Ready for feel-good story? Us too. This week, we’re introducing you to three mobile food and drink vendors in the south Wales valleys. We think you’ll love them.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences. This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Today’s edition is free to read for all because we want to introduce you to all of these mobile traders.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Firefighters have been battling more wildfires in the south Wales valleys over the weekend and the start of the week. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the significant scale of the fire near Ferndale, noting that the steep terrain has made efforts to bring it under control particularly challenging. There are reports of “deliberate fire setting" on the mountain where the fire spread. Please follow along at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service for prevention and safety advice.

• In Merthyr Tydfil, funding has been secured for major transformation of Joseph Parry’s Ironworker’s Cottage. The funding will help safeguard the future of the Grade II Listed Accredited Museum while creating new opportunities to share the stories of celebrated composer, Joseph Parry, Merthyr Tydfil’s ironworking heritage and the communities who helped shape the town during the Industrial Revolution. The project will future-proof the historic building through essential conservation works, improved environmental controls, energy-efficient heating and lighting, enhanced security, and refreshed exhibition spaces. Visitors can also look forward to improved accessibility, new bilingual interpretation, digital experiences, and the reopening of the Cottage's historic garden as a learning and wellbeing space. To allow the work to take place, the Cottage will be closed to the public from 1 August 2026 and is expected to reopen in April 2027.

• Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has secured Welsh Government funding for maintenance works at a former tip site in the Cynon Valley, Cwmaman Tip. The scheme is being delivered through Welsh Government's Coal Tip Safety Grant, which has allocated £13.7m to the Council to continue inspections and maintenance, and deliver a programme of works, across former coal tip sites in Rhondda Cynon Taf in 2026/2027. Work will include the removal of vegetation growing within and alongside the tip’s drainage infrastructure to restore access, improve the performance of the on-site drainage and assist with the ongoing monitoring and maintenance in the future. A key element of works is delivering biodiversity improvements through the management of vegetation across the site.

How the south Wales valleys fell in love with food and drink trucks

On a weekday morning, at a football pitch carpark in Penydarren, you’ll often find a queue of people lined up and waiting for their morning flat white and almond croissant. Later in the week, families grab a fresh, wood-fired pizza with all the trimmings from an Aberdare roundabout, and at a market stall nearby, customers watch as their Macha is whisked to perfection.

These scenes are becoming increasingly familiar across the south Wales valleys, where a growing number of independent mobile food and drink businesses are thriving. Their owners say they’re responding not only to changing shopping habits and the high cost of running traditional premises, but also to something less tangible: a desire for connection, community and local pride.

Matthew Hunt and Alicia Smith, both in their early 20s, spend over 12 hours-a-day, five-days-a-week running Cuple Coffee. “We have always wanted to open something specialty coffee related as we developed a love and self-learning for speciality coffee,” Alicia told The Valleys Lead. “There was a lack of offering of specialty coffee in the area, and we would always have to travel to Cardiff or further areas to visit good specialty shops.”

The couple originally planned to open a brick-and-mortar shop, but there were barriers that led them to instead consider a mobile shop. “We were unsure on the demand for specialty coffee in the area so when the first idea of a shop fell through we realised maybe a mobile catering van would work better.” Less funds were required to start-up, there were no building fees or rent, and they wouldn’t have to navigate the uncertainty of footfall in the town centre during the weekdays.

They were adamant – the van had to be based in the south Wales valleys, with Matthew from Merthyr Tydfil and Alicia from Abercarn.

After first approaching Merthyr Council about pitch fees and licensing, the couple ended up trading on private property – the Penydarren Boys and Girls Club. “Matthew plays football for them,” Alicia said. “This made life easier as there was access to a car park for our customers and we were able to put an electric supply in for our van instead of relying on a generator. This is important as we chose a high spec machine that is usually in coffee shops.”

Since opening just a little over a year ago, Alicia said customers keep coming back for their speciality coffee and freshly baked goods – made from scratch by Matthew and Alicia – because they are conveniently accessible. But it’s more than just convenience.

“We provide an individual and personal feel with each customer meaning something to us compared to chains,” she said. “We find that people stay and hang around the van to chat with us, or even other customers, creating a good community atmosphere. There is a combination of coming for quality drink and good conversation where people have told us they don’t experience in other hospitable establishments.”

Joe Galea, 32, of Crazy Joes’s Pizza Truck wanted to bring wood-fired pizza to people in the south Wales valleys but didn’t want them to have to travel to a restaurant to get one. It’s about bringing the food to people rather than expecting people to come to the food, Joe, born and bred in Merthyr Tydfil, told The Valleys Lead.

“I think the valleys sometimes get overlooked, but the people here are incredibly loyal,” Joe said. “If you support the local community, they’ll support you back. There are brilliant people and brilliant communities here, and I wanted to build the business where I grew up.”

Joe said he thinks people are eating out at food trucks more for two main reasons: people like supporting local businesses and costs are lower due to fewer overheads. “Social media has also changed things massively. People can see where we’re trading that evening, head down with family or friends and turn it into part of their evening.”

But having the van hasn’t been without challenges. “Every council has different rules, licences and processes, so expanding into new areas can take a lot of time,” he said.

“Finding suitable pitches isn’t always straightforward either, and pitch fees can also vary hugely. Some are very reasonable, while others can make it difficult for independent traders, especially if the event doesn’t attract the numbers expected. I think a more consistent approach across different councils would make life much easier for small businesses.”

Business “is going well,” Joe said, although it has taken “huge amounts of hard work, long days, and plenty of sacrifices.” But it’s all worth it when Joe sees people queuing up for pizza, getting to know each regular customer by name.

“Sometimes people stop for a pizza and end up chatting for ten minutes,” he said.

“Other times they’ll come over just to say hello. I think that’s one of the nicest parts of running a mobile food business. You genuinely become part of the community.”

His love of the south Wales valleys has only grown since starting Crazy Joe’s.

“The valleys have faced plenty of challenges over the years, but there’s a real resilience about people,” he said. “There’s also a lot of ambition. There are people building businesses, creating jobs and doing everything they can to improve their communities. If someone stood next to our truck for a day, they’d quickly realise the valleys are full of hardworking, genuine people who care about where they live.”

Jade Facey remembers the day she found matcha after years of trying to enjoy coffee.

“My life changed,” the 35-year-old owner of TheMatchaMam told The Valleys Lead. “I made it my mission to try and test every matcha in Merthyr, rating them depending on their tastes, flavours and overall appearance. This then sparked my idea of opening my own stall due to the high demand for good matcha within Merthyr - something that was hard to come by.”

Already a small business owner, Jade was “fully aware” of rental prices, extortionate business rates, and forever increasing bills.

“I know a few local businesses in Merthyr that have recently closed due to the sheer cost of running a shop within Merthyr town centre,” she said. “I know the market has all of the intention of bringing new people to the town however the town centre doesn’t have the same footfall as many years ago.”

It made total sense to operate a mobile stall travelling to events and markets across the south Wales valleys.

Only operating for the last two months, Jade said TheMatchaMam has been well-received, with customers appreciating “the love and care that goes into making each drink.”

While Jade loves operating at Artisan markets, she equally loves hyper-local community events - she’s recently attended running clubs and breathwork evenings in the valleys.

Every matcha made, Jade spends time getting to know the customer ordering, saying she hopes they note the community, love, determination, and perseverance of her venture. “Every small business owner I know will say the same,” she concluded. “They continue to do what they do not because of the profit but because they genuinely love it.”

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Residents of Glyncoch are calling for greater scrutiny of quarry blasting after severe flooding in nearby Taff’s Well following a blast at a Breedon Group quarry, which locals believe may have destabilised old underground mine workings and contributed to the flooding. The incident has intensified long-standing concerns about the expansion of the Craig Yr Hesg quarry, where residents have previously raised issues about dust, environmental and health impacts, damage to homes, and blasting near a primary school.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences. This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• A vendor in Merthyr Tydfil’s newly opened market is closing. Mogsy Belle, an icecream shop that had recently expanded into the market, told The Valleys Lead: “It just didn’t work for us as there isn’t enough footfall in Merthyr Town Centre unfortunately. All stall holders are struggling to keep afloat most weeks, and for us with an already successful buisness it wasn’t worth staying for us.” They stated that “like many people in Merthyr Tydfil, we had high hopes when the brand-new indoor market opened. We truly believed it could bring more life into our town and give local businesses the boost they deserved. Sadly, that just hasn’t been the reality.” The Merthyr Tydfil market opened in December and cost £2.3 million, funded through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme and the UKSPF Programme.

• Back in Merthyr Tydfil again to dispel a myth about the old Hoover Factory. There are social media posts claiming that the factory is going to be transformed into a prison. The Valleys Lead has been told by a local councillor that this is only a rumour, and not true. What is happening with the Hoover factory in Pentrebach? A planning application was approved in January to redevelop the site into a new neighbourhood, including up to 441 homes.

• An investigation has been taking place at the disused Ty Llwyd quarry in the Caerphilly County Borough over recent months to determine whether the site is officially classified as “contaminated land”. Following “extensive investigation and environmental sampling carried out by independent consultants,” Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) concluded that Ty Llwyd Quarry does not meet the legal definition of Contaminated Land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. But Councillor Janine Reed, who The Valleys Lead spoke to about Ty Llwd in March, said campaigners are requesting a more robust definition of contamidated land - “the current legislation is a total joke,” she told The Valleys Lead in response to the investigation. “Greenpeace tested soil and requested people to stay out of the woodland due to contamination. CCBC then put up a green metal fence around part of the community woodland to stop people entering. If the land is not contaminated why spend a considerable amount of money erecting a sizeable fence to keep people out? CCBC are stating that TY Llwyd quarry is not deemed contaminated land. To define an area as contaminated land, all three of the following conditions have to be met (source, pathway and receptor). When all three conditions are met, an area can be legally classified as Contaminated Land. What CCBC are stating is all three conditions have not been met to define Ty Llwyd quarry as contaminated, despite evidence showing Ty Llwyd quary contains dangerous chemicals including PCB’s.”

  

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“I hope we’re not next”: Taff’s Well flooding renews Glyncoch quarry fears

On Friday, homes in Taff’s Well, on the outskirts of Cardiff, were flooded after a nearby quarry blast, with emergency services urging people to avoid the area. Several residents were evacuated from their homes.

Locals said water came gushing through the village, following a 2pm blast at a nearby Breedon Group quarry, with mud and rubble swept through streets and into homes.

While Taff’s Well is not technically in the south Wales valleys, the flooding has reignited fears among residents in the nearby village of Glyncoch, north of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The Valleys Lead reported in April on the expansion of the Craig Yr Hesg quarry in Glyncoch. Residents said their “voices hadn’t been heard” when they raised concerns with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and the quarry operator, Heidelberg Materials, about prolonged exposure to respirable crystalline silica, environmental impacts, deteriorating mental health, and blasting taking place just 134 metres from the village’s primary school — and even closer to homes. They also claimed the blasts had caused cracks in the walls of houses and community buildings.

Now, residents fear Glyncoch could face the same fate as Taff’s Well.

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Today, we are taking you to Pontyclun, just off the A4119 in the south Wales valleys, to an area of land that will potentially be used to as the site for an AI data centre. In response, just over 2,500 people have signed a petition in opposition to the building plans. The Valleys Lead wanted to dig a bit deeper - we heard from two residents opposed to the AI data centre, dug out responses from Natural Resources Wales and the Public Protection Environment Team, and got thoughts from politicians and RCT Council.

It’s below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences. This kind of journalism takes time and effort, and we’d love your support to keep reporting about stories that need to be heard.

You can support us by simply subscribing to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• A proposed £33 million for a transport network in Caerphilly has been questioned by Plaid Cymru councillors, who are demanding answers from Transport for Wales and Caerphilly Council. They say there has been no meaningful public consultation with residents along with full details of what is proposed, options to protect the town’s historic heritage, details of potential disruption or a firm timescale for any work. Councillor Greg Ead said: “I welcome investment in Caerphilly county borough, but residents have a right to know exactly what £33 million of their money will deliver. At the moment there are more questions than answers. Before this project goes any further, Transport for Wales should publish detailed plans and undertake a full public consultation so that local people can have their say on a scheme that could significantly affect the town for years to come.”

• A new extra care development in Porth has been completed and handed over to RCT Council for use. The new facility is due to welcome first residents - older people who want to live independently - in August. Residents will live in their own apartments and can come and go freely with staff present for scheduled care and to help in any urgent situations. It is Rhondda Cynon Taf’s fourth extra care development.

• We are seeing growing concern on social media about anti-social behaviour in Tredegar. Residents are generally frustrated, and have little confidence that anything meaningful will be done. Several want increased police presence and immediate enforcement. We plan to cover this in coming weeks - please feel free to get in touch with us if you’re worried about anti-social behaviour near you.

Thousands back campaign against proposed AI data centre near Pontyclun

At the start of July, on one of his twice-a-day walks on the vast area of green field in Pontyclun, Hugo Burke, saw something unusual which caught his eye.

“There were two signs, one saying that planning permission had been requested for a 10,000 square metre industrial unit, and the other for a 21,490 square metre data centre,” the 54-year-old and resident of Hunter’s Gate told The Valleys Lead. “That’s the only consultation we had about the plans.”

A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council told The Valleys Lead: “The application was publicised in accordance with the requirements of the Development Management Procedure (Order) Wales - direct notification to the nearest neighbouring properties, site notices in four places close to the site and a press notice in the Western Mail.”

The application for the “erection of a 21,490sqm Class B8 data centre with associated access, parking, drainage, landscaping, services and utilities,” as outlined here – case 26/0404/FUL - was received by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council on 14 May 2026, with a consultation on 13 July. Currently, the application is at the “recommendation and/or committee” stage.

“When I saw the saw sign, I felt horrific,” Hugo said. “It’s going to be gargantuan. It’s a beautiful field that I and so many others use every day. Surely this should be built on dead land, rather than living land.”

He’s worried about noise pollution, the climate impact, and the loss of green space for people and animals. “It’s a disgrace to wildlife and our way of life,” he said. “Don’t take away our green spaces.”

The green space could be taken away from residents and the wildlife it currently inhabits, but what will be gained in return? “We won’t benefit from the AI data centre at all,” he said.

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Today, we’re asking what the new Prime Minister’s promise to end rough sleeping means for Wales, for the south Wales valleys.

It’s below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valley…

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Who needs a good news story this week? Same. We’ve got a story for you about environmental change driven by a local community in Merthyr Tydfil. A group of volunteers who refused to simply complain about their environment, and instead took matters into their own hands to clean and beautify it.

It’s below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

You can support us by simply subscribing to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• It has been four months since Blaenau Gwent councillors approved a scheme to build social housing flats at the site of a former hotel in Ebbw Vales, and this week, planning permission has finally been given. Rhondda Developments will now be able to build 20 one-bedroom flats suitable for two people, and six two-bedroom flats for three people. The site has been derelict since the demolition of the hotel following a fire in 2008.

• A resident in Porth demands answers as a sinkhole has left homes blocked six months later. On 2 February, a sinkhole appeared at the back of properties in Aberrhondda Road in Porth, No one was harmed, but five homes on the street were evacuated while the Mining Remediation Authority carried out initial investigations and filled the hole with stone to stabilise the immediate area before residents were allowed to return. Six months, later, it’s still “a mess,” said a resident. There is an open sewer drain, pipes everywhere, and the hole has been filled with chippings. “The back of our properties still blocked off and there’s been no update to the residents,” the resident said. “I spoke to mining engineers at the time and they said it was caused by an old mine shaft collapsing.” Mining Remediation Authority confirmed the incident was caused by historical coal mining, and that they are undertaking assessments to create a permanent solution.

• A Caerphilly County Borough resident is celebrating this summer after being named the latest winner of the Council’s Mash for Cash campaign. Mr Turner from Cwm Calon has won £500 after being randomly selected from households across the county borough that take part in the food waste recycling service. The Mash for Cash initiative, which is supported by the business sector, was introduced in March 2022 to encourage more residents to recycle their food waste and increase participation in the weekly collection service. Every household in Caerphilly County Borough that presents its food waste caddy for collection is automatically entered into the monthly draw, giving residents the chance to win a cash prize simply by recycling their food waste. Currently, over a quarter of the content found inside general waste bins throughout the Borough is food waste. The local authority is keen to divert food waste from general waste bins and into food waste caddies, where it can be converted into renewable energy as well as useful by-products such as compost and fertiliser.

  

From wasteland to wildlife haven: Community volunteers in Merthyr Tydfil win Green Flag Award for green space

The hard work and dedication of members of Cyfarthfa Ward Community Group in Merthyr Tydfil has resulted in Chepstow Close Green receiving Keep Wales Tidy’s Green Flag Community Award for the first time ever.

When the Castle Park Estate was originally built, green spaces were planted, scattered throughout the residential properties for leisure purposes, Phil Star, chairman of the Cyfarthfa Ward Community Group, told The Valleys Lead.

“But over the years, these spaces have been neglected and just have dog poo and fly tipping in them,” Phil said. “There was a particular spot (what they are now calling Chepstow Close Green) that was particularly unsightly. It was like a wasteland. We applied to the land registry to find who the owner was, and it came back as unknown, so we’ve adopted it [informally] until someone comes along and says it’s their land.”

Living next to this community land was a resident, Nigel, who recently joined the community group and had requested that the group consider tidying up the land.

“As a group, we gradually cleared it of the waste, rocks, and bush,” Phil said. “Rather than manicuring it, we wanted the space to be a place for biodiversity. We decided as a group to cut pathways through it and leave the space between the paths for biodiversity. We planted a cherry tree in the middle and created different habitats in the different parts of the green.”

They sowed various flower seeds in two sections for bees to pollinate, left one areas grassy for grasshoppers, and then in the fourth section, the group is currently creating a shallow pond (a scrape) for frogs, toads, and newts.

“We understand the issues connected with climate change, and making sure species have somewhere they can survive,” Phil said. “We wanted to create a place pedestrians could walk but then leave an area for smaller species can thrive. People are our priority, but people can live alongside the biodiversity that exists in the area.”

Eighteen months after the group started working on the land, it’s become a haven for people and small animals, winning it the Green Flag award in recognition of the environmental improvements and community involvement in the area. The judge of the competition stated the “the area is a lovely little green that has been transformed from a derelict space to a haven of biodiversity. Seeing the before pictures, it is hard to believe that this is the same place.”

Cyfarthfa Ward Community Group has been working for years to keep their ward tidy and beautiful despite having what Phil calls some of the “biggest polluters” of rubbish in the borough in their ward – the retail park, Merthyr Tydfil College, and fast-food outlets.

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Yesterday, I was asked to speak about The Valleys Lead at The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors, telling them all about our lush valleys and the people who live here - putting us on the map. You’re the ones to thank - we wouldn’t be able to keep writing without you following along.

Here is what we have for you today. Two hundred jobs are being cut at the only university in the south Wales valleys. Times are tough for universities - there’s no doubt about that (we talk about why below) - but a trade union is asking why unnecessary management-level jobs are being saved, while frontline staff roles are being axed.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

You can support us by simply subscribing to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• A Caerphilly Council Cabinet meeting on 22 July will meet to discuss a report on mobile phone use in schools. The report is here. Schools and parents have raised concerns about the impact of excessive mobile phone use on learner wellbeing, behaviour and educational outcomes. While the Welsh Government does not support a blanket national ban, schools and governing bodies are responsible for setting policies that best meet the needs of their learners. All secondary schools in Caerphilly already restrict mobile phone use during lessons, with many operating gate-to-gate policies, while primary schools prohibit mobile phone use throughout the school day. The Council’s endorsement would support these existing measures, helping to reduce classroom distractions, encourage positive social interaction, strengthen online safety and improve pupil wellbeing. Subject to approval, the Council will also work with schools to raise awareness of the benefits of their mobile phone policies among pupils, parents and carers.

• Blaenau Gwent Council, the Local Energy Advice Partnership (LEAP), and local community groups are providing face‑to‑face support and advice out in the community. Energy costs remain a concern, especially for older people and those on lower incomes, and people can find it difficult to get the help they need. This support is being offered in places where people feel comfortable like community centres, warm hubs and at local events. A LEAP advisor meets residents in person, explains what’s available, and can also arrange a home visit if needed.

  During these visits, people can get:

  • Free, straightforward advice on saving energy

  • Help accessing grants and support

  • Small energy-saving upgrades

  • Useful items like heated clothes airers to cut down heating costs

  If you are involved with a community group who could benefit from a visit by LEAP please email: Anna.Watkins-Hughes@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk

• According to Natural Resources Wales, south east Wales is one of the two areas in Wales most affected by recent heat and dry weather. “Prolonged dry weather is a natural event which has become more likely as climate change accelerates,” the organisation stated. “It is the first step in NRW’s Drought Plan for drought status. It occurs when rainfall is lower than expected for a sustained period of time resulting in low river, reservoir and groundwater levels as well as the drying up of land and soils. So far, Wales has only received 5% of the expected rainfall for July, with the current hot, dry weather expected to continue into next week. The intensity of the current weather means that without notable and sustained rainfall in the coming weeks, catchments could quickly deteriorate further." NRW has urged residents to be mindful that wildlife and ecosystems are under more stress, report wildfires to 999, and use less water.

“The lowest paid people are paying the price”: The 200 jobs being cut by the University of South Wales

Back in March, the University of South Wales (USW), the only university in the south Wales valleys, announced it would be making 200 job cuts to “sustain the long-term sustainability” of the university.

Despite having “worked hard to reduce costs” previously, “further action” was required.

“The university, like many other universities across the UK, are suffering from a lack of income,” Dan Beard, Unison branch secretary, told The Valleys Lead.

“Some of that is driven by the hostile environment for visas for international students, previously used to prop up income. That’s coincided with a drop in students who are British, due to costs and growth of apprenticeships. It’s been a perfect storm.”

To start, USW offered voluntary redundancies, with around 100 people taking up the offer, Beard said. “There had been no pressure on anyone to go or not go.”

Beard said it “wasn’t’ a huge surprise” that redundancies would be part of the cost-cutting measures. “Cuts are cuts,” he said.

Unison wasn’t opposed to voluntary redundances (there was an attractive package on the table and people made a choice to take this or not, Beard said).

But the trade union started making noise in the last couple of weeks, when they were made aware that compulsory redundancies would be used to make the final job cuts - to get to the 200-mark.

“And they’re targeting staff who directly work with students,” Beard said. “These are jobs in the estates, admin, IT, and student support departments. The employees who remain will face impossible workloads. Some already report working 50 hours a week.”

He said the cuts impact lower-paid workers, rather than management. Given the drop in students (from about 35,000 to now under 20,000), Beard said the management structure has unnecessarily remained the same.

“The university is a large organization with various layers of management,” he said. “It has successfully reduced layers of management before, and the university didn’t collapse. They could do this again. We feel they could make the same level of savings on a lot lets people if they aimed the cuts at the management layers.”

Although the university could cut management layers (and less of them because their salaries are higher) due to a fewer number of students, Beard said they shouldn’t cut student-facing roles.

“We’ve got so many students coming through our doors with enhanced needs,” Beard said. “Neurodiversity is through the roof. They need so much more support. We need to maintain the same level of support for them.”

Beard is fearful these remaining cuts will be detrimental to the staff who lose their jobs, but also to the wider south Wales valleys community.

“It’s terrible for the people who lose their jobs – it’s the lowest paid people paying the price,” Beard said.

“These are quality jobs and they won’t be replaced by anything else locally. Those who lose their jobs will either have to move out of the valleys or find work in Cardiff if they want to earn a similar salary. There’s a real economic impact on the local valleys community.”

But there is a “bigger picture here,” he continued.

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We’ve got a lovely story for you today about a group of Year 6 students in Caerphilly County Borough who partnered with the charity Size of Wales to figure out what they could do about deforestation around the world. Children are our future, and these kids are actively participating in democratic processes to ensure their planet is protected.

It’s below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

You can support us by simply subscribing to read two newsletters a week from us. There are free and paid options.

Simply type your email and that’s done! Or email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com and she’ll get you subscribed.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• A family-owned forestry and land management contractor, Cwm Agricultural, has opened a new headquarters in Aberdare and plans to double its workforce within two years as efforts rise across Wales for peatland restoration, flood prevention and conservation work. “For most of our 19 years we have let the work speak for itself,” said Neil Maycock, sales and operations manager. “We have grown by doing the job properly and being asked back. What has changed is that we now have management in place so we can take on bigger programmes without losing the standards that got us here. The move to Aberdare gives us a proper base to coordinate that work.”

• More than 1,000 people have opposed a new data centre near Pontyclun. They have signed a petition opposing the building of the data centre just off the A4119. Plans have been submitted to Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council for a new 18,220-square-metre data centre over two internal floors plus a 2,260-square-metre adjoining three-storey office block at Mwyndy Cross in RCT. Resident Lizzie Williams said: “Talbot Green Developments are developers based in Aylesbury owned eventually by a larger company in New Zealand – the money won’t be staying in Wales. Data centres run off skeleton staff, the long-term job prospects are slim, and as AI continues to improve these positions will be needed less and less.” She also raised concerns about children’s education, environmental impacts, noise pollution, and the rising cost of electricity for locals.

• Five candidates will stand in the upcoming Hengoed ward by-election for Caerphilly County Borough Council. The by-election was called after Donna Cushing vacated her seat, following her election to the Senedd. Candidates standing are: Anthony Cook – Plaid Cymru, David Emmins – Welsh Conservatives, Kimberley Heath – Reform UK Wales, Dan Kelly – Welsh Labour, and David Scullin – Welsh Liberal Democrats. The Council by-election will be held on Thursday August 6, with polling stations open between 7am and 10pm.

“It’s our future”: Year 6 pupils inspire Caerphilly’s deforestation-free pledge

Caerphilly County Borough Council has partnered up with local Year 6 pupils from Waunfawr Primary School in Crosskeys to take part in a democratic process to shape a discussion ahead of a vote to become a Deforestation-Free Champion Council.

Before councillors cast their decision, they went to the school - sitting alongside pupils, procurement officers, and catering teams - to explore the connection between everyday ingredients such as palm oil, soy used for animal feed, beef from South America, cocoa, and coffee, which often end up being served on school menus, and the destruction of tropical forests.

Melissa Armishaw, headteacher of Waunfawr Primary School, told The Valleys Lead that this decision to involve the school hasn’t come from out of the blue. For eight years, Waunfawr Primary has worked closely with the catering team to improve the quality and variety of school meals, with cooking an integral part of the school curriculum.

“During our Year 6 Globetrotters project, the children naturally began asking, ‘Where does our food come from?’” Armishaw said. “That question led us to Size of Wales (a climate change charity that aims to protect at least two million hectares of tropical forests) and opened the door to exploring how everyday food choices can be connected to tropical deforestation. From that point, the project became something much bigger than we had imagined.”

The vote came at a critical time. Following several heatwaves across Wales, communities are increasingly feeling the direct impacts of climate change.

Forests play a vital role in cooling the planet by absorbing carbon and regulating rainfall and temperatures.

“As Wales feels the effects of climate change more directly, protecting forests has never been more urgent,” Nichola James, from Size of Wales, told The Valleys Lead.

The UK Government, alongside the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, has outlined its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2030, drawing on the commitments made by the UK and the UK’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to summarise and emphasise our collective ambition and determination to work together to address biodiversity loss.

But it isn’t only about protecting the UK, Wales, or our valleys – it’s about supporting the people living in communities where deforestation occurs.

“The best protected forests on earth are those with thriving indigenous communities within them,” James continued. “Our work also includes helping communities secure their land rights, because often they don’t have rights even though they have lived there for thousands of years. When deforestation takes places, it’s an issue of climate justice.”

James is aware that children are the future of the planet, and that it’s vital they be included in the discussions occurring about climate change and biodiversity loss.

“Involving children is not just a PR thing,” she said about this project. “Ultimately, children are the ones living with the consequences of decisions we make today.”

The Year 6 children at Waunfawr Primary School spent several weeks sharing their knowledge, challenging assumptions, and proposing practical solutions for creating school meals that are nutritious, affordable, and free from links to deforestation.

Margot, an 11-year-old at Waunfawr Primary, told The Valleys Lead she previously “didn’t know that there were ingredients hidden in school meals that have an impact on deforestation.”

Read more

How did you manage in the this week’s heat wave? Fans in every room? Paddle pools? Feet in a bowl full of cold water? Or maybe you are embracing it, sunbathing in the garden?

The heat ties into today’s story on school transport in Rhondda Cynon Taf, where there will have been children who walked up to six miles to and from school, dripping in sweat, and carrying a heavy backpack, due to school transport changes that came into effect at the start of the school year. That’s the story we’ve got for you.

It’s below - but just quickly - we’d love you to support The Valleys Lead. There isn’t another publication doing what we are in the south Wales valleys - covering stories from all these valleys, going behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

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The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• If you’ve been in Merthyr Tydfil, no doubt you would have noticed lots of building work at Cyfarthfa Castle. Drainage improvements at the castle are expected to be completed in the next few months, with roof repairs due to be finished next year. “By tacking these issues now, we are taking proactive steps to preserve this iconic landmark and reduce the risk of more significant deterioration in the future,” a spokesperson for the Council said.

• Bit of fun news. A proposal for an indoor golf simulator in Bedwas has been granted planning permission, subject to conditions including that it must only be used as a golf simulator and not for wider leisure purposes.

• Lis McLean MS for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr has called on the UK Government to provide additional long-term funding to address the legacy of coal tips across Wales. In the last Senedd, there was strong cross-party support for improving coal tip safety, which led to the passing of the Unused Mines and Quarries Dumps (Wales) Act 2025. The legislation will see a new Unused Dumps Authority established in Merthyr Tydfil, creating around 60 skilled jobs. The Act led both the Welsh and UK Governments to commit more than £100 million towards coal tip safety. However, significant concerns remain about whether current funding levels are sufficient to address the scale of the challenge facing communities across the valleys. “The establishment of the Authority is an important step forward in managing and monitoring Wales’s coal tip legacy, while also bringing valuable employment opportunities to the local area,” she said. “However, while I welcome the investment made by both the Welsh and UK Governments, it is clear that the scale of Wales’s coal tip legacy requires a long-term commitment and potentially much greater resources. Communities across the Valleys deserve confidence that the risks associated with disused coal tips are being fully addressed. The legacy of coal extraction in Wales predates devolution, and the UK Government must recognise the unique challenges Wales faces and ensure that restoration funding matches the scale of the task ahead.”

“It’s all coming down to a number on a budget, rather than the safety of our children.”

It has been over a month since Tina Collins, who represents Save the School Transport RCT/Wales, wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council about concerns regarding the safety and wellbeing of 11- to 15-year-old children walking up to six miles a day to and from school.

“We wrote to RCT Council because they had a new leader put in place,” Collins told The Valleys Lead. “The call for a meeting is a follow up to meet the new leader and to discuss with her and the transport officer of RCT about the changes to school transport that have been in place from September 2025. It’s a month later and we are still waiting on a response.”

Collins’ request to meet with RCT Council wasn’t the first – she’s been back and forth with the RCT Council and Welsh Government for more than a year, practically begging for someone to listen to the concerns of hundreds of families throughout the Borough, and take action to protect children.

Last spring, RCT Council announced that from September 2025, only children who lived three of more miles away from their secondary school would receive free school transportation, a change from the previous threshold of two miles or more.

“On 20 March 2024 the Council’s Cabinet approved amendments to the school transport policy, to revert to the Welsh Government statutory walking distance to secondary schools and colleges of three miles,” Claire Davies, Communications and Marketing Advisor at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, told The Valleys Lead.

“The revised Home to School Transport Policy aligns transport provision more closely with Welsh Government statutory transport requirements and are necessary for the Council to maintain affordability within future financial constraints, continue to be able to meet its statutory requirements, and maintain discretionary transport for its most vulnerable users,” Davies said. “Prior to its introduction, the walking routes to school were reviewed and assessed using the criteria laid down by the Welsh Government Statutory Guidance for the Risk Assessment of Walked Routes to School. These assessments were undertaken independently by an external organisation and are therefore considered final.”

The change was a cost-saving measure for the Council, but Collins said the Council didn’t consult with parents beforehand (although Davies did say they was an “extensive nine week consultation” prior to the decision), didn’t put in safety mitigation, didn’t have a transition period, and didn’t consider the needs of families before making the decision.

“It’s all down to money,” Collins said. “It’s all coming down to a number on a budget, rather than the safety of our children. Families are suffering because of it.”

When Lucie Jones, a 45-year-old mother to a son in Year 8 received the letter about the changes last year, she thought to herself: Hang on a minute. We weren’t consulted on this.

“We absolutely would have pushed back if we had known about the plans,” Lucie told The Valleys Lead.

Both Lucie and her husband work full-time and have always depended on free school transport to drop their son home after school.

“We live in Llanharry, and my son goes to Y Pant Comprehensive in Pontyclun,” she said. “We’re just under three miles away from the school.”

Since September, their son has had to often walk nearly three miles home with a five-kilogram backpack – in the rain, in the blazing heat, and in the autumn and winter months – in the dark.

“It’s a 50-minute walk,” she said.

Lucie’s worried about his road safety, so encourages him to take public transportation.

“He queues up for the public bus and older kids have shoved him out of the queue,” she said. “He ends up at the back and can’t get on because it’s full. Or he doesn’t get to the bus in time because he doesn’t have time to make it after his last lesson ends.”

Occasionally, Lucie skips lunch so she can collect him, but otherwise, he takes the bus (if he can fit onto one) or walks.

Other parents have got it worse, Lucie said.

Read more

We’ve been hearing a lot about HMOs lately. People have expressed sympathy for those living in them, anger about the noise disruptions, frustration about parking, and fear about the type of people who might be living next door. The Valleys Lead wants to cover what people are talking about, but first, we thought it might be wise to define our terms. So that is what this edition is all about.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to subscribe (free options to read partially, with paid options to read in full) to The Valleys Lead to support local journalism in the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but instead, go behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

Free and paid options available - just enter your email below.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle has pressed the case for improved rail services in Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent with the First Minster. The Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili and Rhymni MS said improvements to rail services would offer people in the area greater opportunities to access major population centres. In a question to Rhun ap Iorwerth at the Senedd on Tuesday, Whittle said: “Residents in Nelson have campaigned for a reopening of the rail connection to the main Rhymney Valley line for many years. Discussions have taken place on an extension from the Ebbw Vale line to a proposed Abertillery Transport Interchange as part of the Cardiff Capital Region. It is an ongoing issue. Rail extensions to these areas would provide expanded opportunities and access to the major centres around the south of Wales and the rest of Britain.

  The First Minister replied: “Working with Transport for Wales, we’ll deliver better rail services in Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili and Rhymni with more trains, faster, more reliable services and investment in stations, including Caerphilly Interchange. Where we do have control on the core Valleys line, for example, the decision was made on reopening, such as the line to Nelson and between Aberdare and Hirwaun. But any reopening requires significant funding. That is why we need a fair funding settlement for rail from the UK Government. Just imagine what we could do with that £5bn of money owed to us because of HS2.”

• Council services in Caerphilly continue to come under “substantial” strain despite a £1.8 million budget underspend last year, with pressures on social care, school transport and temporary accommodation. Councillor Eluned Stenner, the local authority’s cabinet member for finance, said the underspend against a revenue budget of £477 million “reflects proactive financial management,”

  but warned the council’s joint scrutiny committee a “significant” chunk of those savings were one-offs, and the council continues to face rising bills for the services it provides. Collectively, schools have overspent by more than £2.3 million and 30 of the county borough’s 82 schools were in the red in April. As a result, the overall school balances have shrunk from a £1.9 million surplus to a £375,000 deficit.

• There isn’t going to be an increase in taxi licensing fees in Merthyr Tydfil. The proposed changes to taxi licence fees in Merthyr Tydfil were that a three-year licence for a new driver increase from £272 to £312, a three-year driver licence renewal go up from £230 to £290, the vehicle fee rise from £154 to £217, and the private hire operator five-year licence fee increase from £135 to £394.

Are there only two HMOs in Merthyr Tydfil?

The Valleys Lead can reveal - via a Freedom of Information request made to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council - that there are only two mandatory licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the whole of the Merthyr Tydfil Borough.

Both homes are located in the Town area.

When The Valleys Lead shared this number with residents in Merthyr Tydfil, several were adamant that the Council had been misleading, and that the number is indeed much higher, with comments such as: “I can think of five within two minutes of me.”

Is the Council deceiving residents? Or are we working with different definitions of an HMO?

In this edition, we are hoping to define our terms. What’s an HMO? Do we know how many are there in Merthyr Tydfil? Why are they used? Are there risks associated with them?

After this, we want to continue covering HMOs and housing, so please get in touch if you have thoughts for us. You can email me at laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

What’s the definition of an HMO?

The two properties referred to in the FOI have mandatory licences (licensed by Environmental Health), meeting a specific set of criteria, namely that they are occupied by more than five people, and have three stories, a Merthyr Tydfil Council spokesperson told The Valleys Lead.” In Merthyr Tydfil the number of HMOs with a mandatory licence is two,” they continued.

However this is only one definition of an HMO. Planning definitions and Housing provision definitions are different. Below are the definitions of both that we were given by Merthyr Tydfil Council.

From a Housing provision perspective a property is an HMO if:

• Occupied by 2 or more households (Households = people not related or not one family unit)

• Occupiers share basic amenities (for example - kitchen, bath and/or toilet facilities)

• Main/only residence – mainly used for temporary accommodation

For Planning purposes:

• C4 Houses in multiple occupation - small shared houses or flats occupied by between three and six unrelated individuals, as their only or main residence, who share basic amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom. For the purposes of class C4, a ‘house in multiple occupation’ has the same meaning as in section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 and does not include a converted block of flats to which section 257 of the Housing Act 2004 applies.

Under these definitions, there are likely to be a lot more than two HMOs in Merthyr Tydfil. And in fact, as residents thought, there are indeed more than two.

Read more

As small businesses on our high streets close due to soaring operational costs, the rise of business rates, and increases to minimum wage and National Insurance contributions, one restaurant in Aberdare is doing what they can to not only make a profit, but also give back to their community.

The story is below - but just quickly - we’d love you to subscribe (free options to read partially, with paid options to read in full) to The Valleys Lead to support local journalism in the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but instead, go behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

Free and paid options available - just enter your email below.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• The Valleys Lead recently spoke to residents in Penderyn about the impact of cloudy, low-pressured water in the village, with some saying they often go without water entirely thanks to a faulty Welsh Water pump. A petition with 450 signatures was sent to Welsh Water’s CEO, Roch Cheroux. The response: “Thank you for contacting Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, and for forwarding the petition. Your correspondence addressed to our Chief Executive Officer, Roch Cheroux, regarding water supply issues in Penderyn, RCT, has been received and is currently under review. The matter has been escalated for investigation and we will contact you within 10 working days, sooner if possible, with either a further update or a full response.”

• Two successful prosecutions have been secured following separate fly-tipping investigations carried out by Caerphilly County Borough Council's Environmental Enforcement Team. The first - a male from Cardiff who was caught via CCTV footage capturing a fly-tipping incident on lanes between Michaelstone-y-Fedw and Draethen on 5 August 2025. The court ordered the defendant to pay a fine of £1,107, prosecution costs of £2,236.76, and waste removal and disposal costs of £443. The second - the director of a waste company based in Cardiff appeared in court due to company waste found fly-tipped on Rudry Road, near Rudry Common Car Park, on 7 August 2025. The investigation found the company had failed to take all reasonable precautions to ensure that waste it had collected remained under its control, resulting in the waste being illegally deposited. The court ordered the company to pay a fine of £614, prosecution costs of £246, waste removal and disposal costs of £1,812.44, and a victim surcharge.

• Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s carbon reduction programme for 2026-27 is estimated to reduce the Council’s consumption by 1,253,160 kiloWatt hours, equating to 407 tonnes of CO2 and £291,336. The projects include LED lighting replacement schemes, solar installations, water conservation works, and air-sourced heat pumps.

“No need to ask or explain”: Peppers’ owner in Aberdare offers free meals with dignity

Since taking over the ownership of Peppers Restaurant in Aberdare, Iranian-born Golbarg Lak, 33, has prioritised the needs of her community. Noticing the deprivation of some in Aberdare, Golbarg wanted to find a way to provide food for people who couldn’t afford it.

“There is poverty here,” Golbarg told The Valleys Lead. “People are often looking for free food. I get lots of messages asking.”

To meet the need, Golbarg started making occasional offers of fresh food on Facebook if she had any food left at the end of the day - food that would have been thrown out otherwise.

“I get messages on Facebook from people or phone calls taking up the offer,” the 33-year-old said.

She’s also made every effort to keep prices low for customers.

“I always try to understand the people and their situations,” she said. “The price of everything is going up, but I haven’t changed prices in the last year. Even though the cost of minimum wage, gas and electricity bills, and food costs from suppliers have all gone up, if people keep coming and supporting - even for toast and coffee – I can keep the prices low.”

Recently, Golbarg has considered how to start a pay-it-forward service after noting the positive response from locals when she has advertised spare food leftover from a day’s service.

Read more

To start with some feel-good news, on a walk in Merthyr Tydfil yesterday, I came across someone cradling a hedgehog. The young woman had rescued the hedgehog from the road outside of Cyfarthfa Park, and was bringing it back into the park for its safety. You might have seen our post last week about the Council spending £11,000 on hedgehog road safety signs. Is her rescue mission linked to having seen the signs?

On a different note, we have a story for you today about long-term empty houses in Merthyr Tydfil - latest reports show there are 479. What has the Council done to bring empty houses back to use? And why is it imperative that this work continues?

That story is below.

But first - just quickly - we’d love you to subscribe (free options to read partially, with paid options to read in full) to The Valleys Lead to support local journalism in the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but instead, go behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

Free and paid options available - just enter your email below.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Trading Standards officers, accompanied by partners from the Gwent Police Modern Slavery and Exploitation Team, Immigration Enforcement, Environmental Health, and the Regional Trading Standards Tobacco Enforcement Team, carried out enforcement visits in the Risca area last week as part of Operation CeCe. Two premises were visited as part of the targeted operation, which aims to disrupt the supply of illegal tobacco and vaping products and protect local communities from criminal activity. During the operation, illegal tobacco products with an estimated street value of more than £40,000 were seized. One individual was also arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis and vapes containing THC. Investigations are ongoing, and further enforcement activity will continue across the county borough as part of efforts to tackle the sale of illicit goods. We’d be interested to hear about your thoughts on this. A worthwhile investment? Pointless? Let us know at laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

• Last week was a killer for small, independent businesses in the south Wales valleys, with many having to close due to the heat. The owner of Davs Kitchen, Sam Davenport, in Merthyr Tydfil, shared on Facebook that he had to shut his doors last week with the crazy high temperatures and broken refrigerators. “We lost all of our stock. As a small business it has been absolutely devastating. We’ve been on the verge of closing.” He’s asked people to come and show support by dining, offering the best Sunday dinner he’s ever made this weekend. If you’re a small business in the south Wales valleys, or you know of one that stands out to you, please let us know. We love to highlight local businesses. Email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

• Speaking of heat, Councillor Brenda Miles told Caerphilly County Borough Council leadership she was concerned about a lack of daytime swimming sessions at swimming pools in last week’s heatwave. Since authorities regularly warn against swimming in rivers and open water – such as reservoirs and quarries – because of the risk of cold-water shock, drowning, and underwater hazards, Miles said she’d like plans put in place for residents to have increased access to the borough’s pools in the future when temperatures are high. “We all know the dangers for young people who may resort to unsafe swimming locations during hot weather, so it is important the council adapts swimming pool open hours and session times to provide safe swimming during weather events like these.”

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Merthyr Tydfil Council brings 170 empty homes back into use - but hundreds remain vacant

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has brought 170 long-term empty properties back into use since 2022, with the goal of bringing 30 more back by the end of a strategy period, according to the Annual Empty Property Strategy Report.

At a council meeting on 2 February 2022, members approved the Empty Property Strategy 2022-2026. The strategy recognises that long-term empty homes (private homes, rather than social housing, that have been vacant for more than six months) in Merthyr Tydfil represent a wasted resource, particularly in the context of housing need.

“The issues around empty properties can be very complex - death, probate, divorce, family breakdown, multi ownership, leasehold or freehold,” Geraint Thomas, Leader of the Opposition and Independent group councillor at Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, told The Valleys Lead.

He added that many homes have been empty for decades, and have fallen into a state of disrepair which “causes damage to neighbouring properties” and “anti-social behaviour.”

It isn’t just a Merthyr Tydfil problem.

Read more

First off, we hope you managed to survive the worst of the heat wave.

We’re taking you to Bedwas today, where more than 400 residents have signed a petition asking for Caerphilly Council to reconsider its plans to make changes to school tranpsort.

The Valleys Lead covered a similar story from Rhondda Cynon Taf earlier in the year.

Are we expecting too much of children, asking them to walk up to 6 miles a day to and from school? Or perhaps we underestimate what they are capable of? We’ll leave you to decide. The story is below - let us know what you think in the comments or at laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

But first - just quickly - we’d love you to subscribe (free options to read partially, with paid options to read in full) to The Valleys Lead to support local journalism in the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but instead, go behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

Free and paid options available - just enter your email below.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• The results of Thursday’s Dowlais and Pant by-election are in. Welsh Labour’s Dean Barrett has been appointed as councillor. Below is the number of votes each party/candidate received.

  Plaid Cymru: 125 votes

  Reform UK: 160 votes

  Welsh Conservatives: 11 votes

  Wales Green Party: 20 votes

  Welsh Labour: 356 votes

  Nick Meaney (Independent candidate): 215 votes

• In Treorchy, Richard Clarke of Plaid Cymru has been elected as the new local councillor following the by-election. Below is the number of votes each party/candidate received.

  Plaid Cymru: 1147 votes

  Reform UK: 260 votes

  Welsh Labour: 164 votes

  Welsh Conservatives: 27 votes

  Wales Green Party: 23 votes

• There has been a slight increase in the number of people at risk of safeguarding issues in Blaenau Gwent in the last year. At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Adult, Communities, and Wellbeing scrutiny committee on Thursday, councillors reviewed the annual safeguarding performance report for 2025/2026. The number of reports received by the Council went up from 834 in 2024/2025 to 852 last year. The highest number of referrals were for older people (more than half). If you are in Blaenau Gwent and want to speak with The Valleys Lead about safeguarding risks for vulnerable people, please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

“What will Caerphilly Council say if a child is harmed walking to school?”

Every time Max Joseph, a 51-year-old dad living in Bedwas, thinks about his young daughter walking to and from comprehensive school from September, he feels incredibly anxious.

“This whole situation is worrying me,” Max told The Valleys Lead. “You just want your kids to be safe.”

The “situation” Max refers to is a change to school transportation in Caerphilly County that will come into effect from September.

In Wales, the current statutory criteria for free school transport under the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008 are:

• Primary education: Children aged 5 and over qualify if they live 2 miles or more from their nearest suitable school.

• Secondary education: Children aged 11 to 16 qualify if they live 3 miles or more from their nearest suitable school.

“Caerphilly went above that and has had a slightly more favourable allowance for a number of years,” Caerphilly councillor Steve Skivens, told The Valleys Lead. “But they’ve decided now, at fairly short notice, that they can’t afford it anymore, and have cut it. There have been no mitigation measures, no liaising with parents, and no transition period. It’s just being cut from September.”

If the cuts go ahead, as they are most likely to, the impact would be felt by children, who could be walking up to three miles each way to school, crossing busy intersections – perhaps in the dark, in the rain, or (as we’ve felt this week) in the extreme heat - with heavy bags and instruments. He’s particularly concerned for families who have chosen Welsh-medium or faith schools, which might be further than the nearest school.

Although Max said the distance his children have to walk is just below the statutory mileage, they will have to walk a route to and from school which is simply not safe in terms of traffic, void of public footways, and not well lit.

“My daughter in year 7 is really worried about it and scared about having to walk to school in the pouring rain and in the dark, all alone – her friends don’t live near us,” he said. “Both my wife and I are teachers, so we haven’t got time to take the kids by car.”

Read more

The question we’re all asking each other this week? How are you coping in the heat? The peak of the heatwave is due today and tomorrow, so we hope you’re managing to stay safe.

After weeks of fairly serious editions from The Valleys Lead, we’ve got something lighter for you today - hedgehogs signs in Merthyr Tydfil. They’re scattered - apparently very specifically - around the County Borough. We found out how much they cost, and asked residents if they they think the signs will protect the endangered species.

The story is below!

But first - just quickly - we’d love you to subscribe (free options to read partially, with paid options to read in full) to The Valleys Lead to support local journalism in the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but instead, go behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

Free and paid options available - just enter your email below.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):

• Tragic news from Blaina this week - A murder investigation has been launched after a body was found on Monday night in the Duffryn Park area of Blaina, Blaenau Gwent. It’s following the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl. Gwent Police said formal identification was yet to take place but the family of Lilly, who had been reported missing, had been informed.

• Residents of Glyncoch have been writing about nearby quarry blasts which “shook” houses this week. They are saying the blasts have felt like earthquakes, and they are worried about the impact on their homes. The Valleys Lead spoke to residents earlier in the year about how they felt their voices haven’t been heard with quarry expansions. On the community Facebook page, a template has been released for residents to complain to Heidelberg (in charge of operations) and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

• Caerphilly Council is borrowing £24 million to redevelop a site at Duffryn Business Park, in Ystrad Mynach, as a new municipal transfer station for recyclable waste. Since 2024, the Welsh Government has required councils to recycle at least 70% of the waste they collect, but performance levels in Caerphilly have fallen short. The Council hopes the new depot will help it recycle more waste and avoid costly government fines, which could run into millions of pounds.

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Revealed: £11,000 spent on hedgehog road safety signs in Merthyr Tydfil

If you’re walking or driving around Merthyr Tydfil, you’ll soon notice official hedgehog road-safety warning signs scattered around the borough.

The Valleys Lead can reveal that Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has spent £11,000 to create and install the signs, according to a Freedom of Information request made to the Council. 100% of the funding for the signage came from Welsh Government Local Places for Nature, we were told.

“Hedgehogs are a rapidly declining species in the UK, with population estimates suggesting significant ongoing losses each year (around 900,00 are in the UK, with estimates of 29,00 lost every year),” a spokesperson from the Council told The Valleys Lead. “They are also protected under Schedule 6 of the Environment Act, which places a duty on local authorities to maintain and enhance biodiversity. As such, raising awareness of this species forms part of the Council’s wider responsibilities and commitments to nature recovery.”

The decision to install the signs wasn’t solely in response to pressure from specific environmental groups (although this pressure would have been taken into account), but also in response to growing national concern about biodiversity loss, including the decline of hedgehogs.

On Merthyr Tydfil’s Biodiversity Partnership’s Facebook page, every single response to the news was positive and supportive.

Cate Barrow, a local resident in Quaker’s Yard, told The Valleys Lead that “thousands of hedgehogs are killed on the roads each year,” and that it is often very young hedgehogs who are “naïve” about roads.

“Latest research shows that they are doing better living near people rather than out in the countryside, and as such, this puts them at more risk from things like cars,” she said. “They are difficult to spot on a dark road at night. These signs have been well received by local people who did not even know that they had hedgehogs in the area. Merthyr Tydfil County has a good population of hedgehogs at the moment, but like everywhere, their numbers are declining.”

While you’d struggle to find someone who doesn’t want to protect hedgehogs in Merthyr Tydfil, some have questioned whether the signs achieve their intended protection.

Another Merthyr Tydfil resident, Chris Black, whose profession is working outdoors in nature, told The Valleys Lead that while he “deeply cares about protecting our wild spaces and making sure native species thrive to ensure flourishing ecosystems that benefit humans and wildlife alike,” he thinks the signage is inefficient.

“If you genuinely cared about wildlife, you would invest £11,000 into schemes that actually help protect and nurture green spaces and re-wilding,” he said. “I have no issue with people creating awareness of environmental issues in their local communities and would actively encourage people to find their own connection with nature. But to spend that scale of money on something that, in my opinion, will have no impact, frustrates me.”

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This upcoming Thursday, 25 June, there will be a Merthyr Tydfil by-election for the Dowlais and Pant Ward. This will be the first local election since the May Senedd elections, when Plaid Cymru took power, with Reform forming the opposition. It feels like the result is momentous for Merthyr Tydfil in Wales’ ever-changing political arena.

Let’s jump straight in - because it is an election preview, this edition is completely free to read.

But first - just quickly - we’d love you to subscribe (free options to read partially, with paid options to read in full) to The Valleys Lead to support local journalism in the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but instead, go behind the headlines to report on stories that matter to locals, asking questions of people in power, and speaking with real people in the valleys about their opinions and experiences.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)

• Blaenau Gwent organisations are being invited to apply for funding to help local people gain skills in digital and creative fields, to help move them closer to the jobs market as industry develops. This is particularly important for the county as it faces unemployment rates recently hovering around 4% to 5%. The Council is particularly looking to fund projects that can demonstrate activity in these employment and skills areas after gaps were identified locally. This is being funded through the Local Growth Fund Priority 2 grant from UK Government, which aims to help people build skills, access meaningful employment opportunities and contribute to stronger local economies and communities. All applications should be submitted to: LocalGrowthFund@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk. The closing date for applications is 5pm on 26 June 2026. Further information is here.

• A Neath-based social housing provider has gone out to public consultation over plans to build affordable homes in the Afan Valley. The housing association, which manages more than 9,000 homes across Neath Port Talbot, is consulting the public before submitting a formal planning application. The early stage proposals could eventually see 25 new homes developed on vacant land off Pen-Y-Bryn and Menai Avenue in the village of Croeserw. The Welsh housing association which currently manages more than 9,000 homes is now asking for feedback from members of the public before submitting a formal planning application to the Council. The 25 properties would be a mixture of semi-detached houses, one bedroom apartments, and an assisted living block that are “suitable for a variety of needs” - all of which have been said to be affordable. The Valleys Lead is always on the lookout for problems and solutions to the social housing problem. Email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com if you’d like to share anything with us.

• Caerphilly County Borough Council are planning to enforce tough crackdowns on fly-tipping. New wireless cameras will give enforcement officers another tool to catch fly-tippers in the borough. Council officer Tim Keohane said the local authority was replacing and updating older cameras with new models running on 4G mobile connections, which could be “redeployable” when necessary.

  “They can be moved to hotspots,” he said. “If we identify an area where there’s currently no need for a camera, that camera can be taken away and put in an area where there is a need for it, providing there’s infrastructure for it.” Councillor Shane Williams said CCTV acted as a “deterrent” to troublemakers and asked whether officers were “comfortable and satisfied with the provision that we’ve got now”. Regarding fly-tipping, Williams said he’d heard calls from residents “to say if only we could put cameras in known hotspots, it might go a long way towards resolving some of that issue”. The Valleys Lead reported on fly-tipping in Nelson, in Caerphilly County, in February.

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Who are the candidates standing in the Merthyr Tydfil by-election?

On Thursday, a by-election (an individual election held to fill a specific seat on a local council that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections) is due to take place in the Dowlais and Pant ward of Merthyr Tydfil.

The election was triggered when former Reform councillor for the area, David Hughes – the only Reform councillor in Merthyr Tydfil County Brough Council, was elected to the Senedd in May representing Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr for Reform.

Currently, Paula Layton and Declan Sammon, both Dowlais and Pant Community Independents, represent the ward.

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council currently has 29 councillors, nine in the Independent group, two in the Dowlais and Pant Community Independents group, four other independents not aligned to a group, and 14 Labour.

Although independents outnumber Labour, the Council has been led by a Labour minority administration since September 2024, following the previous Independent Group Leader, Geraint Thomas, stepping down as Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council after a Bedlinog and Trelewis Ward by-election.

Polling for the June 2026 by-election will take place between 7am and 10pm on Thursday, 25 June. You need to be registered to vote (the deadline for this has past). You should have received a polling card with details of where and how to vote, but you can also find where the polling stations are here. You can take the polling card with you to the polling station, however, you don’t need it to vote. You won’t need photo ID to vote.

The election will use the first-past-the-post polling system, the simplest of all voting systems in the UK elections. Each voter has a single vote, and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat.

Candidates are Dean Barrett of Welsh Labour, James Cushen of Plaid Cymru, Janeen Davies of the Wales Green Party, Terry Donegan of Reform UK Wales, Nick Meaney who is an Independent, and Roxanne Richardson of the Welsh Conservatives.

The Valleys Lead got in touch with each of the candidates to ask each of them the same four questions.

We heard back from four of the six candidates.

The Welsh Conservative candidate has not yet responded, and Reform’s candidate is not currently speaking with journalists.

We asked each to tell us about themselves, why they are standing, why people should vote for them and what the three biggest issues people in their ward are concerned about.

Here were their answers, in order according to the notice of poll and statement of persons nominated.

Dean Barrett, Welsh Labour

Tell us about yourself

I’m Dean Barrett. I’m 50 years old, and I’ve lived in Dowlais and Pant all my life. I’m a proud father of two children, and proud grandfather of one. I work as the centre and gym manager at Dowlais Community Centre. I raised my family here and worked at the Triumph furniture manufacturers for twenty years. I now work as a manager at the local community centre, a job I love because it brings me into contact with residents daily. It’s great chatting to them, listening to them and supporting them.

Why are you standing?

I’m standing because I want to make a real difference to the community. I want to listen to residents, act upon their concerns and be their voice. I want to rebuild trust in politics through honesty, hard work and results, rooted in Labour values of fairness, opportunity, dignity and community.

Why should people vote for you?

People should vote for me because I care passionately about the community I was born and raised in. Through living here and working at the community centre, I know the issues people round here face every day. I believe I am the person they can turn to for help.

What are the three biggest issues in your ward that people are concerned about?

People have told me they want to see cleaner streets, fewer potholes and action on electric bikes.

James Cushen, Plaid Cymru

Tell us about yourself

My name is James Cushen, I’m 38 years old and I am currently an account manager in the tobacco sector. I was born in Merthyr and lived here nearly my whole life, with some excursions here and there. I grew up in the ward I am seeking to represent, and I also currently live in the ward. I am a father to one son and two daughters. My interests include hill walking and making music.

Why are you standing?

I am standing in this by-election to hopefully be given a chance to make Dowlais and Pant a safer, cleaner and more functional place to live.

Why should people vote for you?

I believe, should people vote me in, that I can be a healthy arbiter between the two main factions in the current Merthyr council, and use that position to effect real change on the issues of the ward.

With Plaid Cymru now sitting in the Welsh Government, I also believe there is a bridge to be built between the ward and the Welsh Government directly.

What are the three biggest issues in your ward that people are concerned about?

I want to be able to tackle the reoccurring issues I hear about on the doorsteps. These issues are largely the Ffos-y-fran open cast issue, congested parking, general cleanliness and the quality of housing.

Janeen Davies, Wales Green Party

Tell us about yourself

My name is Janeen Davies I’m 58 years old. I was born in Merthyr Tydfil and have lived in the borough my whole life. I live with my husband and two rescued German Shepherds. We have two daughters and one granddaughter.

I have a keen interest in natural health and well being and I am passionate about nature, conservation, wildlife, and animal welfare in general. I have worked as a NHS community staff nurse in the area for the past 15 years.

Why are you standing?

Merthyr has given me so much throughout my life, standing for election is my opportunity to give something back to the place and people that have shaped me.

Why should people vote for you?

Throughout my working life in the NHS I have seen firsthand the challenges that local people face and the importance of strong public services, healthy communities and a cleaner, greener, safer environment.

I believe politics should be about service, integrity and making a positive difference in people’s everyday lives. I will campaign to:

· Improve better access to GP and NHS services

· Protect green spaces, encourage the provision of more allotments for self sufficiency

· Tackle environmental issues

· Support local businesses, keeping money in the local economy

· Provide more opportunities and activities for young people

· Create opportunities for future generations

Drawing on my experience in the NHS and my commitment to our community I will work tirelessly to ensure that the voices of Dowlais and Pant residents are heard.

Nick Meaney, Independent

Tell us about yourself

I am 49 years old. I was born and raised in Pant and have spent most of my life in Merthyr Tydfil. My background is in military intelligence, where I served as an Operator Military Intelligence within the Intelligence Corps of the British Army. These roles required sound judgement, integrity, accountability and the ability to analyse complex information, assess risk and make informed decisions under pressure. They also provided a strong foundation in critical thinking, evidence-based decision-making, scrutiny and problem-solving, skills that have remained central throughout my professional career. Following my military career, I built a successful career in cyber security, governance, risk management, resilience and organisational improvement. For more than 20 years, I worked as an independent consultant supporting major blue-chip consultancies, government departments and global organisations. Today, I continue that work within one of the world’s leading consulting firms at global scale. Throughout my career, I have been responsible for identifying risks, scrutinising governance, challenging assumptions and helping organisations make better decisions. My work has involved assessing complex programmes, major investments, organisational change and the effectiveness of governance arrangements across both public and private sector organisations. Those experiences have given me a unique perspective on how decisions made at international, NGO, UK Government and Welsh Government level often have direct consequences for local communities. Policies relating to infrastructure, planning, environmental regulation, public services, decarbonisation and public spending may be developed nationally, but their impact is ultimately felt by residents through local services, local projects and household finances. This has reinforced my belief that transparency, accountability and effective scrutiny are essential at every level of government, particularly where decisions have a direct impact on local communities and taxpayers.

Why are you standing?

I am not a career politician. In fact, I have never been particularly politically motivated and, like many residents, have often felt frustrated by the growing disconnect between the public and the democratic process. Too many people feel their voices are not being heard, that decisions are made without meaningful engagement and that accountability is often lacking. This growing disconnect from the democratic process has contributed to declining trust in politics and a sense among many residents that their involvement makes little difference. I decided to stand in the Pant and Dowlais by-election because I believe local government should be different. I believe local people deserve a stronger voice in decisions that affect their communities, public services and household finances. Whether the issue is Council Tax, local infrastructure, planning decisions, public spending, environmental policies or community investment, residents deserve transparency, accountability and meaningful engagement. I believe the same principles of transparency, accountability and evidence-based decision-making that apply in government and industry should apply in local government. Residents deserve to understand not only what decisions are being made, but why they are being made, how they will be funded and what benefits they will deliver for the community. As an Independent candidate, I am not accountable to a political party, party whip or political machine. My loyalty is to the residents of Pant and Dowlais. I will judge every issue on its merits, ask difficult questions where necessary and work to ensure local people receive the transparency, accountability and representation they deserve.

Why should people vote for you?

People should vote for me if they want an independent councillor who will work hard, ask questions, challenge decisions where necessary and always put residents first.

I will:

· Listen to residents and represent their concerns.

· Challenge decisions where accountability is needed.

· Push for greater transparency and openness.

· Review historic issues and failings through available council reports, committee papers and public documents, so lessons are identified and repeated mistakes are avoided.

· Support safer communities and address concerns around speeding, anti-social behaviour and visible drug use.

· Fight for value for money for taxpayers.

· Keep residents informed about issues affecting the ward.

· Support regeneration and investment that delivers genuine benefits for local communities.

· Make decisions based on evidence and the interests of residents, not party politics.

What are the three biggest issues in your ward that people are concerned about?

Community safety, speeding and anti-social behaviour - people deserve confidence that every pound collected from taxpayers is being spent wisely, efficiently and in a way that delivers genuine value for residents.

Council Tax, local services and value for money - residents are facing increasing financial pressures and want assurance that public money is being spent effectively. Merthyr residents now pay the highest average Council Tax in Wales, with a Band D property now paying £2,594 per year, yet many residents question whether they are receiving value for money in return. People deserve confidence that every pound collected from taxpayers is being spent wisely, efficiently and in a way that delivers genuine value for residents.

Environmental concerns, regeneration and accountability - Ffos-y-Fran, ongoing concerns surrounding Trecatti Landfill, flooding risks, the Nant Morlais culvert collapse, land management, pollution and the long-term impact of major developments on local communities.

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Today, we are taking you to Bedwas, where there are talks about extracting coal from spoil tips. There are major concerns being raised, and we talked with the chair of Friends of Sirhowy Country Park to find what they are. This is a story we plan to continue to cover so please contact laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com if you have more on this.

The story is below, but first, thanks again for joining us this week. The Valleys Lead has been up and running for nearly six months, covering exclusive, in-depth stories from the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but cover the stories that matter to you, stories that inform you, stories that impact you and your community.

The Valleys Lead is subscriber based - we keep producing with both free and paid subscribers, so please do consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. If you want to support The Valleys Lead, it’s free to subscribe. Paid subscribers get a bit more for only £4.99 a month, or £49 a year.

Just enter your email below to subscribe.

It’s also free to share. And it would be a hugely appreciated if you did share The Valleys Lead with all your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.

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Finally, thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. We’d love you to get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk, laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com, or via Bluesky or Instagram with any stories you might have for us.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)

• Planned cuts to school transport in Caerphilly will not be revisited before the measure is due to come into force. The county borough council has proposed removing free transport for hundreds of children who live within two miles of their secondary schools along nine routes now considered “safe”. Plaid Cymru councillor Teresa Parry had attempted to secure a last-minute reprieve for the affected children by tabling an urgent motion calling for the cuts to be paused and the routes reviewed. But the council said its constitution means six months have to elapse before its decisions can be reconsidered – and the earliest possible meeting to discuss that motion will be in late September.

• Concerns have been raised about the “absolute nightmare” of E-scooters and E-bikes in Rhondda Cynon Taf despite a review not supporting more controls. A report was presented to the local authority cabinet on Monday, 15 June, in response to a notice of motion agreed by full council in October 2025 which raised concerns around the use of E-bicycles and E-scooters across RCT. But a review of the legislative framework around E-bicycles and E-scooters has taken place which has found that while the concerns raised are valid and understood the current evidence does not support the introduction of additional local legislation at this time.

• South Wales Police are investigating a serious assault in Merthyr Tydfil. A woman has been taken to hospital after being found at a residential address in Merthyr Tydfil, and a man was later found dead at Pontsticill Reservoir. We will continue to watch this story.

Who benefits from extracting coal from Bedwas spoil tips?

A long-standing problem for Bedwas, a town in Caerphilly County Borough, has been spoil tips - large mounds of waste rock, soil, and debris removed during mining operations - at Bedwas Navigation Colliery.

Since mining operations ended in 1985, at least two Bedwas coal waste tips have been surveyed by the Welsh Government and been given category D status, meaning they are tips with the potential to impact public safety, and must be inspected by Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) at least twice a year.

The Welsh Government has said the tips aren’t necessarily ‘unsafe’, but due to the height and make-up of them, there is a risk that run-off water could cause an incident below.

Years ago, it was announced that the company Energy Recovery Investments Limited (ERI) had made proposals to mine coal left in the two tips and then remediate - to make safe – the tips afterwards.

“They claim that by remediating the tips they will restore grassland which was lost when the tips were created and create new areas of grassland,” Norman Liversuch, Chair of Friends of Sirhowy Country Park, told The Valleys Lead. “They claim that this will benefit the natural environment and nature conservation. But in doing so they will be carrying out a major open cast mining operation, removing tip spoil down to bedrock, spoil which has been in place for many years and which nature is reclaiming.”

According to Liversuch, ERI claims that the tips are at a risk of catching fire so coal (left over in the spoil tips from previous mining) needs to be removed.

“There is no evidence to support these claims,” he said. “The only recorded instance of a tip fire took place in the 1970’s when the colliery was still operating and this was in a tip which is not part of ERI’s scheme.”

ERI’s plan? According to Liversuch, the spoil will first be washed to separate the coal.

“The washery location is on the mountain ridge top above the Sirhowy valley and the village of Cwmfelinfach,” he said.

The washery will operate from 6 am to 10 pm, said Liversuch. “There will be lights, noise, dust and possible runoff into streams feeding the river Sirhowy,” he said. “This will detrimentally affect the local population and wildlife in the river and surrounding woodland. This new tipping will destroy a wide range of habitats which would be very difficult, if not impossible to recreate.”

Animals would lose their homes and grazing patches, and the public won’t be able to access the grounds for walking, according to Liversuch.

“Since the closure of the collieries the environment has improved dramatically, so much so that otters were seen swimming and catching fish in the river Sirhowy and a country park has been created for everyone to enjoy,” he said. “ERI’s scheme would destroy this.”

There are concerns about contaminants in the spoil.

“In 2010 CCBC engaged consultants to prepare a scheme to remediate the tips,” Liversuch said. “The scheme highlighted the presence of contaminants in the spoil and recommended that any work should involve minimal disturbance of the spoil to prevent release of the contaminants into the local environment. The contaminants are still in the spoil and the scheme proposed by ERI will release them.”

Waste from washing the spoil will then be dumped on Mynydd y Grug, a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), and lorries will transport the coal for processing on a forest track (much of which is unpaved) running through the Sirhowy Valley Country Park, which passes through a local nature reserve, bisects a Community Farm, and runs adjacent to the Covid Memorial Woodland.

Locals near this track are worried about the impact on their health from the increased dust created from lorries, and the disruption caused.

“The number of lorries going through our village will make even more exhaustion than there already is,” Geoff Arnold, 77, told The Valleys Lead. “That exhaustion is probably going to kill me.”

Geoff has COPD, a medical condition involving the constriction of airways, worsened by vehicle exhaust, coal dust and smoke.

And then the question remains of what happens with the extracted coal from the spoil tips. Will it stay within Wales, or be sent abroad?

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Twenty years ago, Maxine Johnson’s son died after experiencing cold water shock while swimming in a reservoir in Merthyr Tydfil. The Valleys Lead spoke with Maxine about how she is raising awareness about open water.

For more about how to stay safe in water, please visit Water Safety Wales.

The story is below, but first, thanks again for joining us this week. The Valleys Lead has been up and running for nearly six months, covering exclusive, in-depth stories from the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but cover the stories that matter to you, stories that inform you, stories that impact you and your community.

The Valleys Lead is subscriber based - we keep producing with both free and paid subscribers, so please do consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. If you want to support The Valleys Lead, it’s free to subscribe. Paid subscribers get a bit more for only £4.99 a month, or £49 a year.

Just enter your email below to subscribe.

It’s also free to share. And it would be a hugely appreciated if you did share The Valleys Lead with all your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.

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Finally, thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. We’d love you to get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk, laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com, or via Bluesky or Instagram with any stories you might have for us.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)

• Lis McLean, newly-elected MS for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, has made her first contribution in the Chamber, urging the voice of the community in Merthyr Tydfil to be heard on decisions made about the open mine, Ffos-y-Fran, which The Valley Lead has reported on previously. “A mining legacy working group has been established to look at the future of the site, and as I understand membership of the group is still being discussed,” she said. “At present, there is no certainty that the voice of the community will be represented. If the restorication work is to meaningful, the community of Merthyr Tydfil has to be part of it.”

• The Big Den Reuse Shop in Ebbw Vale has been open a few days and customers have been flying through the doors apparently. So much so, they really need donations of stock. Cabinet Member Councillor Tommy Smith paid a visit this week to see the shop and find out about the great work of the Wastesavers charity projects. “Pleased to pay a visit to Y Den Mawr (The Big Den Reuse Shop) in Ebbw Vale earlier this week,” Smith said. “It’s great to see items being given a second life while supporting sustainability and reducing waste. Every reused item helps make a difference.” The shop is located at New Vale Household Waste and Recycling Centre, Waun-y-Pound Industrial Estate.

• Independent councillors in Merthyr Tydfil have said on Facebook that they are “deeply concerned” by the announcement that funding for Community Focused Schools has ended and that the entire team is now subject to redundancy consultation. “This service has supported some of the most vulnerable children, young people and families across our county borough, helping improve attendance, tackle the effects of poverty, strengthen links between schools and communities and engage families who often struggle to access support,” a post read. “What makes this particularly concerning is that the work undertaken by Community Focused Schools directly reflects many of the priorities set out by the current administration itself – leading on learning, increasing attendance, supporting vulnerable residents, focusing on looked-after children and working collaboratively with partners. The administration’s own Corporate Plan states that decisions should be made openly and that engagement and consultation should be enhanced. We therefore believe residents deserve answers about how this decision was reached, what alternatives were considered and, most importantly, how support for children and families will be maintained going forward.”

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Mother in Merthyr Tydfil whose son died in Pontsticill Reservoir raises awareness of risks

On 17 June 2006, Maxine Johnson’s 15-year-old son, Reuben Morgan, drowned in Pontsticill Reservoir, just a few miles north of Merthyr Tydfil.

“It was a hot, summer day, and Reuben had been spending time with friends around the reservoir,” Maxine, who lives in Merthyr Tydfil, told The Valleys Lead. “Like many young people, they were unaware of the hidden dangers that can exist in open water.”

Reuben and a few friends had gone for a swim in the large reservoir, swimming quite a distance out.

“It was very deep and he had gotten into difficultly three quarters of the way across,” Maxine said. “His friends tried desperately to help him, but Reuben was experiencing the effects of cold-water shock. The shock of the cold water can cause panic; difficulty breathing and make it impossible for even confident swimmers to respond in the way they normally would.”

As Reuben struggled, he was pulling one of his friends under the water. Realising the danger to his friend, Reuben told him to let go and get himself to safety.

“His friends reached the shore, but Reuben disappeared beneath the water and never made it out,” Maxine said. “At the time, they did not understand the dangers of cold-water shock or appreciate how cold open water can remain, even during periods of very warm weather. They were simply young people enjoying a summer day and had no idea how quickly a situation could turn tragic.”

Reuben’s death changed Maxine’s life and the lives of Reuben’s other family and friends, forever.

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Plaid Cymru councillor Aneurin Minton told The Valleys Lead why he is calling on Caerphilly County Borough Council to reveal the sale price of the Cwm Ifor Solar Farm, arguing that residents have been kept in the dark about the transaction. He says local people were originally promised benefits such as cheaper electricity and community investment, but claims those commitments were not delivered when the project was sold to Fuse Energy.

The story is below, but first, thanks again for joining us this week. The Valleys Lead has been up and running for nearly six months, covering exclusive, in-depth stories from the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but cover the stories that matter to you, stories that inform you, stories that impact you and your community.

The Valleys Lead is subscriber based - we keep producing with both free and paid subscribers, so please do consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. If you want to support The Valleys Lead, it’s free to subscribe. Paid subscribers get a bit more for only £4.99 a month, or £49 a year.

Just enter your email below to subscribe.

Simply add your email to subscribe.

It’s also free to share. And it would be a hugely appreciated if you did share The Valleys Lead with all your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.

Share

Finally, thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. We’d love you to get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk, laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com, or via Bluesky or Instagram with any stories you might have for us.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)

• There are plans to expand a caravan site in Rhondda Cynon Taf Councils by nine pitches to meet the need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation. The Council is required to undertake a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) every five years, and the most recent assessment from 2022 to 2027 has identified a need for additional Gypsy and Traveller pitches within RCT. The proposed expansion of the Beddau caravan site by nine pitches, alongside supporting facilities such as a site office and play area, represents a “practical and deliverable first phase in meeting this identified need” the cabinet report said.

• Independent Councillor Candidate for Dowlais Pant in Merthyr Tydfil, Nick Meaney, has written asking why Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has the highest average Band D council tax in Wales, and whether services match the high price. “If the Council has more money than ever before, where is the additional funding being spent?” he asked, noting that since Covid, the Council's annual budget has grown from around £133 million to almost £184 million. “I want to be clear: this isn’t about political point scoring. Labour and Independent administrations have both approved council tax rises since Covid.

  This is about asking reasonable questions on behalf of residents who are paying more every year and deserve to know where their money is going.”

• A good news story: In Blaenau Gwent, young people helped to clean up a local skatepark. Organised by Blaenau Gwent Youth Service, the clean-up brought together the young people and their families, joined by local police and fire representatives, who all worked together to make a real difference. Armed with litter pickers, gloves and jet washing equipment courtesy of local fire officers, the group got stuck in. Afterwards, the area looked cleaner, safer and much more welcoming. Team Manager with Blaenau Gwent Youth Service, Kristian Gay, said:

  “The young people who attend the club came up with the idea themselves. They spoke about wanting to improve the local area, especially the skate park, which is an important space for them but had become plagued by litter. Instead of just talking about it, they stepped up and decided to do something about it, and the results were great. We are very proud of them.”

Why are residents frustrated by the sale of a solar farm in Penyrheol?

In May, Plaid Cymru councillor for Penyrheol, Aneurin Minton, was informed by local media reports that a solar farm on the mountainside above his ward had been sold to a private company.

He told The Valleys Lead he found it “troubling” this was how he found out about the sale of such a “large public asset” within his ward.

“The Cwm Ifor Solar Farm was originally proposed as a public project,” Minton, who was elected as a councillor for Penyrheol in a by-election last year, told The Valleys Lead. “It was presented to the community with promises of tangible benefits, specifically cheaper energy bills and local investment opportunities, which brought real hope to Penyrheol.”

Yet in May, the solar farm was sold by the Labour-run Caerphilly County Borough Council to a private firm, Fuse Energy, and the sale price has yet to be disclosed.

“​As far as I am aware the Labour council has decided to sell the project as they don’t have enough financial resources to carry out the project,” he said. “This in my opinion is shortsighted. A great asset and opportunity for the local community have been wasted. This was sold to us on the basis of having very positive future impacts on the community, so what has changed?”

The 20-megawatt solar farm was approved in theory by Caerphilly Council Cabinet in October 2022 in light of the Council declaring a climate emergency in June 2019, and a commitment to becoming carbon neutral. The solar farm would be the first time Caerphilly Council invested in the energy sector, and was expected to cost between £12 million and £16 million, projected to power 6,000 homes if built on “low-grade” farmland in Penyrheol, and have an operational lifespan of 35 years.

At the time, no decision had been made on whether the council would develop the solar farm itself or sell the project on.

Public consultations for the Penyrheol Solar Farm started in November 2022.

The Welsh Government signed off on planning permission for the solar fam in May 2024, as the project required ministerial approval because its size made it a development of national significance.

“This could support community decarbonisation projects as well as wider support for the community,” according to the council report on the solar farm. “Not only will the project improve air quality and wellbeing, it will also bring in a revenue to support council services for the most vulnerable.”

Such “community benefits clauses will be included in the sale documents”, the report added.

Read more

We want to preface this edition with a trigger warning - the story involves mention of death by suicide. Should you need help to speak about your mental health please contact Samaritans 116 123 or the CALL Helpline: 0800 132 737.

The story is below, but first, thanks again for joining us this week. The Valleys Lead has been up and running for nearly half a year, covering exclusive, in-depth stories from the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but cover the stories that matter to you, stories that inform you, stories that impact you and your community.

The Valleys Lead is subscriber based - we keep producing with both free and paid subscribers, so please do consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. If you want to support The Valleys Lead, it’s free to subscribe. Paid subscribers get a bit more for only £4.99 a month, or £49 a year.

Just enter your email below to subscribe.

It’s also free to share. And it would be a hugely appreciated if you did share The Valleys Lead with all your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.

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Finally, thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. We’d love you to get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk, laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com, or via Bluesky or Instagram with any stories you might have for us.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)

• A new Community Alcohol Partnership launched in Ebbw Vale this week, bringing local organisations together to reduce alcohol-related harm among children and young people and support safer communities where everyone can feel safe. The partnership is a key priority of the Blaenau Gwent Anti-Social Behaviour Taskforce, which has recognised the impact that underage drinking can have on young people’s health, wellbeing and life chances, as well as on the wider community. Partners pledged to educate and support young people about the risks of underage drinking and making responsible choices about alcohol, restrict access to alcohol, and provide positive alternatives.

• Neath Port Talbot Council has approved plans to reduce the operating hours of its telephone lines in the council tax section following a recent review which stated that over the past 12 months, the council service handled more than 57,000 telephone calls. Access hours via telephone contact will be cut by around five and a half hours per week to encourage greater use of digital channels (online contact) and create additional staff capacity to work on priority, complex tasks and activities.

• A former Santander bank in Blackwood will become a commercial space downstairs and two studio flats and a one-bedroom flat upstairs. No objections to the plans, applied for by Fesal Sohail, had been lodged with the council. During a recent public consultation period, supporters of the scheme praised the redevelopment opportunity, adding the new housing would be “perfect” for single people.

Community responds to concerning suicide trends in Merthyr Tydfil

At the start of the pandemic, Gareth Clement felt desperately low and isolated in the house with his young child. When he heard the announcement that he wouldn’t qualify for furlough payments from the government, “it was the nail in the coffin.”

“I felt under so much pressure because I was just trying to cobble together money to pay the bills,” Gareth, 37, told The Valleys Lead. “I already felt pressure trying to care for my son and stay grounded in a world that no one will probably ever experience again. It just all got to be too much. I just wanted a way out.”

Gareth phoned his GP and spoke to his receptionist two weeks prior to an attempt to take his life, telling her he was struggling with his mental health.

“The receptionist told me I wasn’t severe enough – that there was no help,” he said. “I wasn’t signposted. She didn’t tell me to try and call again. There was nothing they could do, is what she said.”

From 2021-2023, Merthyr Tydfil County had the highest suicide rate among all other local authorities in Wales. While the average suicide rate in Wales was 11.7 suicides per 100,000, in Merthyr Tydfil, the rate was 18.4 per 100,000. Blaenau Gwent came next (and had the highest suicide rate subsequently in 2024/25).

The majority of those who end their lives by suicide in Wales are men, with the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys stating that “suicide is the biggest killer for men under 50 in Wales.” The rate of suspected suicides in Wales in people who were reported to be unemployed was 150.8 per 100,000, which was over 12 times higher than in any other employment status group, in 2024/25. 61% of people were reported to have had a mental health condition and 29% were known to mental health services in the 6 months prior to death.

In April’s Scrutiny Committee Report on the Overview of Adults and Children’s Mental Health Services in Merthyr Tydfil, which should go on to provide Scrutiny Members with an overview of Mental Health Servies in Merthyr Tydfil to support strategic understanding for scrutiny and partnership, suicide prevention was briefly noted.

“Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board held a workshop in March 2026 to gain views from all in attendance around the National Suicide Prevention and Self Harm Strategy,” the report stated. “The workshop was key to considering the next steps in delivering this strategy locally.”

The Wales-wide Suicide Prevention and Self-harm Strategy (2025-2035) replaced the previous strategy and aims to reduce the number and rates of suicide deaths that have happened in Wales over recent years. It also aims to establish a pathway to support people who self‑harm and to improve support for those bereaved by suicide.

The strategy has six main aims:

• listening and learning: developing a robust evidence base and hearing from people with lived experience

• preventing: addressing risk factors

• empowering: removing stigma, helping everyone to talk and listen to each other about suicide and self-harm and to help find support when needed

• supporting: improving services for people with self-harm and suicidal thoughts

• equipping: making sure services which support people at higher risk across Wales identify people in need and work together to provide support

• responding: providing timely, compassionate and person-centred support to those affected following suspected suicides

“By working across government departments and with our partners, we’re tackling the root causes while ensuring immediate help is available to those who need it,” then Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Sarah Murphy, said of the launch of the strategy.

Looking back, Gareth said he didn’t receive support from local services when he felt at his very lowest.

Gareth phoned once more days before his suicide attempt, and was told the same – that he wasn’t unwell enough, and there was no support.

“That was really tough,” he told The Valleys Lead. “It took a lot of courage to speak out. And then I was just brushed off.”

In the end, Gareth sought the only way out he could see, his own death.

In the aftermath, Gareth found help from a charity – Let’s Talk Men’s Mental Health – who referred him for counselling.

“They helped me to set about rebuilding myself,” he said.

In the last five years, Gareth has shared his story to offer hope for people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and to urge systemic change in supporting people with mental health problems in Merthyr Tydfil and the wider south Wales valleys. As part of sharing his story, he founded the Grumpy Dumpty Foundation, an initiative supporting people to recover and rebuild after crisis.

The project focuses on mental health awareness, addiction recovery support, suicide prevention, and signposting people towards trusted services.

“In the valleys, there is a lot of poverty, and unemployment rates are high,” Gareth said. “This contributes to poor mental health. I also think a lot of men that are quite tough and old school – not wanting to speak about how they feel because from a young age, they’ve been told to ‘suck it up and carry on with life.’”

He’d like to see earlier mental health interventions and education in schools. “To lower suicide rates in the valleys, a new generation of youngsters should be able to be open and honest speaking about how they feel,” he said.

In the short-term, Gareth thinks easier accessibility to mental health support centres would be effective at reducing the number of deaths by suicide. “We need case support and drop-in centres,” he said. “We need people that know how to signpost from these drop-ins. Front facing people – receptionists, barbers, hairdressers, pub owners – could all be trained in mental health and where to direct people to.”

A father disappointed with mental health services in Merthyr Tydfil has also set up a support service he believes to be part of the solution for people struggling with their mental health in Merthyr Tydfil following the tragic death of his son by suicide.

Read more

We’re taking you to Wattsville in Caerphilly County Borough today, to hear from people who are worried about a 50 percent production increase at a recycling factory that can only be accessed using a narrow residential road.

The story is below, but first, thanks again for joining us this week. The Valleys Lead has been up and running for nearly half a year, covering exclusive, in-depth stories from the south Wales valleys. We don’t do clickbait, but cover the stories that matter to you, stories that inform you, stories that impact you and your community.

The Valleys Lead is subscriber based - we keep producing with both free and paid subscribers, so please do consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. If you want to support The Valleys Lead, it’s free to subscribe. Paid subscribers get a bit more for only £4.99 a month, or £49 a year.

It’s also free to share. And it would be a hugely appreciated if you did share The Valleys Lead with all your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.

Share

Finally, thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. We’d love you to get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk, laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com, or via Bluesky or Instagram with any stories you might have for us.

The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)

• A former pub in Pontllanfraith will be turned into new homes after plans have being given the green light by members of Caerphilly County Borough Council. GHR Developments Ltd will demolish the old Tredegar Junction Hotel on Commercial Street, and build 36 self-contained flats. Before the committee agreed unanimously to back the project, Councillor Mike Adams – who represents the Pontllanfraith ward – said he hoped the new homes would support people on the council’s lengthy housing waiting list. The Valleys Lead is keen to cover stories about housing solutions in the south Wales valleys. If you’d like to share what is happening around you, please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

• Now that David Hughes, a former Reform UK councillor in Merthyr Tydfil, has been elected as a Reform UK MS, a by-election will be held to fill his spot as a councillor for Dowlais and Pant. The list of people standing will be: Dean Barrett of Welsh Labour, James Cushen of Plaid Cymru, Janeen Davies of the Wales Green Party, Terry Donegan of Reform UK Wales, Nick Meaney who is an Independent, and Roxanne Richardson of the Welsh Conservatives. The by-election will be held on Thursday, 25 June. Information on how to vote can be found here.

• The candidates for the Treorchy by-election have also been named. The poll is being held to replace Sera Evans, the former Plaid Cymru councillor for the area, who was elected to the Senedd in May representing Afan Ogwr Rhondda. Candidates are Daniel Buck of the Wales Green Party, Richard Clarke of Plaid Cymru, Craig Ford of Reform UK, David Morris of Welsh Labour, and Cerys Walker of the Welsh Conservatives.

Increased recycling production in Wattsville has led to residents becoming “crazy with rage”

Seven years ago, community members in the Ynysddu ward of Caerphilly campaigned against a planning application that had been put in to build a recycling factory in the narrow, steep sided village of Cwmfelinfach.

“We lost and the recycling factory on Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate was built,” Janine Reed, councillor for the Ynysddu ward, told The Valleys Lead. “It wasn’t wanted in this valley in the first place. To service all the waste (which comes mostly from England rather than Wales), large HGV lorries must go through our very narrow valley.”

To get to and from the Oakleaf recycling factory in Cwmfelinfach, Alorries must drive on a small residential road through the village of Wattsville, leaving people feeling unsafe, worried about their health from dust residue, and frustrated by the noise in the early mornings and late evenings.

“The pollution in the village is just below the legal limit,” said Reed. “When they dry the waste, the dust comes down as a fine layer and settling on a lot of the cars parked near the plant. People are breathing in this dust. The HGVs often mount the curb, especially if there are two coming towards each other. I have a video from a disabled chap who watched as a lorry mounted a curb just yards from where he was. The high speed from the lorries creates a suction effect.”

Currently, HGVs go through the village every three minutes according to a traffic survey conducted by Caerphilly Council.

And it’s about to get worse following a pre-planning application that has just gone into the council, according to Reed and her fellow Ynysddu ward councillor, Jan Jones.

Read more

We are waiting with baited breath to hear what Plaid Cymru will deliever for Wales when it comes to renewable energy. While we wait, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council continues pushing forward to create more renewable energy.

The story is below, but first we wanted to share some very exciting news with you. The Lead’s local coverage (of which The Valleys Lead is included) has been shortlisted in this year’s Publisher Newsletter Awards. We’re all super excited.

Off the back of such wonderful news, we just wanted to say thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who has been in touch thus far with story tips. Rest assured, if you come to me with a story, discretion can be guaranteed. We’d love you to get in touch at valleys@thelead.uk or via Bluesky or Instagram with any stories you might have for us.

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The Valleys Briefing

(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys.)

• Campaigners against planned library closures in Caerphilly will have their legal challenge heard on Thursday June 4 after the council has proposed shutting ten of its smaller libraries to deliver a better service. People in communities with planned closures have said local libraries are vital lifelines for small villages and closures would disproportionately impact younger residents. Although the closures of ten libraries was due to occur in August, closures were paused following a legal challenge, which will be heard in Cardiff’s High Court for a judicial review next week.

• Though this is Wales-wide news, we just had to mention it. Tour de France is coming to Wales! Around 1,000 volunteers will be needed in Wales for the third leg of the men's race on 4 July 2027. The leg will start in Welshpool, passing through iconic landscapes, magnificent valleys and bustling town centres, before finishing in Cardiff. The application portal is open and will be open until Tuesday 1 September 2026 - www.letourgb.com/volunteer .

• Blaenau Gwent Council’s new Family Support Hub launched last week with a a family fun day at Bedwellty Park in Tredegar. The Family Support Hub brings together a wide range of early years and family support services and provides a single point of contact for anyone seeking guidance or assistance. A “no wrong front door” approach ensures that anyone reaching out is directed to the most appropriate support, advice, or information for them. Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, Councillor Sue Edmunds said: “Making sure every child in Blaenau Gwent has the opportunity to have the best start in life is a top priority for us, and as part of this we want to make the process of reaching out for support or advice as easy and comfortable as it can be. The new Family Support Hub brings all early years support, activities and advice under one roof, which is easy to access and more parent/carer friendly.”

Micro hydroelectric scheme to power a school in Rhondda Cynon Taf

In March, the previous Labour-run Welsh Parliament announced the Renewable Energy Sector Deal, applauded by Renewable UK Cymru, who said the deal would unlock a £10 billion opportunity for Welsh businesses, 8,000 jobs and £183 million in community benefits.

Renewable UK Cymru previously warned Wales was failing to capitalise on its “world-class natural resources.”

While Scotland has secured more than £18bn in new investment support for clean energy in the last ten years, Wales has attracted less then £1 billion.

Rising electricity demand to support the switch to electric vehicles, heat pumps, data centres and AI-driven industries meant without “a major increase in clean power generation, Wales risks higher bills, weaker energy security and falling further behind economically,” according to Renewable UK Cymru.

Although the deal was announced by the previous government, Plaid Cymru, the new leaders of the Senedd, said at the time: “In our first 100 days in government, we would build new partnerships between government and key stakeholders and develop Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru (Welsh for ‘Green Electricity Wales’) into a single, consolidated energy company to develop renewables and to help reduce energy bills.”

We are waiting and watching to see what Plaid Cymru will deliver when it comes to renewables in Wales, but until then, a recent proposal hopes to deliverable renewable energy to a school in the south Wales valleys.

A proposed micro hydro development in Clydach Vale in the Rhondda would harness water from Nant Clydach Lake, with a pipeline running from an intake near the Lakeside Café to a new turbine house.

The planning statement submitted with the application said the scheme ultimately aims to progress the Rhondda Cynon Taf Council carbon reduction targets as well as national net zero targets.

The hydro power scheme would include a pipeline running from the intake adjacent to Lake Side Cafe (close to Nant Clydach Lake in Clydach Vale) to a proposed turbine house, with a cable running from the turbine building to the connection point at Ysgol Nantgwyn.

Most of the routes would be run underground but one section of the pipeline across the Clydach Lake car park will be micro bore tunnelled into place while the rest will be “open trench buried.”

As trees will need to be removed to build, site proposals include new tree-planting in the replacement works.

A similar, but smaller hydro power system had previously been approved by the council in 2008, and was then implemented by a community group, who has said they are fully supportive of further hydropower schemes locally.

The council seems to be leading the way in hyrdro power.

In March, plans were submitted to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council for a new micro-hydro plant to power a football club, Cambrian United FC. If approved, it would become the first in the county to power its home ground through hydropower.

In a region shaped by the historic coal industry, the head of the proposed project said the effort is part of their “journey from black to green.”

“I would say if you’ve got the potential to develop a micro-hydro plant within your community then it’s a no-brainer,” The Cambrian Village Trust (the trust behind the plans) director, Phillip Williams said. “The coal industry left deprivation. When the mines all shut there was deprivation, scarred landscapes, and the valleys have obviously struggled to regenerate themselves from those days.”

He hopes that community energy projects like this one will give back to communities left behind.

Chris Blake, former director of Green Valleys, which helped install renewables in south Wales, said there was “enormous potential” in using water for power. “There’s enormous potential,” Blake said. “We did a study which identified 20 potential hydro sites in Rhondda Cynon Taf alone. Community energy projects bring people together to harness their own landscape for creating energy. But they can also produce financial returns for local investors and for the social enterprises that organise them.”

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