Author: Rhys Gregory

The first projects to benefit from the Welsh Government’s £10m Local Broadband Fund have been announced today by the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters. The Local Broadband Fund supports local authorities and social enterprises to deliver broadband projects locally, helping communities without access. Local authorities and social enterprises can bid for funding to help bring fast and reliable broadband to communities with poor connection. The next stage of the fund is open for applications and is due to close on 28 January. Two projects in Monmouthshire and one in Michaelston y Fedw near Newport are set to…

Letters about the Welsh Government’s COVID-19 vaccination plans will shortly begin to arrive at the front door of every household in Wales. The Health Board letters will be sent to every household in Wales over the next couple of weeks and will be issued by Local Authorities, on behalf of the Welsh Government. It will provide information on the roll-out of the coronavirus vaccines currently available in Wales, how the vaccines are being made available and in what way people will be invited to an appointment. People are being urged to wait their turn and not to contact NHS or…

The number of people using Swansea’s cycle routes has more than tripled, new figures show. Electronic cycle-counters installed along many of the routes along Swansea Bay have recorded a tripling of cyclists using routes in 2020 compared to previous years with cyclists per jumping from 50 per hour to 140 at Blackpill and 10 per hour up to 30 at Morfa. There are more 120 kilometres of off-road cycle routes stretching across the city providing safe cycle and walking routes for cyclists and children walking to and from school. Swansea Council is continuing to invest millions in new cycle and…

The development of a new skate park at a seafront site in Llwynderw, West Cross, could take a big step forward next week. On January 21, the cabinet and site owner Swansea Council, is to discuss a recommendation that the location is leased to Mumbles Community Council which has planning permission for the skate park. Cabinet members will consider a report that details how a recent public consultation on the proposed used of the site had attracted overwhelmingly positive feedback. If members agree to leasing the site, the community council will – once lease terms have been agreed – be…

More than 60 homes throughout Neath Port Talbot have now had a free central heating system installed thanks to the Warm Homes Fund. The Fund helps homeowners who do not already have an oil or gas central heating system, to lower the costs of their energy bills through heating their homes more efficiently. Homeowners who qualify for the Fund can have a free first time gas central heating system (boiler, radiators, pipework) installed, plus a range of energy saving measures such as loft insulation, draught proofing and low energy light bulbs. Since launching, the Neath Port Talbot Council managed scheme…

The Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council will receive a report next week on the outcome of a bidding process which aims to deliver a high-quality new foodstore for Porthcawl. A total of five bids were received for the new store, which is set to be developed at a two-acre site located within the Salt Lake area and known locally as The Green. The report confirms that following a robust selection process in which each bid was carefully assessed against a planning development brief, Aldi Stores Ltd has been identified as the preferred bidder. When they meet on Tuesday 19…

A Discretionary Grant of £2,000 is now available to all businesses that have been forced to close or have been significantly impacted by the additional restrictions which started on December 4 and December 19. The grant is available to help businesses that have: Been forced to close as a result of the national restrictions put in place. Or estimate that the latest restrictions put in place will result in at least a 40% reduction in their turnover during the December 2020 to January 2021 period as compared to December 2019 to January 2020 (or September 2020 turnover if not trading…

More than £37m has been paid out in financial support to businesses in Bridgend county borough since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March last year, Welsh Government launched the first phase of grants for businesses and charities affected by the coronavirus lockdown and restrictions, with £30,065,000 paid out by Bridgend County Borough Council since then. Another £5,475,000 has been paid under the Non Domestic Rate Lockdown Grant scheme since November and £1,840,000 from the Business Restrictions Fund launched in December. A total of 4,931 grants have been given to businesses in Bridgend county borough through these funds. As…

Authorities across the UK are reporting problems with street lights which are switching themselves on and off in large numbers. Bridgend County Borough Council’s Street Lighting team are currently investigating and estimate that around 7,000 local lighting columns could be affected. The fault is believed to be a software problem affecting global positioning technology which calculates what time the sun rises and sets. Residents are being reassured that they do not need to report the issue as it is already being dealt with. Most of the 20,000 street lights that we have in Bridgend County Borough rely on photocells which…

Welsh Rugby legend Sam Warburton has had many titles in his career – a Grand Slam, the Six Nations, youngest ever World Cup captain – and now he’s retired, Cardiff Dogs Home Ambassador. It’s this new role that is the focus of Sam’s attention now, as he’s joined forces with local registered charity The Rescue Hotel to try to raise £500,000 to refurbish the kennels at Cardiff Dogs Home, which looks after up to 1000 stray dogs from Cardiff a year. Speaking about the fundraising effort, Sam said: “I’ve had dogs my whole life. I’ve had two dogs from Cardiff Dogs…