Author: Rhys Gregory

Caerphilly County Borough Council will be shortly carrying out a review of residents receiving a 25% discount on their council tax. Single Person Discount (SPD) is claimed when an adult is the sole adult occupant of a property. The council is aware that while the vast majority of residents are claiming the discount appropriately, there may be a small minority who are wrongly claiming the discount. These residents may not have reported a change in their circumstances and are receiving the discount when they are no longer entitled to it. The council will shortly be sending some residents receiving Single…

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has today called on employers to use extra Welsh Government funding to protect workers at risk of falling through a gap in UK government wage support schemes. The Minister has backed these calls with an extra £10m package to help protect workers not eligible for the UK Government’s job retention scheme and wider support for those in need of urgent financial help. The Welsh Government has pressed the UK Chancellor to urgently guarantee wage support for workers affected by business closure who risk falling through the gaps between the Job Retention Scheme and the new Job…

A pilot programme monitoring coronavirus in Wales’ sewage systems is finding that virus spikes in the community can be detected in local waste water. The programme, launched in June, is now monitoring 20 sites across Wales and covers 80% of the Welsh population. Researchers from Welsh universities were the first to start the national surveillance of COVID-19 in major urban centres in the UK, and the technology to do this was first developed in Wales also. They have been measuring the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in waste water as the presence of this in human waste is common in…

Corporate and commercial law firm Greenaway Scott (part of the GS Verde Group) has announced that Rhian Osborne will become its new Managing Director from the 1st November 2020.   Ms. Osborne, a co-founder of the award-winning law firm, has been Director of the commercial law department since its inception, as well as leading the Medical and STEM focused teams within the Group, roles that Rhian will continue to oversee.   As Managing Director of Greenaway Scott, Ms. Osborne will oversee day to day operation of the successful commercial law firm, and be responsible for key future developments including, the…

Blood donors across Wales are being asked to ‘keep donating’ during the Wales-wide firebreak to help the Welsh Blood Service maintain healthy blood stocks for the NHS. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Welsh Blood Service introduced a new collections schedule where donations are taken from around five regional donation hubs across Wales each week. The regional donation hubs are at different locations every week and they have temporarily replaced the old model which involved donation sessions being offered at around 30 donation venues each week. Reducing the number of venues it operates has enabled the Service to safeguard…

Richard Parks, former Welsh Rugby International and multiple world record adventurer is to present a powerful, personal and at times poignant look at what it means to be Welsh and Black in today’s Wales. The special hour long film features sporting stars Ryan Giggs and Ashton Hewitt, Professor Charlotte Williams OBE, an expert in Welsh identity and some of Wales brightest creative artists including actor Mali Ann Rees and musicians Sonny Double 1 and Mace the Great. The documentary film, due to be broadcast on ITV Cymru Wales at 8pm on Tuesday 27th October  is a story of national pride…

Two Aberystwyth pubs have been required to improve their measures to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus on their premises. Yr Hen Llew Du public house in Bridge Street, Aberystwyth and The Western public house in Thespian Street, Aberystwyth, have both been served with an improvement notice after visits by officers from Ceredigion County Council’s Public Protection Team and Dyfed-Powys Police. The Premises Improvement Notices, served under the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions)(No. 2)(Wales) Regulations 2020, were issued at both public houses on Wednesday 21 October 2020. During visits to Yr Hen Llew Du, Officers found that improvements were needed…

Welsh businesses are set to benefit from the historic UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to be signed by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Japan’s Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in Tokyo today (Friday 23 October).  The deal could increase UK trade with Japan by £15.7 billion, giving a £1.5 billion boost to the economy and increasing UK workers’ wages by £800 million in the long run. This could benefit over 200 businesses in Wales that exported £295.9 million in goods to Japan last year and help even more local businesses sell their goods and services to the Japanese market. Farmers…

A west Wales honey producer is celebrating after receiving a top accolade in the Great Taste Golden Fork awards. From the three Welsh products that received the top honour of 3-gold stars in the Great Taste awards 2020, the Golden Fork from Wales was awarded to Wenallt Hive for their Honey Vinegar with Raspberries. The judges praised it for its “beautiful flavour, delicate and vibrantly coloured”, which took them on “a fine flavour journey – fruity and sweet and sour and rich and fun.” Wenallt Hive, located near Newcastle Emlyn are beekeepers and small-scale producers of top quality food and…

Macmillan Wales has warned that the latest cancer waiting times data suggests that far too few people are being tested or treated for cancer due to coronavirus. The warning comes as the latest data for August shows a 23% year-on-year drop in the number of people entering the system for cancer diagnosis, and an 18% drop in those starting treatment for cancer when compared to the same month last year. The figures also suggest that the month-by-month improvement seen since the first peak of coronavirus hit in April, has also now stalled with a larger drop in people entering the…