Author: Rhys Gregory

A man from the Rhondda area has been ordered to pay a total of £724 for two separate offences of failing to make sure his waste was disposed of correctly – following a successful prosecution by the Council. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council brought the proceedings at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 25, for two separate incidents where waste had been illegally dumped in Clydach Vale and Treorchy. They were discovered by Council enforcement officers in April 2019 and November 2019. The first incident concerned waste found on April 10, 2019, at Howard Street in Clydach Vale – which…

The Leader of Caerphilly county borough council, Cllr Philippa Marsden, has called for a report to be drawn up by engineers to consider further options to improve highway safety along the B4251, known locally as ‘Wyllie bends’. Last year, the council carried out a range of safety improvements along the route including: Reducing the speed limit to 40mph Erecting chevron signs at relevant bends along the route Solid white lining to restrict overtaking manoeuvres Improvements to the carriageway surface Further vegetation clearance to provide clear visibility of all signage. However, it has been agreed following a recent site visit by…

Tata Steel – formerly known as the Shotton Steelworks – is supporting the ‘Guardians’ working to preserve the Grade II-listed John Summers Clock Tower site in Deeside. The building opened in 1907 and was home to the company’s general office before closing in 2009 and falling into disrepair after being sold to a developer. Bill Duckworth, site manager at Tata Steel – which was founded in 1896 and employs more than 800 people in the town – is helping the Enbarr Foundation by providing free utilities so volunteers and tradespeople can continue delivering the project. The company also supplied original…

New research from FSB Wales shows that taxation (specifically business rates) will be a major concern for many firms as we move towards the May elections. When asked on which issues do you think should be the priorities for investment to boost recovery, ‘reducing the cost of doing business (e.g., business rates)’ scored highest by a large margin with 49% of respondents putting it as a top three priority. The second highest priority for small businesses was ‘schemes to create jobs’ at 32%. Businesses also noted that Welsh Government was the preferred level at which intervention should be made, rather…

Digital Health and Care Wales is officially launched today. Created to take forward digital transformation, the new organisation will provide the national technology and data services needed by patients and clinicians. Operating as a Special Health Authority with an independent Chair and Board, it replaces the NHS Wales Informatics Service, reflecting the importance of digital and data in modern health and care. A Healthier Wales, the Welsh Government’s plan for health and care, identifies the development of digital services as key to delivering services fit for the future. Bob Hudson OBE, interim Chair, said: “The pace of technology change has…

Engineer Rebecca Davies is spearheading a campaign to inspire more women to follow in her footsteps. Rebecca, 30,  helped to shatter stereotypical views about all gas engineers being male by becoming firmly established in the role with housing association Cartrefi Conwy. She performs vital work at the thousands of properties Cartrefi manages across Conwy county. Now Rebecca is helping inspire other women to look at pursuing careers in traditionally male-dominated roles, having been a guest speaker during an exclusively female Passport to Construction course. Run by Creating Enterprise, a subsidiary of Cartrefi based in Mochdre, near Colwyn Bay, the course aimed…

Up to £30 million to support Wales’ diverse culture sector through the ongoing pandemic has been announced by Welsh Government. The Cultural Recovery Fund, launched last summer, provided £63.3 million in 2020 to 2021 to support theatres, music venues, heritage sites, events, museums, libraries, galleries, independent cinemas and freelancers. The fund will be delivered jointly by Welsh Government, the Arts Council of Wales and local authorities. The Cultural Recovery Fund Phase 2 will open for applications from the week beginning 6 April 2021 and close on the 20 April 2021. The timing for the Fund for freelancers will be announced…

More than 75,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have now been given to residents in Bridgend County Borough. As of Tuesday (30 March), Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (UHB) had administered 75,744 vaccines to residents in the county borough. Across the whole Cwm Taf Morgannwg area, 245,473 vaccines have been given – 196,834 first doses and 48,639 second doses. However, some people have not been turning up for their appointments so the health board has opened up a reserve list for residents aged between 40-49 living in Cwm Taf Morgannwg who are available to make an appointment at short notice.…

Merthyr Tydfil’s new bus interchange now features a water bottle-filling station after pressure from local primary school pupils convinced councillors of its need. Seven members of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School’s School Council took part in a Teams meeting with the Cabinet to pitch their idea in an online presentation earlier in the year. The school was the first in Merthyr Tydfil to achieve UNICEF’s Rights Respecting School GOLD Award, in 2018, and the 10 and 11-year-old pupils persuaded councillors that the availability of fresh drinking water was essential to people’s health and wellbeing. “The unit has now been fitted…

The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, has set out a series of measures that will take Wales fully into Alert Level 3 by 17th May, subject to public health conditions remaining favourable. The First Minister again set out the priority placed on ensuring all children and students in Wales will return to face-to-face education on Monday 12 April. All remaining non-essential retail and close contact services will be allowed to reopen from Monday 12 April, while the rules will also be changed to allow travel into and out of Wales from the rest of the United Kingdom and Common Travel…