Author: Rhys Gregory

Hundreds of Powys businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors have had their business rates bills reduced after applying for a rate relief scheme, the county council has said. The Business Rates: Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rates Relief scheme for financial year 2025/26, which is administered by Powys County Council, has seen 700 businesses in the county receive the 40% relief which has reduced their business rate bills by £2.3m. Now the council is urging remaining eligible businesses to apply for the rate relief for this financial year. The Welsh Government has provided funding of £3.449m to the council…

The Welsh Government is providing more than £2 million in Transforming Towns funding to support three major regeneration projects in Bangor as the city celebrates its 1500th anniversary.  These projects form part of the Welsh Government’s wider strategy to transform town and city centres across Wales, creating sustainable urban spaces that support local economies, improve wellbeing, and foster community connection. The funding will secure the former Debenhams building, with plans for a new health and wellbeing hub and city centre greening initiatives as part of Bangor’s milestone anniversary celebrations. Funding has already supported renovations to the recently opened Parc y…

As obesity rates are significantly increasing, there is a need for new, innovative weight loss methods. Conventional approaches, such as diet and exercise, are still important but don’t seem to have the same impact as they once did. People with serious metabolic or behavioural issues are struggling to lose weight more and more. As a result, medical technology is becoming more advanced to offer less intrusive, more individualised options for long-term weight management. These solutions aim to bridge the gap between ineffective lifestyle changes and invasive surgery, giving patients renewed hope and practical tools for success. A recent breakthrough in…

A man from Neath Port Talbot has again been jailed after he breached a restraining order against him for the second time. 39-year-old Neal Hancock, from Neath, had previously served a custodial sentence for breaching a restraining order issued to him after being found guilty of stalking three people. Hancock pleaded guilty to having sent a message to one victim’s Instagram account on June 8, something he was prohibited from doing under the terms of the restraining order. He has been sentenced to a further 12 weeks in prison. Inspector Jared Easton said: “Neal Hancock is clearly a dangerous individual…

Ambitious plans to transform public transport in North Wales will help people like a young woman who faces a nightmare four hour daily commute to work That’s the vow from Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, ahead of a meeting with business leaders in Wrexham. Mr Skates, who is also the Senedd member for Clwyd South, will be outlining details of the Network North Wales proposals at a breakfast meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals at the city’s Maesgwyn Hall on Friday, June 27. According to Mr Skates far too many young people are being “cut out…

Visitor numbers at a historic shopping centre in Cardiff have increased to record levels. In December, a record 657,740 visitors came through the Morgan Quarter, which is made up of the Morgan and Royal Arcades – a 23.5% increase compared to the same month in 2023, and a 62% increase on Christmas 2022. The trend has continued into 2025, with every month seeing a significant increase in footfall compared with 2024. Sunshine in April brought 386,383 visitors to the shopping centre, 19.6% higher than in the same month in 2024. While retail continues to face challenges, retailers at Morgan Quarter are reporting strong sales performance, with…

A Carmarthenshire based ice cream and frozen dessert company has secured globally recognised food safety certification following technical support delivered through the Welsh Government’s HELIX Programme, previously named Project HELIX. Mario’s Ice Cream, which was named food producer of the year at the Wales Food and Drink Awards 2024, has successfully secured BRCGS Start intermediate level certification. This food safety certification, which is designed for small to medium-sized businesses, will enable the company to target a greater range of customers who require the standard. Having expanded into a second factory unit in 2023, Mario’s decided to begin the process of…

Wales’s biggest business group has called for significant strengthening of business support to unlock the full potential of Wales’s SMEs. With two thirds of small businesses looking to grow their business and half wanting to become more productive, these ambitions demonstrate the key role SMEs can play in achieving the Welsh Government’s growth aspirations. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Wales has this week published a report, Cultivating Small Business Growth, which found high recognition levels for business support institutions across Wales. The report concludes that Wales’s approach of developing a ‘one stop shop’ approach to business support via…

Ardal, an innovative procurement service led by Cardiff Council has announced two new appointments to support its collaborative procurement delivery – Jemma Downes joins as Framework Manager and Erin Ryan-Phillips as Senior Strategy Officer for Carbon. Key regional procurement frameworks including the well-established SEWSCAP (buildings construction framework), SEWH (highways framework), and SEWTAPS (South East Wales Technical and Professional Services), all sit under the Ardal umbrella. Jemma joins Ardal with responsibility for leading and coordinating framework activities, ensuring effective management across the collaborative frameworks and will play an important role in continuing the success of the frameworks on a regional, all-Wales,…

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is calling for urgent regulation to clamp down on providers of aesthetic procedures such as fat injections, Brazilian Butt Lifts, botox and fillers – warning the public that there is a wild west of untrained, unlicensed and uninsured individuals who may be putting lives in danger. Trading Standards officers have uncovered shocking locations where procedures such as fillers are being administered including “pop up” shops on high streets, cubicles in public toilets and hotel rooms.  These locations fall outside of typical business premises and makes taking action against unscrupulous businesses and practitioners much more…