Author: Rhys Gregory

The Cambrian Railway Partnership has won a coveted national Community Rail Award for its innovative work engaging communities with their railway. The Partnership fought off strong competition to be named winner of the Tourism and Leisure award for the Cambrian Line Window Seater Audio Guide at the 19th national Community Rail Awards, organised by Community Rail Network. This year’s Awards, jointly sponsored by Transport for Wales and Great Western Railway, recognised a diverse array of projects across Britain and beyond, with 19 winners chosen from 180 inspiring entries, all demonstrating how the community rail movement builds positivity and awareness between…

A new plan to improve six key bus routes into Cardiff city centre, designed to boost passenger numbers and deliver quicker journey times, has been revealed. The Bus Infrastructure Plan, which sets out a series of possible on-street interventions aimed at improving key bus corridors into Cardiff, was discussed by the council’s Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday, March 21. The plan, that has been produced in consultation with Cardiff Bus, Transport for Wales, and other operators, sets out a series of improvements which could make bus travel quicker and more reliable. Following the meeting, authority has now been given…

Officers in Butetown, Cardiff, have been given extra powers to prevent gatherings, drug dealing and associated anti-social behaviour. The order is a preventative measure following a stabbing incident on Monday evening and continued concerns of violence, drug dealing and associated anti-social behaviour. A 48-hour dispersal order, which is granted under Section 35 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, is in place from 1.30pm yesterday (Thursday, March 21) until 1.30pm on Saturday. Under Section 35 of the Act, police officers can instruct anybody who is causing, or is likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to leave the area…

Some of the world’s leading hotel developers and operators are being encouraged to invest in Swansea in a further boost for the city’s ongoing transformation. Swansea Council is now marketing the opportunity for a hotel operator to build and run a new hotel on land between Swansea Arena and the LC leisure centre. This follows-on from an expert study commissioned by the council’s tourism team that identified the need for three new hotels in Swansea. The study also recommended the site adjacent to the arena as favourable for a development of this kind. The hotel there would include a minimum…

Pupils at Townhill Primary School are set to benefit from an all-weather pitch, a new school dining area, kitchen and community facilities. Swansea Council’s Cabinet today backed the £3,257,000 scheme. The existing school kitchen and canteen is too small and cannot meet the growing demand as all primary schools in Swansea will be offering all pupils free school meals this year. Different options have been explored with the preferred solution being the demolition of the existing canteen and replacement with a new build that would include facilities for use by the wider community outside of school hours. It will be…

‘Pick up the poo’ dog owners around Gelliswick School are being urged, as issues in the area are targeted. Pupils and their families have regularly faced the on-going problem of dog fouling around the school, causing not just mess but also significant health risks. Local County Councillor Viv Stoddart has been working with the school and Council environmental officers on ways to mitigate the problem, including tasking Enviro-Crime teams to focus on the area. “Gelliswick School is keen to tackle dog fouling around the school so I asked for a focus from the Enviro-Crime team. We also have an extremely…

Work to replace the traffic signals at Ysgol Garth Olwg, Church Village, is scheduled for the school Easter holiday to minimise disruption. The scheme at the B4595 Main Road junction will install upgraded apparatus – including more energy-efficient LED traffic signals and monitoring equipment. Work will begin on Monday, March 25, and will be completed within the two-week school holiday, with site activity pausing over the Easter weekend. The Council has appointed Centregreat Ltd as the contractor to deliver the scheme on site. The contractor requires portable three-way traffic signals to control traffic while the permanent signals are being upgraded.…

In a Cabinet meeting which took place on Wednesday 20th March 2024, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet agreed the details for a new recycling service for commercial properties, in line with Welsh Governments Workplace Recycling Regulation. From 6 April 2024, it will become law for all businesses, charities and public sector organisations in Wales to sort their waste for recycling. This will mean that food, paper and card, glass, metal, plastic and cartons, unsold textiles and unsold small waste electrical and electronic equipment will need to be separated for collection, no longer placed in the residual (refuse) bin and also…

First Minister Vaughan Gething has announced his Ministerial team for a Wales full of optimism, ambition and unity. Vaughan Gething said: “I’m incredibly proud to bring together a government drawn from all parts of Wales to serve the whole of our nation, with progressive politics at its heart. In particular, I am pleased to appoint a Minister for Mental Health and Early Years to ensure we deliver in the first 1,000 days of the life of every child. “This Ministerial team will answer the call of the generation in waiting, to create a stronger, fairer, greener Wales. We will take…

The Welsh Government, NHS Wales and the British Medical Association are working together to ensure patient safety is protected while junior doctors take strike action for the third time next week. The head of NHS Wales, Judith Paget, has warned the impact on services will be significant, and appointments and procedures will need to be rescheduled as a result. Urgent and emergency care will be provided for those in need during the industrial action. Judith Paget said: “We ask people to use alternatives to emergency departments if their need is not critical during the strike period. Alternatives include NHS 111 online…