Author: Rhys Gregory

Properties with land in the beautiful North Wales countryside are being snapped up by working from home city slickers freed from the office by the pandemic. That’s the evidence from a rocketing property market which has been boosted not just by the stamp duty holiday but also by lockdown changes in working practices. North Wales law firm Swayne Johnson, which has six offices across the region from Menai Bridge on Anglesey to Tattenhall, near Chester, have seen their conveyancing workload rise by 50 per cent since the first pandemic lockdown ended in July. One of the drivers of that growth…

Over 300,000 young people across Wales have been inspired to follow entrepreneurial ambitions through Welsh Government’s Big Ideas Wales service in the last 5 years. The youth entrepreneurship service has met this extraordinary milestone through its Role Model Network. Entrepreneurs across Wales, have joined the Big Ideas Wales Role Model network to share their experience with budding entrepreneurs through workshops, with the aim of opening young people’s minds to new ideas and opportunities that exist and help them think positively about their own future. Ken Skates, Minister for Economy said: “I am delighted to hear of the success of the…

Patients in Wales have embraced virtual consultations with their GPs and other medics, as the coronavirus pandemic has created a step change in the way people access the NHS. Across Wales, 139,650 patients have had a virtual consultation through the NHS Wales Video Consulting Service since it was rolled out in response to the pandemic in March 2020, with more than 91 per cent of patients saying they would use the service again and 92 percent rating the experience as “excellent, very good or good”. Swansea is leading the way in adapting to new ways of accessing the NHS with nearly…

Zip World, the adventure company behind the fastest zip-line in the world, has today announced that all being well, its new site in South Wales, Zip World Tower, will be opening to visitors on 22nd April. Launching with two new experiences, Zip World Phoenix and Big Red, the site has been designed to create a lasting legacy to its deep-routed mining heritage. Zip World Tower represents a major boost for South Wales growing tourism economy – with the development creating 56 jobs during its first phase and forecasting 100,000 visitors within the first year of operation. Funding for the project was…

Deeside teenager Lewis O’Neill has turned his life around and is looking forward to a career as a furniture upholsterer after being set on the right track by the Welsh Government’s Traineeship Programme. Completing Traineeship Engagement and Level 1 Programmes and achieving a City & Guilds Level 1 Extended Award in Employability persuaded Lewis, 17, from Garden City, to seek a career where he could work with his hands. Lewis, who left school without any qualifications and ended up in the justice system, has said that for the first time in his life he has enjoyed learning. A work placement…

Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James has announced an extra £12m of funding for local authorities to fix potholes and improve roads, pavements and active travel routes across Wales. The additional funding will allow local authorities to continue with planned highways maintenance works, boosting the economy and making active travel safer. Local authorities will also be better able to respond to the impact of recent weather events, including damage to highways caused by the recent flooding. The £12m additional funding further highlights the Welsh Government’s commitment to high quality active travel and public transport. Llwybr Newydd, the Welsh Government’s…

WALES’ protected natural sites and vital wildlife habitats are getting a nearly £10 million boost, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths has said today. The funding will give a helping hand to some of Wales’ most loved species of animals and plants, as it seeks to support projects that improve Wales’ protected natural sites, from the Severn Estuary to the Llandegla Moors. These sites are home to the iconic – such as otter, bottlenose dolphin and grey seal, alongside the obscure – such as the petalwort plant and whorl snails. They are also home to a…

More than £9m is being made available to Transport for Wales to take forward work on the North Wales metro, Transport and North Wales Minister Ken Skates announced this week [Wednesday, March 24]. Schemes set to benefit include over £1m to improve rail, journey times between Wrexham and Liverpool.  £1.5m is provided towards the new integrated station at Shotton, and £670,000 towards the development of Deeside Parkway.  £900,000 is allocated towards a study of the North Wales Coast mainline, with a view to improve journey times on certain services. Just over £1m is available for the Snowdonia Transport Strategy which…

The Welsh Government is providing more than £2.8m to accelerate important projects in Mid and South West Wales that will support the region in recovering from the economic impacts of coronavirus. Each of the six local authorities in the area will receive £380,000 for infrastructure schemes which are aligned with the aims of a more prosperous, equal and green economy as outlined in the Welsh Government’s recently launched Economic Resilience and Reconstruction Mission. In Ceredigion, the funding will help bring an empty building back into use on Cardigan High Street and support is also being provided to prepare plots for…

Leading figures in the public sector and the bus industry have signed a new agreement to deliver better bus services that meet the objective of an integrated transport system. Included with this agreement is an additional £37.2m of funding to continue to support the bus industry in the coming financial year. This will give further reassurance to operators, enabling them to plan for the future. The agreement has been signed by bus operators, local authorities, Transport for Wales and the Welsh Government. Ken Skates, Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, commented: “This agreement puts the public interest at the…