Author: Rhys Gregory

Azets, the UK’s largest regional accountancy and business advisors to SMEs, has promoted Ashley Bryan to Director within the Accounts and Business Advisory Services team, from 1st July 2021. Formerly Associate Director, Ashley has been with the company since 2007 when he joined as a trainee accountant. He has over 15 years of experience and during this time, has been working with a broad spectrum of organisations in different sectors. Based in Azets’ Cardiff office, Ashley’s client portfolio encompasses owner-managed operations to large corporates. He will form part of the leadership team. The promotion is significant, falling in-line with Azets’…

Jonathan Geldart, Director General of the Institute of Directors, has announced that Robert Lloyd Griffiths has decided to step down from his position as National Director for Wales, after 12 years in the role. Robert first joined the IoD in 2009, and in the role has become a key figure in representing the interests of Welsh business to both the Welsh and UK governments. He was awarded an OBE for services to the economy and for voluntary services in Wales in 2014, and he chaired the Welsh Government’s review into the micro business sector. Robert has been a leading advocate…

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…