Author: Rhys Gregory

Principality is to help vulnerable members in arrears get back on track during the pandemic by pledging it won’t repossess homes across its business until 30th June 2021. Wales’ largest building society has helped thousands of customers with mortgage payment holidays since the start of the pandemic. It has committed to continue to offer tailored support to members who need it, including payment deferrals for an agreed period of time. This advice also applies to its second charge loans business Nemo. Where it continues to be in the best interests of members to repossess their property, Principality and Nemo will…

Denbighshire residents have had their bins emptied by an electric waste collection vehicle for the first time. Denbighshire County Council’s Waste and Recycling team has been trialling a new waste collection vehicle which runs solely on electric. The trial of the Dennis Eagle e-Collect, on loan through Dennis Eagle, a well-established supplier of waste collection vehicles, is part of the Council’s work to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment. Cllr Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “The Council is serious about tackling the climate and ecological change emergency. “As part of that work we…

The headline NatWest Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 44.1 in October, down notably from 51.3 in September, to signal a renewed decline in business activity. The fall in output was the sharpest since May and steep overall. The decrease in activity was often linked by panellists to pressure on capacity following employee illness and reimposed local lockdowns. Welsh private sector firms signalled a renewed decline in new orders in October, thereby ending a two-month sequence of expansion. The…

COLEG CAMBRIA is to host a two-week virtual showcase of the many courses and qualifications it has on offer. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there will be no open days at its sites in Deeside, Wrexham, Northop or Llysfasi. So the college took the decision to invite prospective students to find out more from the comfort of their homes. Beginning on Monday (November 9) and running until Friday November 20, those attending the online programme will receive information and advice on the wide range of A Level and BTEC subjects available, as well as apprenticeships, degrees, part-time courses and adult…

Four Swansea University projects aimed at making a life-saving difference to patients’ lives have taken a major step forward. The initiatives, based at Swansea University Medical School’s Centre for NanoHealth, received funding from the Medical Research Council as part of its 2020 Confidence in Concept (CiC) award. This seeks to take nanomedicine projects from the discovery research stage towards development and the goal of patient benefit. After securing two years of CiC funding, the four independent projects can now begin makings important progress. Infections of the female reproductive organs are a serious challenge for worldwide reproductive health, so Dr Gareth…

Last night at 6.51pm on Sunday the 8th of November 2020, South Wales Fire & Rescue Service were called to reports of a fire at a light industrial unit at Seawall Road Cardiff. On arrival crews were faced with a well-developed fire in a tyre garage. Fire quickly spread to adjoining properties. This large scale incident required a multi-agency response, involving fire 80 firefighters, 12 fire engines, 5 water bowers and 2 aerial appliances, 1 from Avon Fire and Rescue Service were used to tackle the fire. The police were involved in cordoning the area and advising local residents to…

Swansea Council is launching the parking offer in the run up to Christmas and in response to the recent firebreak which has seen many city centre businesses having to close under the Welsh government regulations. Motorists visiting the city centre from Monday (Nov 9) will be able to park for £1 for the first two hours and all-day parking will be just £2. The offer covers all city centre car parks including multi-storey and pay and display car parks. The new scheme will initially run for one month from Nov 9 – Dec 9 and a report will be presented…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Licensing Team is advising businesses and residents of new measures for the hospitality industry, that will come into place when the current ‘firebreak’ lockdown ends. The new measures, set out by the First Minster, will be introduced on Monday 9th November 2020 and will be reviewed after two weeks. Hospitality premises, including pubs, clubs and restaurants will be required to put the following measures in place: A Maximum of 4 people (not including children under 11 years), from different households, will be able to socialise, every effort should still be made by the business and the…

As the firebreak ends in Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford today asked everyone to think about how they can protect their families from the virus. A new set of national measures will come into force today, replacing the firebreak regime. But people’s actions will be more important in controlling the spread of the virus than rules and regulations in the weeks and months ahead. The First Minister is urging everyone to reduce the number of people they see and the time they spend with them to help reduce their risk of catching and passing on the virus. Mark Drakeford said:…

Travel between Wales and England will continue to be restricted as Wales’ firebreak ends and England’s month-long lockdown gets underway, Minister for Economy and North Wales Ken Skates today said There will be no restrictions on travel within Wales from 9 November but the new national measures, which will come into force will mean travel will only be possible across the Wales-England border with a reasonable excuse. Examples of a reasonable excuse include travelling for work, education, a medical appointment, legal requirement or compassionate grounds. The English lockdown also means cross-border travel is not allowed unless one of the exceptions…