Author: Rhys Gregory

In July 2023, Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Cabinet approved proposals to redevelop the Rock Grounds Building in Aberdare Town Centre. These plans form part of the adopted Aberdare strategy and will see the Rock Grounds Building redeveloped into a high-quality hotel with a restaurant, bar, and spa, available for both visitors and the local community. As part of the Council’s Office Accommodation Strategy, council employees have now vacated the Rocks Grounds Building in preparation for the site’s redevelopment. After conducting a recent procurement exercise, the Council is engaged in discussions with a potential development partner. This partner has submitted a comprehensive…

The space at Jack’s Wharf, along the riverside in Pillgwenlly, give artists a place to display their works, while bringing a splash of colour to the area, and reducing the level of graffiti in unauthorised areas. The graffiti wall is along hoardings that stretch all the way around the wharf. It has been set up as part of a project led by the council, working in partnership with Gwent Police and the force’s volunteer police cadets, who helped clear the wall ready for opening, and Newport City Homes, who have kindly donated the wall to the project. This is the…

Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) has been awarded a grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to help clean up gum and reduce gum litter. CCBC is putting plans in place to remove the chewing gum that blights local streets after receiving a £7000 grant to tackle the issue. The council is one of 54 across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its third year, for funds to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being littered again. Established by Defra (Department for Environment,…

A mural has recently been completed on an empty wall in Bargoed High Street, adding a touch of colour and vibrancy to the town centre. The wall underneath the Emporium Building was identified as a suitable location for painting, and Andy O’Rourke of Malarky Arts was commissioned by CCBC to create the mural. Andy is a renowned local artist from Newport who has experience of delivering similar artwork across local authorities, including the Riverside Park project under the A472 in Newbridge. The mural theme highlights the boom in biodiversity on old colliery spoil sites and how that might mirror the…

Llandrindod Library is to move a short distance and into the same building as Radnorshire Museum, Powys County Council has announced. The move will follow the same model of service delivery adopted in Brecon, Llanidloes and Welshpool where both museum and library share space, resources and staffing. Llandrindod Library is currently based at the Gwalia. However, the council approved the disposal of the building earlier this year (February) so a future new home for the library was needed. Cllr Richard Church, Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys, said: “Our libraries and museums are trusted spaces, free to enter and open…

Health Secretary Eluned Morgan has today announced the rollout of a new vaccination programme to protect against a common but potentially dangerous respiratory infection. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a very contagious virus, which infects 9 out of 10 children before their second birthday. More than a thousand babies in Wales are hospitalised every year with RSV. It can also lead to serious health complications for adults aged over 75, resulting in around 125 deaths every year in Wales. For most people RSV causes a mild respiratory illness with cold-like symptoms.  However, for babies under one year and the elderly…

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, has, today (Wednesday, July 17), confirmed a number of schemes to support farmers and landowners before the Sustainable Farming Scheme is introduced in 2026. In May, a new timeframe for the Sustainable Farming Scheme was introduced as part of a Welsh Government commitment to listening to farmers and rural communities. The scheme will now begin in 2026, giving more time to engage with key partners. Speaking ahead of the Royal Welsh Show, the Cabinet Secretary has announced that the 2025 preparatory phase will include a number of schemes which will…

A Bill to reform the local tax system in Wales, including non-domestic rates and council tax, has this week (16 July 2024) been passed by the Senedd. The Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill establishes a series of changes to improve the tax systems. It will make them fairer and work better for the future needs of Wales, by ensuring local taxes reflect economic circumstances more regularly. For non-domestic rates (also known as business rates), the Bill will: increase how often the values of all non-domestic properties in Wales are updated, to once every three years; provide more flexibility to make changes to…

Openreach employees have once again demonstrated their commitment to the community and surrounding environment by volunteering their time to help restore one of Wales’ historic canals. The Montgomery Canal is a partially restored 33 mile canal that runs from the Llangollen Canal down through Newtown and Welshpool before crossing the border to Shropshire. In total eighteen Openreach engineers have supported the Canal & River Trust restoration project to help bring the ‘Monty’ canal, which has been designated  both a Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest, back to its former glory. The restoration work includes reconstructing bridges, dredging…

Wales find themselves in League B for the 2024-2025 Nations League after being relegated in the previous season, where they finished fourth place in their group. The Dragons will be looking to redeem themselves and make it back to League A, but that all depends on how they fare against their current group opponents. So, let’s take a look at who Wales will be facing and what their chances look like. Wales’ Competition in Group B4 The draw for the UEFA Nations League group phase took place on February 8th, 2024, in Paris. Wales was drawn against Iceland, Montenegro, and…