that meet these initial…

Work will shortly begin to construct the Porth Transport Hub and deliver a modern integrated bus and rail interchange for the town – with initial site setup beginning next week and full delivery on course for next year. Located at the existing railway station, the development consists of a modern and attractive transport hub at the heart of the Town Centre, which will provide seamless travel across bus and rail. The project also includes EV charging points, a taxi rank, cycle stores and local Active Travel network upgrades. The Council has recently secured £3.5m from the UK Government towards the…

RCT Council will shortly begin a local small scale flood alleviation scheme at Mostyn Street in Abercwmboi, using Council and Welsh Government funding to upgrade the existing infrastructure and reduce the risk of flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. The £95,000 scheme will deliver a series of improvements – including upgrading the existing culvert inlet grille, installing a debris catcher, upgrading the existing brickwork wall, installing a new debris screen and increasing the inlet size. It will also include vegetation clearance from the existing open channel. These works will be delivered over a six-week period from Monday, January 17, and…

Minister for Climate Change Julie James is urging anyone who has fallen behind in paying rent because of the pandemic to contact their local authority to find out if they can receive financial help to avoid eviction. The call is in a bid to keep people in their homes and close to their social networks to avoid the devastating impact that homelessness can wreak on physical, mental and social wellbeing. First announced in July last year, new changes to the £10m Tenancy Hardship Grant announced today mean that anyone facing arrears due to covid-related reasons from the start of the…

The Welsh Government has today announced £65 million of new funding to support further education, higher education and adult community learning in Wales. The package includes £46m to help post-16 education and community learning providers reduce their carbon footprint and improve their digital connectivity. The Welsh Government has committed to reach net zero by 2050. The Minister for Education and Welsh Language has also announced that all new school and college buildings will be required to meet net zero carbon targets. Education providers will use the funding on innovative plans to improve their carbon footprints, as well as improvements to…

Finance Ministers in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have jointly called on the Treasury to guarantee that money allocated to support Covid responses will be provided in full, following a meeting with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury this week. They are also calling for action to tackle the cost of living crisis and help households with rising bills. Last month, as a result of spending in England, the Treasury announced it would provide additional funding to tackle Covid, with the Scottish Government allocated £440m, the Welsh Government £270m, and the Northern Ireland Executive £150m. Devolved Governments are concerned they…

Research by Barrows and Forrester has found that despite a house price boom driven by heightened buyer demand and a lack of available stock, there is an estimated £200bn worth of property sat vacant across Britain’s housing market – up 2.1% on the previous year alone. Barrows and Forrester analysed government data on the number of vacant dwellings across each area of the property market as well as the average value of these dwellings, to reveal just how much this dormant bricks and mortar is worth in current market conditions.  With 665,628 vacant dwellings, England is home to by far…

The Chief Vet for Wales, Christianne Glossop, has stressed the importance of people continuing to take action to protect their birds against avian flu. Three outbreaks of the disease have been found in Wales – in Chirk, Crickhowell and Gaerwen, Anglesey – but there are more than 70 in the UK as a whole, the highest number on record, and over 470 detections in wild birds. Housing of birds, across the UK, has been required since November to prevent avian flu from spreading to kept birds through contact with wild birds. Keepers of birds must also follow strict biosecurity measures…