Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea Council is planning to invest record levels of funding in schools and social services despite facing huge financial pressures. Like other councils across the UK, Swansea is facing unprecedented budget pressures due to higher costs and increasing demands from residents whilst having a real terms cut in funding from the Government. The council’s strong track record on financial management and its prudent use of resources means it has sufficient funds to protect front-line services next year. It is also proposing a council tax increase of £1.40 per week for Band B homes which will be used to fund services.…

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles MS enjoyed visits to two Haverfordwest schools on Friday, February 2nd. Mr Miles visited Haverfordwest High VC School and Portfield School, taking in tours of both school sites and meeting pupils, staff and local education leaders. Haverfordwest High VC School was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal in October 2022. The school was jointly funded by Pembrokeshire County Council and Welsh Government under its Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. The school caters for 1500 pupils aged 11-16 and 250 Sixth Form students. At Haverfordwest High, Mr Miles was welcomed by…

Two-way traffic lights are required to carry out culvert strengthening work near Ynyshir Primary School, using the school half term break to minimise disruption. The Resilient Roads scheme will start after the school day on Friday, February 9 – and is scheduled for completion before children return to school after half term. The scheme, at Llanwonno Road, will install a new culvert liner to improve the infrastructure’s integrity and reduce the likelihood of future flooding at this location. The Council has appointed Arch Services to carry out the work, and the contractor requires temporary traffic lights to make safe progress.…

Five town centre liaison officers, paid for by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (Levelling Up), are now in post and supporting economic development across Powys. Each has been assigned to towns in either northwest, northeast, central, southwest or southeast Powys and have been tasked with advising and helping town councils, businesses, charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups with the planning, delivery and monitoring of economic development projects. The town centre liaison officers (TCLOs) are part of Powys County Council’s Economic Development and Regeneration Team and were welcomed into their roles by Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys, Cllr David…

A new primary school that will open in south Powys later this year has been named, the county council has said. Ysgol Golwg Pen y Fan will be the name of the new school that will open in Brecon this September. The new school will be established following the merger of Mount Street Infants School, Mount Street Junior School and Cradoc C.P. School as part of exciting Transforming Education plans by Powys County Council for the Brecon catchment area. The new school will initially operate on the three existing sites before eventually moving to a brand-new building in Brecon, which…

Music is a great way to bring people together and to enjoy in the Welsh language, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said today. As part of Dydd Miwsig Cymru (Welsh language music day) celebrations on 9 February, the Welsh Government is supporting a series of gigs in community-led cooperative pubs across Wales. The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said: “Community pubs are social businesses embedded in our communities. They create jobs as well as opportunities for people to come together to socialise and to use the Welsh language. “Through the Perthyn Small Grants…

A 39-year-old man from Barry who called his former partner almost 400 times on one day has been made subject of a Stalking Protection Order (SPO). Cardiff Magistrates’ Court found that he had engaged in a terrifying campaign of stalking, intimidation, and threats of his former partner. The five-year order, which was granted on January 18, 2024, provides much needed protection for the victim and her new partner. As part of the SPO he must not approach, contact, or conduct surveillance those named within the order. Elinor Spiers-Morgan, South Wales Police Stalking Coordinator, said: “The man’s behaviour was fixated, obsessive…

Starting Monday, 12th February, work will begin to renew and improve the 3G pitch at Newbridge Leisure Centre, with work expected to be completed in early May. This project is the latest investment by Caerphilly County Borough Council as part of its ten year Sport & Active Recreation Strategy to improve and enhance facilities across the county borough The team at Newbridge Leisure Centre will work with all current hirers and will do their best to relocate existing bookings locally, to minimise any inconvenience.

A leading fraud prevention company based in Wales is helping to transform the way degrees are verified, saving universities hundreds of hours of staff time per year and cutting fraud. Advanced Secure Technologies, whose headquarters are in Cardiff, has partnered with Hedd, UK higher education’s official degree verification service, to automate and streamline the process. Currently, employers wishing to verify the degrees of their graduate candidates can make requests through Hedd, a centralised system for UK universities. Universities typically receive hundreds of these requests every month. When requests are received they are processed manually, which can result in delays. Now,…

To mark National Apprenticeships Week 2024, a five-star housebuilder recently hosted senior Welsh councillors at its training academy. Cllr Huw David, Leader of Bridgend Council, and Cllr Rhys Goode – who is the Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning, and Regeneration – met with apprentices of Persimmon, who work closely with Bridgend College in providing future career pathways. The developer’s partnership with the College that underpins the Academy builds on a successful relationship that has developed between the two organisations over the past six years, and which has created over 150 new job opportunities in construction across South Wales. The councillors…