Reform UK has been plunged into political turmoil in Wales after its leader Dan Thomas stepped down following his arrest on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour, while MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd announced she was defecting to Plaid Cymru. The dramatic developments have reignited questions over Reform’s leadership, internal democracy and direction in Wales, even as the party continues to attract new political recruits across the valleys. Off the back of all this news, we are bringing you some exclusive interviews from residents, local government politicians, and Senedd members.

This week, The Valleys Lead is TOTALLY free to read. It’s important for people to know what is going on and we want to make sure this is shared far and wide to help people in our valleys know what is going on.

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 via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

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

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

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. This week, we are keeping it short as the story below is quite long.):

• Changes to recycling in Merthyr Tydfil starts from 5 October. From Monday 5 October 2026, residents will no longer need to separate paper and cardboard before collection. Both materials can simply be placed together in the same recycling box. The change has been made possible because the Council’s recycling reprocessor is now able to accept paper and cardboard mixed together while maintaining high recycling standards. This simple change will help streamline the recycling service while continuing to support the Council's commitment to sustainability and high recycling performance.

• People across Blaenau Gwent are being invited to take part in this year’s residents’ survey. The Let’s Talk: Living in Blaenau Gwent residents’ survey runs from Monday 14 September until Sunday 25 October 2026, giving residents a chance to share their views on everything from their local area and council services to community life, wellbeing and local democracy. You can take part by visiting Get Involved Blaenau Gwent, the council’s consultation and engagement platform. The survey is part of the National Residents’ Survey organised by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and is being run by many local authorities across Wales. To ensure everyone can take part, paper copies and easy read versions of the survey will also be available from the council’s Community Hubs in libraries in Abertillery; Blaina; Cwm; Ebbw Vale; Brynmawr and Tredegar and also Llanhilleth Miners’ Institute. You can also pick up a survey from the General Offices, Ebbw Vale.

• The most generous home-to-school transport policy in Wales will continue to be in Blaenau Gwent up until at least the summer of 2028. In Blaenau Gwent, primary school pupils can receive free home-to-school transport from 1.5 miles away, and two miles away for secondary pupils.

Reform Wales rocked by dramatic Tuesday as leader quits and MS defects

Who knew a Tuesday could bring so much political drama in the south Wales valleys?

Buckle up, because you’re in for a ride.

Reform UK’s leader in Wales and MS for Casnewydd Islwyn, Dan Thomas, quit on Tuesday (15 September) after he was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour.

There had already been considerable discussion over whether Thomas should be representing the south Wales valleys, or even Wales, after previously living and working in London.

Thomas left Wales at a young age, saying there wasn’t enough opportunity here, but returned to Welsh politics after securing the role in February with the support of Nigel Farage. At the time, he claimed his roots were in Blackwood.

Thomas did not take part in First Minister’s Questions earlier on Tuesday.

In a statement issued by the party, Thomas said:

“It has been the honour of my life to have been the leader of Reform Wales and see this party go from zero to 34 elected members and become the largest opposition group in Welsh history. With deep regret, I am now standing down from this position due to personal reasons. Over the weekend, I was reported to the police and was released without charge. I will continue to serve my constituents in Casnewydd Islwyn and will fully back whoever the group selects as its next leader.”

One Merthyr Tydfil resident, Jayne, who has asked for us not to use her surname, told The Valleys Lead the case of Dan Thomas’s alleged abuse begs the question of “whether violence against women and girls is being given the political priority, scrutiny and visibility that its seriousness demands.”

“I think the fact that the allegation includes coercive and controlling behaviour is significant,” she said. “It is a specific criminal offence involving a pattern of behaviour, and it shouldn’t be casually dismissed or reduced to a headline about an arrest.”

Although Jayne is conscious that an arrest is not a conviction, and that evidence will determine what is next, “the seriousness of the allegation itself deserves to be recognised.”

“For me, that is also why this brings the wider political issue into sharp focus,” she said. VAWDASV can not only become a political priority when a high-profile case makes the news. It needs continuous attention, scrutiny and leadership, whoever is in government, and whatever political party is involved.”

There’s more, though.

Second up: Sarah Cooper-Lesadd defects to Plaid Cymru

Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd has defected from Reform UK and joined Plaid Cymru.

The decision was announced only moments after the announcement regarding Thomas.

Cooper-Lesadd was born in Newport but was adopted out of Wales at the age of seven.

In her statement, she said Reform was “not serious about governing Wales” and criticised the party for its “attacks on people seeking sanctuary or other vulnerable groups.”

“I particularly reject the way minorities have too often been used as political targets,” she said. “I do not believe anyone should be scapegoated or dehumanised to win votes, and I will not be part of a politics that does that.”

Cooper-Lesadd grew up in the care system and stood for the Senedd to be a voice for care-experienced people. She now says Reform has “no interest” in the work she came to do.

“They are far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than in finding solutions,” she said. “There is a real appetite in the group to want the government to fail, and no interest in what that failure would mean for the people we represent.”

More of her damning statement can be found here.

Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Sara Crowley responded to Cooper-Lesadd’s defection and told The Valleys Lead: “Sarah Cooper-Lesadd has been honest about her political journey and has acknowledged that she was wrong to believe Reform was the right political home for her.

“As Sarah Cooper-Lesadd has made clear, she wants to be part of a party that is serious about governing, serious about delivering for communities, and serious about Wales. More and more people are recognising that Plaid Cymru is that party.

“I recognise the courage it has taken to make this decision, and I am looking forward to working with Sarah as a Plaid Cymru colleague.”

Local government: ‘You reap what you sow’

At a local government level, Merthyr Tydfil Councillor Andrew Barry, who joined Reform in October 2024 but left the party in April 2026, told The Valleys Lead that the “commonality” between the announcements is that “none of these people were democratically elected by the Party.”

“All were imposed from London,” he said. “I guess you reap what you sow.”

Barry decided to join Reform because he “identified with their centre-right ethos and their economic approach”, which he felt Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives severely lacked.

“Having been involved in Merthyr Tydfil politics for over 20 years, I saw the socio-economic fabric of the Valleys being eroded and wanted to offer a common-sense alternative,” he told The Valleys Lead.

He said his reasons for joining were “strictly policy and vision driven”.

Initially, he did not have extensive recruitment meetings. His contact was mainly through emails between September 2024 and early 2025.

“Based on my political and business CV, I was invited to speak in Port Talbot alongside Nigel Farage,” he said.

While a member of the party, Barry said support from Reform or mentors within the party was “non-existent” and that he was not provided with any monetary compensation.

His decision to leave the party and return to his Independent Party in Merthyr Tydfil came after “months of poor communication and a total lack of internal democracy”.

“But the final straw was discovering that candidate selections—including for Member of the Senedd—were decided behind closed doors by Thomas and party figures in London without any membership vote,” Barry said.

“Having Jason O’Connell parachuted into Pontypridd, Cynon and Merthyr bypassed the local membership who had worked for 18 months on the ground. My front-running colleague and I withdrew in April 2026 before official phone calls were made.

“A party that bypasses democratic processes internally cannot credibly preach democracy to the public.”

Barry said he finds the current state of politics “highly disillusioning, with democracy often feeling more like an illusion”.

But Reform is still recruiting

While several politicians may be leaving Reform, there is a potential candidate in Ebbw Vale who has recently joined the party.

Jordan Brace stood as an Independent candidate for Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili & Rhymni in the May elections. He received 931 votes, something he said at the time he felt incredibly proud of, although he was not elected.

In August, he announced that he would be joining “Team Reform”.

“I wanted to make this decision openly and honestly before the next election,” he said on Facebook. “Residents deserve to know exactly where I stand so they can judge me fairly as a candidate.

“More than 100 people have encouraged this move, supported the idea or told me they want a fresh political voice for our area. I have spoken with people from other political parties, but I believe Reform best represents the common-sense politics, practical solutions and modern local change our communities need.”

When The Valleys Lead asked Brace why he had defected to Reform, he said there were a few reasons.

First, “it’s hard to beat a massive party,” he said.

Next, he said he felt Reform was “speaking common sense”.

“I started studying Reform and listening to Nigel Farage, Dan Thomas and Catherine Cullen,” he said.

“The biggest thing I really liked was how they asked why hardworking local people like us are worse off when immigrants from abroad come here to claim benefits and take advantage of the system. A lot of people are coming here because we offer too much good stuff.”

He said pensioners are scared to leave their homes as a result of what they are seeing about “immigrants” on TV.

He also mentioned that “the roads have never been better than when under a Reform Council”, and said he appreciated that Reform prioritises getting “youngsters” and “young women” into politics.

Brace said he is looking forward to improving himself with Reform and hopes to be chosen as a candidate for the party.

“I just want to make a difference, I do,” he concluded.

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For some Caerphilly residents, their local library is far more than a place to borrow books — it can be a lifeline, a source of connection and a gateway to opportunities. As plans to close 10 smaller libraries move forward, we hear from the people who rely on these community spaces and ask what their loss could mean for the Borough’s most vulnerable residents.

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 via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

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

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

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):

• Latest figures for Rhondda Cynon Taf show permanent exclusions have more than halved over the last three years while there has been a significant reduction in incidents of bullying in primary schools. During 2025-26 schools recorded 3,013 exclusions which was a small increase from 2,930 in 2024-25 but below the 3,292 exclusions recorded in 2023-24. Permanent exclusions have fallen from 57 in 2023-24 to 34 in 2024-25 and 27 in 2025-26. Days lost to exclusion have also reduced from 6,143 days in 2023-24 to 4,868 days in 2025-26. Persistent disruptive behaviour continues to be the most common reason for exclusion, accounting for more than 1,000 incidents (1,044). Verbal abuse or threatening behaviour towards adults (746) and physical assaults against pupils (376) are also significant contributors, the report says. The data indicates exclusions are concentrated within secondary-aged pupils with secondary schools accounting for approximately 85% of all exclusions. 305 bullying incidents were reported across primary, secondary, all-through, and special/PRU settings during the autumn and spring terms of 2025-26 which is a decrease of 119 or 28% from the 424 in 2024-25.

  Secondary schools accounted for the largest proportion of reported incidents although bullying was recorded across all sectors.

• In Merthyr Tydfil, new school buildings have started being used. Goetre Primary School moved to a brand new building on land below Pen Y Dre High School in the Gurnos, and rebranded as Goetre Community Primary School. Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic School has also opened its doors. Willmott Dixon carried out the work to build the new school which is made up of 525 full-time primary school places, 63 full-time equivalent nursery places and 600 secondary school places. The new school brings together four campuses - St Aloysius, St Illtyd’s, St Mary’s, and Bishop Hedley.

How will Caerphilly residents be affected by impending library closures?

Back in 2000, Murat Bedir had just moved to the south Wales valleys from Turkey to live with his Caerphilly-born wife.

Keen to find work, Murat would walk to his local library in Abertridwr after dropping his young son at school and use the internet to search for jobs.

“I didn’t have another way to find a job at that time,” he told The Valleys Lead.

He also used the library to communicate with family and friends in Turkey. By visiting regularly, Murat gradually became plugged into his local community.

“I didn’t know anyone,” he said. “But the library changed that for me. And then I found a job, thanks to the library.”

He went on to work in Cardiff for nearly nine years before resigning to take care of family members.

Committed to his community, Murat later became a children’s football coach at Aber Valley FC, and three years ago, became a community councillor — roles he continues to hold today.

Although he now has internet access at home, Murat continues to use the library to borrow books for himself and his children.

“Reading a book helps us to see the world,” he said.

Considering how pivotal the library was in his own life, Murat said he was “so sad” to learn that Abertridwr Library is one of 10 Caerphilly libraries due to close.

In May 2025, the Labour-run Caerphilly County Borough Council announced plans to close 10 smaller branch libraries - in Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Abertridwr, Bedwas, Deri, Llanbradach, Machen, Nelson, Oakdale and Pengam - and concentrate services into larger regional hubs, with the council estimating the changes would save around £507,000 a year.

Just over three months later, in August 2025, a claim for a Judicial Review was issued against Caerphilly County Borough Council over the decision. The challenge was initially dismissed, but an appeal and interim injunction temporarily paused the plans and allowed the libraries to reopen.

In August 2026, however, a High Court judge dismissed the legal challenge.

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What does it mean to feel that you belong? For the thousands who gathered at RCT Pride in Pontypridd, the answer could be found in new friendships, first Prides, local performers and the sight Ynysangharad War Memorial Park transformed into a place where LGBTQI+ people could simply be themselves.

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 via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

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

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village (seriously! no story is too small). Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

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 primary school in the Caerphilly County Borough could face closure due to falling pupil numbers and growing financial pressures. The Governing Body at Deri Primary School has written to parents this week advising them that a consultation may be undertaken in the near future to seek views about closing the school from September 2027. Over recent years, Deri Primary has worked closely with the Local Authority to address the financial challenges it faces. Despite the considerable efforts of school leaders, staff and governors to manage resources effectively and secure the long-term sustainability of the school, declining pupil numbers have continued to present significant challenges. The school currently has 57 pupils on the roll. Surplus places are currently at 29% and are projected to be over 60% by 2031. This continued projected decline means that the school would be unable to deliver a balanced budget. If this school closure impacts you or someone you know, please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

• The last time taxi fares increased in Blaenau Gwent wsa in June 2022, due to a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine, which saw fuel prices peak at £1.99 a litre. A consultation has been held into increasing the fares in Blaenau Gwent, and as part of the consultation 118 taxi drivers and cab drivers were asked for their views. Only three responded. This has been interpretted by councillors as meaning that the taxi drivers do not want an increase. “They could be worried that a fare increase is going to cost them work as people are not going to afford it,” Councillor Lisa Winnett said. She’s suggested freezing fares and planning to look at them again if there are extenuating circumstances.

• There was a large protest in Aberdare last week, with 100 people gathering after a man in Aberdare was convicted of a series of sexual offences involving a child. The man is due to be sentenced on 2 October, and had been released on conditional bail. The protest led to the police issuing a dispersal order to manage the crowds.

“You belong here too”: RCT Pride celebrates LGBTQI+ community across the valleys

Thousands gathered at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in Pontypridd at the end of July to celebrate RCT Pride.

While featured headliners including Courtney Act, Lady Leshurr, Michael Marouli, Flor and Amrick Channa were popular favourites on the day, Rhys Pursey, an RCT Pride trustee based in Rhondda Cynon Taf, told The Valleys Lead that some of his favourite moments were seeing people make new friends, witnessing someone attend their first Pride, seeing local LGBTQI+ performers celebrated by their own community, and watching thousands of people turn a valleys park into a space filled with Pride.

“There is sometimes an assumption that if LGBTQI+ people want community, culture or Pride, they need to travel to Cardiff, Bristol, London or another large city,” Rhys said.

“We fundamentally disagree with that. Queer people shouldn’t have to leave their hometowns to feel visible. For somebody growing up LGBTQI+ in Treorchy, Pontypridd, Aberdare, Mountain Ash or one of our smaller valleys communities, seeing Pride happening where they actually live can be incredibly powerful.

“It says: you belong here too.”

It’s exactly the reason RCT Pride was founded in 2019. The organisation has since grown from what was originally Rhondda Pride into an organisation working across Rhondda Cynon Taf and the wider South Wales Valleys.

Although visibility of the LGBTQI+ community has improved “enormously” in the valleys, Rhys said visibility doesn’t “automatically mean equality.”

“We see businesses, community organisations, elected representatives and residents actively wanting to support Pride and stand alongside the LGBTQI+ community,” he said.

“At the same time, some parts of the public conversation have become much harsher, particularly around trans and non-binary people. We have therefore seen progress and backlash happening simultaneously.”

It’s why he and others are grateful for the support of visible allies such as MP Alex Davies-Jones and MS Sara Crowley, both who attended the event in July.

“Both are deeply committed to RCT Pride and to the communities we represent, and having elected representatives who don’t simply turn up for a photograph but genuinely engage with and support our work is enormously valuable,” Rhys said.

“It sends a very clear message that LGBTQI+ people are part of these communities and deserve to be represented.”

A relatively unacknowledged challenge facing LGBTQI+ people in the south Wales valleys is the geography of the region.

“If virtually every specialist LGBTQI+ service, cultural event or safe space is concentrated in Cardiff, that isn’t genuinely accessible to everyone in the valleys,” he said.

“Transport costs money. Trains and buses stop running. Disabled people face additional barriers. People living in some of our more isolated communities can face significant barriers simply accessing support.

“That is another reason grassroots organisations matter. We need to bring support to communities rather than continually expecting communities to travel to support.”

Demand for RCT Pride’s services has increased in recent years, according to Rhys, but the nature of that demand has “evolved.”

Read more

We’ve got a business story for you today, about the thriving La Bocata in Merthyr Tydfil. The owner told The Valleys Lead about the challenges and triumphs they have experienced this last year to mark the one-year anniversary of the shop’s opening.

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 via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

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

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village. Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

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):

• School transport cuts in Caerphilly have come into force as the new school year begins. The Valleys Lead covered Caerphilly residents’ concerns previously, but worries are being voiced again as children begin walking to and from school - sometimes up to six miles a day. Caerphilly County Borough Council argues it will continue to comply with Welsh Government minimum standards even after stopping free buses for more than 300 secondary-aged pupils who live within three miles of their schools. Independent consultants have deemed nine walking routes across the county borough as safe – but the council’s plans sparked an angry response from parents concerned about road safety, especially in bad weather and dark winter months.

• A community volunteer in Pontypool spent last weekend repainting a car park after vandals painted offensive words and messages on its walls. “The upsetting thing is the language that was used,” said Dyl Delaney, who painted over the messages, which appeared to be aimed at individuals and referenced sexuality.

• Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister and MS for Casnewydd Islwyn, Natasha Asghar, has written to Welsh Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor and health board chief executive Paul Mears, calling for immediate talks with Unite and a negotiated settlement regarding the continuing health visitor strike at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. Asghar said: “This dispute has now dragged on for six months, with no resolution in sight, and it is children and families who are paying the price.” She urged the Welsh Government and health board to “show leadership, get all parties back around the table and work urgently to reach a fair agreement.”

The Merthyr Tydfil couple who turned redundancy into a sandwich shop sensation

When Esther Steele’s husband, Ryan, was made redundant in 2025, the couple, who live in Merthyr Tydfil, asked each other: what next?

“We were both applying for jobs for him – for anything and everything – but nothing was coming back,” Esther, 46, told The Valleys Lead.

During a visit to Swansea, Esther and Ryan bought coffee from a “horse box” and wondered if they could do something similar, but selling sandwiches.

“The idea consumed us,” Esther said.

But after researching the idea and discovering that it was difficult to obtain a licence to trade from a food truck, they put it to rest.

“Then someone contacted me to say that a space had become available to rent near the college from a private landlord,” Esther said. “There is no way we could have afforded a space in the centre of town – buildings similar to what we felt we needed were reaching £2,000 a month in rent alone. We immediately decided to take the space on offer for our sandwich shop.”

Ryan had lived in Spain as a child until his early 20s and wanted to give the sandwich shop a Spanish theme. They would call it La Bocata – meaning “the sandwich” in Spanish.

His dad, a retired carpenter, willingly agreed to help them convert the office-like space into a functional restaurant.

“We all did everything ourselves to get the shop up and running,” Esther said.

With a background in marketing, Esther created content to attract Merthyr Tydfil residents and visitors to the shop, giving them sneak peeks of the menu, coffee and dining area.

“It wasn’t professional marketing, just very honest about what we had created and what was on offer.”

Read more

As of today, most schools in the south Wales valleys are back, up and running after six weeks of summer holidays. And to mark this, we are giving you an education-based edition. The Valleys Lead spoke with Kadie Phillips about her advocacy for ALN children in Merthyr Tydfil, and her proposal to create an alternative autism provision at a school building which will be empty in about three years’ time.

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 via free and paid options. You’ll get to read two newsletters a week from us. Each edition has three very brief news updates from the south Wales valleys, and a slightly longer-length story.

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

We also always want to hear what is happening in your valley, your town, your village. Please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com with anything you feel we should cover.

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):

• There are five people standing in a local by-election to represent Llantwit Fardre in Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. The by-election will take place on Thursday, September 3. It was triggered after Conservative Sam Trask decided to stand down having relocated from the community. The five candidates are Jonathan Bishop (Independent), Danny Lyn Crudge (Plaid Cymru), Lyndon Evans (Reform UK), Joel James (Welsh Conservative Party) and Lloyd Watkins (Welsh Labour).

  Currently RCT Council is made up of 57 Labour members, eight Plaid Cymru members, seven independents, one Green Party member and one Conservative member.

• The Independent Group Councillors in Merthyr Tydfil are calling for Cyfarthfa Park to stay open longer in the autumn months. From September, the park closes at 7:15pm and in October, is open until 6:30pm. “For many people who work during the day, that can mean they no longer have the opportunity to go for a walk, exercise or simply enjoy the park after work even when there is still daylight,” Councillor Lisa Mytton wrote on Facebook. “We know how important access to green space is for our mental health and wellbeing. As the evenings get darker, having somewhere safe and accessible to walk, get some fresh air, exercise or meet others can make a real difference and help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. We have previously been told that changes couldn’t be made through the Trust. Now that the Council is back in charge of Cyfarthfa Park, we are asking officers to urgently reconsider the opening hours and look at whether they can be aligned more closely with daylight and sunset 8pm in September, 7pm in October.”

• And now just a plug for the charity Keep Wales Tidy. Our journalist writing for The Valleys Lead, Lauren Medlicott, was told how Keep Wales Tidy provides everything you need to pick up litter local to you. She took her children to litter-pick through the Taf Fechan Nature Reserve, and now wants everyone to know just how easy the process is. Simply visit the Keep Wales Tidy website to find where your litter picking hub is, schedule to collect litter pickers, hoops, bin bags, and gloves, and get to cleaning up our valleys. It is as easy as that. Not only was it a way to give back, but was a fun two hours out in the wild. We’d love to hear your litter picking stories and see photos! Email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

  

Merthyr Tydfil parents call for a new autism provision amid ALN crisis

In February, hundreds of Merthyr Tydfil residents gathered outside the civic centre, where the Council offices are located, calling for more transparency and support from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council for children with additional learning needs (ALN).

Leading the protest was Kadie Phillips, a mother of two ALN children in Merthyr Tydfil.

“There is a crisis across our town,” she told The Valleys Lead. “Parents aren’t being heard and children aren’t being supported.”

In a Facebook support group Kadie runs with over 200 members, she’s heard from dozens of families with ALN children who feel powerless about how to get the right help for their children.

“Our town has limited resources and a limited number of alternative provisions for children,” she said.

Throughout the borough, there are 14 Learning Resource Bases (LRBs), specialist units or dedicated classrooms within a mainstream school, as of February 2026, all of which Kadie said are overstretched, and one specialist provision at Greenfield School.

“You’ve got to have a very severe complex profile to fall into the criteria to get into Greenfield School,” she said.

Kadie said that Greenfield School was originally designed to hold about 145 children, but as of March 2026, there were 220 pupils on roll. The Council said in a March 2026 Scrutiny Committee Report that, as a result of the high numbers, they have provided additional on-site capacity at Greenfield School and expanded onto the former Ty Homfray site to enable post-16 pupils to be located on this second site.

To meet the increasing need for specialist provision, plans for a new multi-million-pound building for Greenfield School were backed by the Council in March 2023.

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Summer of 2026. The summer of wildfires in the south Wales valleys. We have a lengthy edition for you today reflecting on the immediate and future impacts of the wildfires in the south Wales valleys.

We’ll get to it in a second - 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.

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):

• Ten libraries across Caerphilly are set to close after a High Court judge rejected a legal challenge brought by campaigners opposing the council’s plans. The Labour-run council intends to concentrate library services in larger towns, arguing that fewer, larger sites will be able to provide a wider range of services. Seven of the remaining libraries would be transformed into multi-service community hubs, allowing residents to continue borrowing books while also accessing other council services. The judge dismissed campaigners’ bid to stop the changes, although they may still appeal the decision. The libraries earmarked for closure are in Aberbargoed, Abercarn, Abertridwr, Bedwas, Deri, Llanbradach, Machen, Nelson, Oakdale and Pengam. Caerphilly councillors approved the reorganisation last year, after the council warned it was facing a £29m budget shortfall over the following three years. Campaigners have argued that smaller communities will be disproportionately affected by the closures, warning that the changes could send some areas “back to Victorian times”. The council cannot proceed with the closures while the appeals window remains open. In the meantime, it said it would engage with local groups interested in taking over some of the buildings for community use.

• Lindsay Whittle, who represents Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili, Rhymni, said: “I’m getting a lot of complaints about Royal Mail not delivering particularly second class mail in a timely fashion. Local Royal Mail workers have also told me that parcels and first class mail receive priority while second class letters appear to be left to languish in mail offices.” Whittle said he would be raising concerns directly at a meeting with Krish Tangri, Royal Mail’s Regional Operations Director for Wales. “The complaints I’m receiving appear to cover most of my constituency which suggests to me there is a widespread problem. I’m aware that Royal Mail is making changes to the Universal Service it is obliged to deliver but that should not be at the expense of my constituents.”

• Blaenau Gwent Council, Groundwork Wales and Gwent Wildlife Trust recently joined forces with local volunteers for a successful river clean-up and biodiversity project at Bedwellty Pits, Tredegar. The day brought together Groundwork Wales officers, the Council’s Local Environmental Quality Officer and 10 volunteers. They worked together to clear the river of rubbish, tyres and rusting car parts which had contaminated the water. The Council is working with communities through the Blaenau Gwent Deal, a new relationship to work together to build something better, more resilient and fairer.

Blackened hillsides and lingering smoke: The summer of wildfires in the south Wales valleys

If you live in the south Wales valleys, you will probably have become accustomed to the smell of smoke this summer.

Morning, evening and often throughout the day, the smell of burning has lingered in the air, sometimes long after nearby fires have been brought under control.

On days when the smoke is not visible from your window, it only takes a short drive to find scorched hillsides, blackened grassland and the remnants of fire.

Treherbert, Wattsville, Cwm, Maerdy, Ynyshir, Ferndale, Llwyn Onn, Blaenavon and Dowlais are among the communities that have seen wildfires this summer.

The Valleys Lead is publishing a short series examining the impact of the fires on communities across the region. This week, we hear from politicians representing some of the areas most affected.

But we also want to hear from residents.

Has your business been affected? Have the fires affected your health or wellbeing? How do you feel about the damage to the environment? Were you afraid the fire would reach your street?

If you would be willing to answer a few questions about your experience, please email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

Merthyr Tydfil

Michelle Jones, an Independent Group councillor in Merthyr Tydfil, said she finds it “genuinely heartbreaking” to look across land that has been “burnt to a crisp”.

“When you know an area, walk through it and have seen it green and full of life, then look across and see blackened hillsides and smoke, it is difficult not to feel devastated,” she told The Valleys Lead.

The impact of the wildfires on residents in Merthyr Tydfil, particularly in Dowlais, “has been significant”, she said.

“Residents are worried about their homes, their families, livestock, wildlife and the damage being done to the countryside around us.”

Farmers and landowners are particularly concerned about the loss of grazing land, damage to land and fencing, and the wider impact on livestock and livelihoods.

Businesses can also be affected when roads are closed, access is restricted or people are understandably reluctant to visit areas affected by smoke and fire, Jones said.

“I think the overriding feeling amongst residents is one of sadness, anger and concern,” she continued.

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This week, we’ve heard about the seven deaths in a Middlesbrough car crash following a car travelling the wrong way on the A66. And then there was the death and two injuries during a police pursuit near Stratford-upon-Avon.

It’s been a week that all eyes are on the rise of dangerous driving on UK roads.

Nine years ago in the south Wales valleys, there was a case of dangerous driving that led to the death of Sophie Brimble. But the driver who was racing the car she was thrown out of is now allowed to drive again and her family is campaigning to change the law as a result.

The story is below (and we’d appreciate you sharing it to get justice for the family) - 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.

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):

• Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle says he is becoming increasingly concerned that the historic Llancaiach Fawr, near Nelson, may never reopen.

  The Tudor Manor house has now been shut for two summers with seemingly no immediate hope that it will once again welcome visitors. Whittle, who is a former leader of Caerphilly Council, said: “I don’t think we have got to the bottom about what is happening with Llancaiach Fawr. The Council leader has talked about a preferred route for the operation of Llancaiach Fawr but there was ongoing legal, financial and operational due diligence to resolve. Frankly, this is turning into a complete farce of the Labour Party’s own doing. The second most important historical landmark in the county borough – after Caerphilly Castle – is lying closed and we have absolutely no idea if or when Llancaiach Fawr will reopen.

  The way this whole episode has been handled does worry me and I am increasingly concerned that it will never reopen to the public. Come clean, Caerphilly Council.”

• Darren Thomas, the founder and former CEO of the mental health charity Signposted Cymru, based in Aberdare, resigned in July 2026 after a regulatory warning from the watchdog. The Charity Commission has opened a case against Signposted Cymru after learning the organisation continued to employ Thomas as CEO despite him being disqualified due to having an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA). An IVA is a legally binding agreement to pay off debts over a period of time. The Charity Commission does not allow a person to run a charity if they are bankrupt or subject to an IVA.

• A school for pupils with additional learning needs is due to nearly triple in size after plans for a major expansion were approved. The Buarth Y Capel satellite site of Ysgol Ty Coch in Ynysybwl, Rhondda Cynon Taf, currently has 34 pupils but will be able to accommodate up to 94 following the development. The expansion is also expected to increase the number of staff based at the site from 19 to 54.

“How could he be driving again?”: Sister of crash victim fights for change after driver escapes punishment

In the early hours on 26 July 2017, Aimee Coombes woke to a phone call from her mother to say that Aimee’s younger sister Sophie Brimble, age 20, had been in a car accident in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent.

“I got out of bed and immediately got dressed to go find out what happened,” Aimee told The Valleys Lead. “My mum and I met on the Heads of the Valleys Road for us to go together. When we got there, there were fire engines, ambulances, and police cars everywhere. Blue lights amid total darkness because the car crashed into a lamp post and had shut down all the street lights.”

Aimee asked the police what was going on with Sophie, where she was. “They said they couldn’t tell me – that we’d have to wait for the liaison officer to turn up,” she said.

Minutes felt like hours, and when the liaison officer arrived, Aimee and her mother were told that Sophie had passed away at the scene of the accident.

“I didn’t believe it,” Aimee said. “We went home and I expected she was going to walk through the door and tell us that it hadn’t been her – that there had been a mistake. It wasn’t until we identified her body the next that it hit home.

In the days following Sophie’s death, Aimee was told that Sophie’s boyfriend Jay Bayliss, had been racing on Beaufort Road with Sophie in the passenger seat when he crashed into a lamp post.

“That’s all we knew,” she said.

Soon after Sophie’s funeral, Aimee found out she was pregnant with her second child. “I felt a lot of guilt,” Aimee remembered. “Sophie had gone and I had fallen pregnant. It didn’t feel like the right time.”

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For years, Matt Dey was told there was no future for him in art, but a chance request to paint faces at a family birthday party reignited the passion he had put aside as a child. Now a full-time artist, Matt paints all around the south Wales valleys with vibrant murals.

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.

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):

• Wildfires. The last two weeks have been absolutely devastating. We’ve heard about wildfires every single day. The military was called in to support South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. We are going to be covering the ongoing impact of the fires in the coming weeks, so please do reach out at laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com if you and your community have been impacted.

• Caerphilly County Borough Council has taken enforcement action to evict a tenant from a council-owned property in Rhymney following serious breaches of their occupation contract. The action was taken by the Council’s Caerphilly Homes Anti-Social Behaviour Team, working in partnership with Gwent Police, after the tenant was convicted of offences relating to the supply of Class A drugs.

  The conviction followed a police investigation which resulted in the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of the contract holder. Following the conviction, Caerphilly Homes commenced possession proceedings against the contract holder, resulting in their eviction from the property. Councillor Shayne Cook, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Residents should not have to tolerate criminal activity or anti-social behaviour near their homes or in their communities. Eviction is always a last resort, but where serious breaches of an occupation contract take place, we will take firm action to protect residents and our communities.”

• Work on the restoration of one of Wales’ most important Jewish heritage sites is due to start next year thanks to grants from the National Heritage Lottery Fund and Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme. The project will restore the Grade II-listed synagogue in Merthyr Tydfil, widely regarded as the most significant Jewish heritage site in Wales, and create a permanent centre celebrating the contribution of Welsh Jewish communities to the country’s social, cultural and economic life. The synagogue, which overlooks Merthyr town centre, is the only surviving purpose-built historic synagogue in Wales. Once home to a thriving Jewish congregation, it closed as a place of worship in 1983 as the local Jewish population declined.

“Don’t let anyone stop you”: How a valleys artist turned a childhood passion into a full-time career

As a child growing up in the south Wales valleys, Matt Dey’s “thing” was art. “I’d come home from school and draw,” the now 51-year-old living in Hengoed told The Valleys Lead. “I bought comics relentlessly and copied the artwork. It was a way I could think, a way to express myself.”

But when he left school, a career advisor told Matt that there wouldn’t be a career for him in the art world.

“My dream of leaving school to do what I wanted was immediately smashed,” he said.

Matt wouldn’t draw again until he was nearly 40.

Instead, he spent years jumping from job to job. “I could never really find my feet,” he said. “The first job I had was at a factory. My father was a miner, and his father a miner. The family history was mining – no one ever went outside that box to think of doing anything else. But when I left school, all the mines had shut, so I went straight to a factory.”

He’d always been told that after school, he could go into the “big, wide world” and do whatever he wanted. “I quickly found that the big, wide world is a factory in Penallta.”

Matt didn’t stay at the factory long, but subsequent jobs didn’t give him any sort of fulfilment.

“And then about nine years ago, my sister asked me to paint faces at my niece’s birthday party because I used to be good at art,” he said. “I jokingly agreed to it and even had a ‘Uncle Matt’s Face Painting’ t-shirt printed.”

Matt’s art career took off from that party – he very quickly became known internationally for his face painting.

When the pandemic hit, and there weren’t any in-person parties to face paint at, Matt’s re-found love of painting had to find a new avenue. He started spray painting the walls and windows of people who lived in his street with their permission, at first only asking that people cover the price of materials.

“It got me out of the house for a couple of hours a day,” he said.

As lockdown restrictions eased, people increasingly asked Matt to paint faces, walls, homes, garages, and windows. He became so successful that in October 2025, he gave up his job in sales to paint full-time.

Matt said that art has this way of uplifting people – something we in the valleys can always use a bit of. “Why look at a plain, tarnished, boring wall when you can look at something bright and cheerful?” he asked. “People will pass it, and they’ll smile.”

But in the south Wales valleys, Matt explained that there aren’t many “legal walls” like there are in cities.

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Before we jump in, we wanted to let you know that the journalist for The Valleys Lead, Lauren Medlicott, is heading on holidays for two weeks and so there is going to be a three-edition break for The Valleys Lead - the next edition will be on Sunday, 23 August. She’ll be back rested (as rested as possible with three children) and ready to continue reporting stories from the south Wales valleys when she returns. In the meantime, please feel free to fill her inbox with stories for when she returns: laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com.

Today, we have a story for you based on a petition signed by more than 550 people urging Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to take stronger action against rising anti-social behaviour in Tredegar town centre, with residents describing problems including public drinking, drug use, vandalism, intimidation, and violence. Council figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show reports of anti-social behaviour increased from eight in each of the previous two years to 23 between July 2025 and June 2026.

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.

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):

• Plans to build a new all through 3-19 Welsh medium secondary school in Rhondda Cynon Taf have been submitted. The application submitted by the Council involves the demolition of the existing school and associated buildings at Ysgol Llanhari and the construction of a new all through 3-19 Welsh medium school.

  The plans for the school on Addison Avenue in Llanharry also include a 3G pitch, multi use games areas, floodlighting, car and coach parking, a drop-off and pick-up facility, cycle and bin stores, air source heat pumps, solar panels and associated works. It would accommodate 910 pupils made up of 210 primary and 700 secondary places as well as 100 sixth form pupils. The school would have a 30 place nursery, a dedicated early years childcare facility with capacity for at least 40 children, a fully operational kitchen adjacent to the main hall and dining area and a community classroom with segregated access.

• This isn’t entirely new news, but will impact factory workers in Merthyr Tydfil, so we thought we should let you know about it. At the end of June, meat processor Kepak confirmed that it has entered a formal consultation process at its Merthyr Tydfil site, with a number of redundancies to be confirmed. According to reports, 85 jobs could be at risk as a result of the consultation. The company said declining herd numbers and evolving market conditions are affecting its operations, but confirmed that the Merthyr Tydfil site would remain operational.

Revealed: Anti-social behaviour reports in Tredegar have nearly tripled in the last three years

A petition calling for Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to “act decisively” to end anti-social behaviour in Tredegar’s town centre has been signed by over 550 people.

“Tredegar Town Centre is a cherished place for residents, businesses, and visitors,” the petition starter, Jay Davies, wrote. “However, in recent years, it has become increasingly plagued by issues that not only tarnish its reputation but also compromise the safety and wellbeing of everyone who calls or visits Tredegar home. Public drinking, drug use, loitering, and various forms of anti-social behaviour are turning our beloved town centre into a hub of unwanted activities. This is not the Tredegar we wish to see.”

Michelle Davies has lived in Tredegar for the last 25 years and told The Valleys Lead residents on her estate near town centre have “suffered so much abuse and anti-social behaviour.”

She said that children gather after school to fight, cars, fences, and gates have been damaged, and on several occasions, elderly and disabled people have been “verbally abused and threatened.”

“Myself and another resident stand on the gate access to stop kids coming through,” Michelle said. “We are currently battling to have our alleyway access blocked to stop access to our estate.”

Many residents have experienced the same behaviours, and have written extensively on community Facebook groups, and now on the petition, calling for something to be done.

A Freedom of Information Request to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council made by The Valleys Lead revealed that there has indeed been an increase of anti-social behaviour in Tredegar.

From 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, there were eight reports to the Council of anti-social behaviour in Tredegar.

Between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, there were eight reports again in total.

And then from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, 23 reports of anti-social behaviour made to the local authority.

The Valleys Lead has also requested similar figures of reports made to Gwent Police. We haven’t yet had a response but will keep you posted on their response.

Michelle told The Valleys Lead she has reported her concerns to Labour MP Nick Smith, but the only response as far as Michelle knows is that his secretary rings the housing association to “prompt them.”

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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.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

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

• 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.

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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.

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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):

• 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.

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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.

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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