Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea has launched its intention to become Wales’ first Human Rights City. First Minister Mark Drakeford joined Swansea Council leaders and senior representatives from other key organisations and businesses at the Guildhall today where they committed to working together with people across the city to secure official recognition. Mr Drakeford said: “It’s a great pleasure to be in Swansea today marking the start of the city’s journey to be a Human Rights City, a city that recognises the fundamental importance of human rights to each and every citizen here in Swansea and across Wales. “Congratulations to everyone who is now…

Work is due to restart in January 2022 on the first council houses to be built in Pembrokeshire for a generation. Following the previous contractor going into administration in July 2021, the Council is pleased to confirm the contract has now been awarded to W.B.Griffiths – and the development is due for completion in September 2022. In total, 33 affordable homes will be constructed by Pembrokeshire County Council on the site of a former primary school at Cranham Park, in Johnston. This will provide much needed affordable accommodation and will be the first of a number of developments in our…

Pupils and staff at Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tyle’r Ynn in Briton Ferry are benefiting from the successful completion of a school improvement project which has seen the provision of two extra classrooms and new Welsh medium childcare provision. YGG Tyle’r Ynn is a 3 – 11 Welsh-medium school with capacity for 206 pupil places. In part due to the new facilities, pupil numbers are projected to increase by 3% over the next few years. The aim of the project at YGG Tyle’r Ynn is to create a more attractive and stimulating learning environment with high quality Welsh-medium childcare on site. In…

As Christmas draws closer, Bridgend County Borough Council and its waste partners Kier have confirmed what changes will be made to recycling and rubbish collections over the festive period. Collections will continue as normal up to and including Christmas Eve. From Monday 27 December to Thursday 30 December, collections will take place one day later than your normal collection date. Waste that is due to be collected on Friday 31 December will be picked up on Sunday, 2 January. Waste collections will return to normal service from Monday 3 January 2022 with no changes to the day recycling containers or…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has announced the launch of a new team to tackle the issue of empty properties. The council’s Cabinet gave the green light for the team to be established to proactively deal with empty homes throughout the county borough and as part of wider plans to deal with vacant properties, particularly in town centres. An action plan has been developed which sets out a series of actions to build on the council’s current work in engaging with owners of empty properties and bringing them back into beneficial use. The team also has powers to take enforcement action…

Caerphilly Cabinet have approved amendments to the grass cutting regimes across the county borough to enhance and promote biodiversity. The report was presented to the Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee on the 26th October to seek their views prior to being presented at Cabinet on the 8th of December.. A recommendation of the report was that Caerphilly Council continue with the approach adopted during the 2021 cutting season as the standard going forward in relation to our highway verges and by-pass routes where mowing is kept to a minimum. As a result, specific areas across the county borough and our…

Four thousand homes across Cardiff could take part in a pilot scheme to test ways in which recycling rates across the city might be improved. The scheme is part of a review of waste collections in Wales’ capital designed to hit Welsh Government recycling targets by 2025 and to make Cardiff one of the greenest and cleanest cities in the UK. Cardiff is currently the leading, major regional city in the UK for recycling. On average since 2018, 58% of waste produced in the city is recycled or composted. However, Welsh Government has tasked Cardiff with increasing this rate to…

Cardiff Council has revealed its plans to help bring Cardiff’s privately-owned, empty homes back into use. Right now there are 1,355 privately-owned, empty homes in the city and the council wants to see as many of them as possible back in use, offering much-needed housing. Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne said: “It is commonly accepted that long-term empty homes are a wasted resource. This is a matter which has been thrown into sharper focus by the pandemic and the housing crisis. “Empty properties can attract squatting, vandalism, drug abuse, anti-social behaviour, arson, rodents. They can cause…

The Welsh Government is launching a £1m fund to support up to 500 unemployed people and young people not in education, employment or training to start their own business, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced. This discretionary grant will provide financial assistance of up to £2,000 for 400 individuals who have faced barriers to starting up a business, and up to 100 young entrepreneurs. The grant will come as a part of a package of support that will include one-to-one advice and webinars to build confidence in business practices and develop plans for starting a business. The fund builds on…

Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt announced the opening of the Winter Fuel Support Scheme on Monday 13th December. Eligible people in Wales may be able to claim a one-off £100 payment from their local authority to provide support towards paying their winter fuel bills. Information on how to apply will be available via Local Authority webpages. Announcing the further funding package, Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt said: “Households in Wales are under unprecedented financial pressure, compounded by the cost-of-living crisis and the cruel decision by the UK Government to end the uplift to Universal Credit, which has plunged…