Author: Rhys Gregory

Seats are now being installed inside Swansea Arena’s auditorium as construction of the city’s new Copr Bay district continues to make progress. New behind-the-scenes photos also show other features of the £135m district starting to take shape, including the 1.1-acre coastal park and the new café and restaurant to be run by The Secret Hospitality Group. Images of work taking place on the arena’s auditorium floor are caught on camera too, along with photos of some of the decorative features on ceilings inside the arena building. Swansea Council is developing the Copr Bay phase one district, which is being advised…

Hundreds of people are gaining valuable experience in the workplace thanks to two Swansea Council initiatives that help them find work. The Workways+ scheme offers training, paid work experience and volunteering opportunities to unemployed people over 25 to help them improve their lives and find employment. It has already supported more than 1,000 people living in Swansea. Some have benefited from paid work experience opportunities in the council’s waste department. As part of the council’s economic recovery plan and in response to the impact of the pandemic, the council is now offering more than 300 paid work placement opportunities to…

Marine Energy Wales has welcomed the announcement of the proposed £1.7bn Blue Eden project in Swansea. Including a 9.5km tidal lagoon structure, Blue Eden is being led by Bridgend-based DST Innovations and business partners, with support from Swansea Council and Associated British Ports. The project – being funded by the private sector – would be sited along an extensive area of land and water, to the south of the Prince of Wales Dock in the SA1 area of Swansea. Blue Eden also includes a floating solar farm, a data centre, a high-tech battery manufacturing plant, a battery storage facility and…

The Sport Pembrokeshire judging panel has announced the finalists for the 2021 Sport Pembrokeshire awards. The panel named the 36 individual and team finalists from a total of 80 nominations. Ben Field, manager of Sport Pembrokeshire, said: “Once again, the quality of the nominees was enormously high and it was a challenge to narrow it down to three finalists in each category.” The team is delighted that following last year’s virtual ceremony, this year’s awards will take place at Folly Farm, albeit on a smaller scale than usual, on Friday 26thNovember. The announcement will also reveal the winners of three…

Free and unlimited Wi-Fi will be available in town centres across Bridgend County Borough under a new scheme aimed at increasing connectivity among residents, businesses and visitors. Initially the free Wi-Fi service will be available in public areas in Bridgend, Porthcawl, Maesteg and Pencoed. The £70,000 investment will see Wi-Fi infrastructure installed at the same time as a new CCTV system. The free and unlimited Wi-Fi offer forms part of a wider initiative the local authority is working on, helping to create a Smart Borough using digital technologies for the benefit of residents and businesses in the area. At the…

Eagle-eyed Powys County Council officers helped to prevent fraud and errors worth £780,102 during the payment of grants linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. And to mark International Fraud Awareness Week 2021 (14-20 November), the council’s Corporate Anti-Fraud Team has revealed that since it was founded in 2015 it has prevented fraud and errors worth £5,365,044. This figure includes £2,348,195 in recoverable overpayments and £3,007,849 in fraud and errors which were prevented, allowing this money to be spent instead on providing services for those in genuine need. International Fraud Awareness Week is organised by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and…

Blue-green algae has been found at Llyn Clywedog and as a result Powys County Council is recommending that activities – especially where immersion in the water is likely – are restricted. The algae produce toxins which can cause skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, fever and headache if swallowed. Occasionally it can cause more serious illness such as adverse effects on the liver and nervous system. The blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) occur naturally in inland waters, estuaries and seas and cannot be removed or treated. They thrive in warm conditions and are likely to come and go throughout the summer season.…

The Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee sought Cabinet approval for the extensions and variation of some existing Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) areas to include anti-social behaviour (ASB) restrictions and on introducing a number of new areas within the county borough. Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) were introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and are used by local authorities to deal with anti-social behaviour problems in a geographical area by imposing conditions on the use of an area. The aim of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) is to ensure that the law abiding majority can…

Newport City Council has opened its new active travel route at Monkey Island in Lliswerry. The route has now been opened after the completion of works to ensure the path is fully accessible. The new route provides a safe crossing link under the Southern Distributor Road for pedestrians and cyclists. A new accessible ramp connects the pedestrian and cycle path on the northern side of the SDR bridge with a new path under the bridge. This path leads off into the Lysaght Village housing estate, and from there to other commercial and residential links in Lliswerry. The new route means…

A refreshed TB Eradication Programme will build on the positive progress already made in Wales which has seen a 48% decrease in new TB incidents since 2009. This is the message from Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths as she launched a 12-week consultation on proposed enhancements to the programme. The TB Eradication Programme sets out the Welsh Government’s long term vision for the eradication of bovine TB in Wales. The programme is based on the four key principles of infectious disease control: Keep it Out, Find it Fast, Stop it Spreading and Stamp it Out. A regionalised approach to TB…