Author: Rhys Gregory

Motorists parking in Swansea city centre can continue to benefit from cheaper parking charges. Swansea Council is extending a parking offer which was first introduced in November 2020 and allows motorists the chance to park all day for just £2. On top of the all-day charge, car owners coming into Swansea for two hours or less will only need to pay £1 for parking in any one of the city centre multi-storey car parks or one of the many pay & display car parks. Further offers have been extended to car parks in Mumbles as well with the charge for…

Swansea Council is set to invest a massive £50m undertaking a range of building repairs, maintenance and improvements to hundreds of homes across the city over the coming year. Millions of pounds are being earmarked to insulate and weatherproof hundreds of existing homes making them warm and efficient as well as environmental improvements in tenants’ communities. The Council will also be trialling the introduction of renewable technologies to selected properties as part of its ambitions to make homes more efficient, reduce household costs and reduce carbon emissions. This will be an opportunity to further develop local skills and expertise in renewable low…

Fundraising initiative Crowdfund Swansea has launched a new drive that will see community-led ideas help the city become more vibrant, resilient and connected. It’s led by Swansea Council working in partnership with Spacehive, the UK’s leading civic crowdfunding platform. Crowdfund Swansea gives local residents with an idea to improve their community the chance to secure financial support through Spacehive’s online platform. The council has allocated £55,000 to the Swansea programme for the next year – with donations of up to £5,000 available for individual projects. The council and Spacehive invite those with ideas to attend free-entry crowdfunding workshops this month;…

As the first phase of work to repair, restore and extend Maesteg Town Hall nears completion, contractors Knox and Wells are preparing to start on the building’s new atrium extension. A footpath closure is in place to ensure that necessary groundworks can be set up safely in preparation for the work, and visitors to the adjacent market are likely to see increased activity in the courtyard area. Council Leader Huw David and members of the Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council made a recent site visit to the town hall to see for themselves how the £7.9m project is making…

Bridgend County Borough Council has become the first in Wales to trial solar powered bins. Four of the tech-filled bins have been installed at specially-selected hotspots around Porthcawl ahead of the expected surge in visitor numbers to the seaside town in the busy summer months. As well as self-compacting waste to increase the capacity by up to six times, the smart bin will also notify council teams when they are full, provide frequency of use, weigh the waste and cut down on the number of trips to empty the bins. The new, pedal-operated bins also have a dedicated area in…

Bridgend County Borough Council and Aldi Stores Ltd have revealed what the new food store development on land at Salt Lake is expected to look like. With contracts for the development now signed and exchanged between Bridgend County Borough Council and Aldi Stores Ltd, an artist’s impression has been released. This highlights how the building will feature an environmentally-sustainable design which uses high-quality materials to take account of Porthcawl’s heritage and setting while also looking towards future regeneration aspirations. With a roof which features a ‘wave’ motif to reflect the community’s close relationship with the sea and a strong focus…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Libraries Service has been ranked in Welsh Government’s Ranking Table as joint 3rd place, of all 22 local authorities in Wales. The Ranking Table is based upon the results from an all-Wales assessment for 2019/20, undertaken as part of Welsh Government’s ‘Connected and Ambitious Libraries’ framework.  Caerphilly Libraries Service has moved up 2 places, since the 2018/19 assessment, to reach its current 3rd place ranking and was also found to meet all 12 of Welsh Government’s Core Entitlements. Several strengths were identified as part of the assessment, including the service’s forward planning and strong emphasis on…

A Pencoed woman has learned the hard way, after she has been issued with a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for fly-tipping in someone else’s skip. The woman decided to dispose of her old living room carpet in a skip whilst she was visiting a relative in Rhondda Cynon Taf. She noticed a skip on a drive in Redroofs Close, Brynnau Gwynion and decided to dump her carpet in it. The neighbour was later shocked to discover the large item in the skip, that they had hired to lawfully remove items from their own property. Thanks to local neighbourhood watch…

Climate Change Minister Julie James today set out her determination to further protect the internationally-important Gwent Levels as she visited the site. The Minister visited the Sites of Special Scientific Interest, which make up the Gwent Levels, the day after the Senedd declared a nature emergency. The Levels are one of the largest surviving areas of ancient grazing marsh and reen(drainage ditch) systems in Britain and the largest of its kind in Wales but these features have been under threat from development and pollution. Speaking after the visit Julie James said: “Restoring nature and mitigating the impact of climate change…

At an online session hosted by Visit Wales yesterday, tourism businesses had the opportunity to hear from the RNLI and AdventureSmart UK on how to help guests and visitors stay safer in the outdoors this summer. With 870 miles of stunning coastline to explore, the RNLI in Wales is offering coastal safety advice and guidance for anyone looking to get out on the ocean and involved in the numerous water pursuits available, it was also an opportunity to promote the RNLI local water ambassadors scheme where businesses based on the coast can help save lives by championing key water safety…