Wales (Cymru)

The Chief fire officer of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service has quit after a report criticised the culture of the service, warning that it tolerated sexual harassment, sexual abuse, racism and criminality.

Huw Jakeway apologised and said he intended to retire from the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service as it was “time for a change in leadership”.

‘Of course, it will never happen in my lifetime’ – variations of this phrase are endemic in any conversation around independence with those over a certain age. Sadly some of those expressing this sentiment are younger than I am (and I turn fifty next year).

After fifteen months at the Indy coalface in Wales it is clear that we need not wait this long. There are pathways to a free and independent Wales within a decade. Effort will be needed. Ambition, bravery and confidence will be essential. A clear strategy targeted at every aspect of Welsh society is a must. Clarity in pursuit of our goal and a plan to get us there will give us wings.

Welsh transport has been in a state of flux for the last year or more. In February the decision was made to halt some of Wales' biggest roadbuilding schemes and make it incredibly difficult to justify any new ones even when they would have a transformative impact.

It's clear the Welsh Government wants a shift away from the car and towards public transport. But there simply isn't the public transport infrastructure necessary to make it work (not yet at least). Much of the discussion has focused on trains and understandably so.

Just off the Heads of the Valleys road on the Rassau Industrial Estate there sits an unused building. It is massive. About 180,000 square feet.

When you walk in it looks like a brand-new factory. And that is because it basically is. It is fitted out to produce high-end sports cars.

The factory just north of Ebbw Vale, which used to be the Techboard factory building, cost £4.75m in 2017 with an additional £7m spent fitting out the building for production of luxury cars. But it is quiet and unused.

Family therapy intervention is being rolled out to help some offenders with their rehabilitation and recovery following a successful pilot undertaken in Wales.

Known as family psychoeducation, the approach has been piloted in a low secure mental health unit within Swansea Bay health Board.

The work will now be adapted for use in other forensic mental health services, including prisons and a crisis team.

The group that campaigned for a default 20mph speed limit in Wales has produced a devastating critique of the petition against the limit that has attracted more than 467,000 signatures.

20’s Plenty for us has gone through the petition line by line, pointing out serious factual errors and statements based on disputable opinion.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has described 2024 as a pivotal year for Wales’ future in his first New Year’s message.

Mr ap Iorwerth also called for fair funding for Wales and parity of powers with Scotland from an incoming Labour government, while highlighting the challenges facing the new First Minister when Mark Drakeford steps down next spring.

Some rail services have been cancelled and other lines closed as wind and rain swept across Wales.

A Met Office rain warning was in place across Wales until 18:00 GMT on Saturday, with forecasters warning of up to 50mm (2in) of rain in some areas.

This forced the closure of the rail line between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog in north Wales.

The treatments with the longest waiting times in Wales have been revealed. The Welsh Government had ambitious plans to end all two-year waits for treatment on the NHS in Wales.

It was hoped this would be achieved by March 2023, reports WalesOnline, but, several months later, two-year waits remain a reality for many patients, including in North Wales. Around 25,700 pathways were waiting more than two years in October this year.

The number of patient pathways doesn't represent individual people as one person could be on more than one pathway. The Welsh Government says this number continues to fall each month.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water customers are set to get a £10 rebate following an investigation into the company's leakage performance. The company announced the rebate in May this year, after an internal review found leakages were higher than originally stated and consumption per head was lower.

Customers should see the re-payment credited to their account soon, with some reporting it on December's bill, reports WalesOnline. Every customer will get the payment and it will be automatically credited to each registered household/business account.

A leading charity has described the Welsh Government's draft budget as "sobering" and said it will "pile yet further pressure" onto people already struggling with the cost of living.

Oxfam Cymru voiced its concern after the draft budget revealed long-anticipated cuts across most areas of the Welsh economy.

The charity urged the next first minister to prioritise "tackling the country's shameful and stubbornly high poverty rate."

The future of National Theatre Wales is in jeopardy following an announcement by the Arts Council of Wales that the company’s appeal against defunding had been upheld by an independent panel – but then overruled by the Council itself.

Founded in 2007 by the Welsh Government as part of a coalition deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru, the English language company has come under criticism in recent years for the alleged paucity of its theatrical performances. – an allegation denied by the company itself.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has called for an independent investigation into the governance at S4C.

The Welsh language channel has been in a state of crisis for months. A report into bullying at the channel highlighted serious unhappiness among some staff, the chair Rhodri Williams was found to have acted in a "bullying and aggressive" way to a woman he later sacked and the former CEO Sian Doyle took an overdose.

In an interview with WalesOnline Mr ap Iorwerth, who has been leader for six months after replacing Adam Price, said that "something has gone wrong at the channel". He said: "The first thing I'd say is that my feelings go out to anybody who has been personally affected in any way and who feels that they have suffered in any way as a result of what has clearly been been happening at S4C in recent months.

Six months on from taking over a political party in crisis and Rhun ap Iorwerth seems to be feeling pretty confident.

The Ynys Mon MS succeeded Adam Price as party leader earlier this year amid controversy about allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in the party. A report by former Senedd Member Nery Evans had been utterly damning of the then party leadership and made 82 recommendations. The report followed a WalesOnline investigation in the autumn of 2022.

Speaking to WalesOnline six months after he assumed the leadership, Rhun ap Iorwerth said that the party had made good progress with implementing the recommendations of the report. He also gave insights into whether he thought that Mark Drakeford had been good for Wales and called for an investigation into governance at S4C.

A British Red Cross service that has been supporting patients and staff at Welsh Emergency Departments celebrates its fifth anniversary this week.

Red Cross staff and volunteers have helped more than 1.2 million people across Wales since the service first started in December 2018, by providing non-medical assistance and helping to organise transport home for patients.

During his Spring 2023 visit to Ireland, President Biden said the world faced an historical inflection point, of the kind which happens every century or so. His assertion is based on the way great powers or giant economic trends can move quickly from time to time, leaving winners and losers. And it highlights that energy is the driver behind these huge geopolitical shifts.

To Biden, the megagrowth of the clean energy sector could be the salt of the earth – and salt on the wounds of his MAGA opponents. What kind of assertions could we make about clean energy and Wales?

UK Government has been blamed for “budget blackholes” following the announcement of the Welsh Government’s spending plans for 2024-25.

On Tuesday (December 19) the Welsh Government laid its Draft Budget before the Senedd and the Finance Committee to be scrutinised.

The NHS and local government will receive funding while other spending departments will get less money thanks to the poor performance of the UK economy and a real terms reduction in funding from Westminster.

Overall the Budget is worth £1.3bn less in real terms than when it was set in 2021.

North Wales Fire Authority has thrown out proposals to change rural cover across the region, meaning a stalemate in negotiations is set to continue following a public consultation earlier this year.

The review of staff would have seen a redistribution of firefighters and resources to improve rural cover but adding a five-minute response time to more urban areas.

But at a North Wales Fire Authority meeting today, a decision was deferred – and the move described as ‘robbing from Peter to pay Paul’.

Junior doctors in Wales have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in their fight for pay restoration, with a 72 hour full walkout to take place from 15 January.

Strike action will take place from 7am on 15 January to 7am on the 18 January as a result of the vote. This comes on the back of a campaign to restore Junior Doctors’ pay which has been cut by nearly a third (29.6%) in real terms since 2008/9.

Enforcement of the controversial new 20mph limit officially starts across Wales today. There has been a softly, softly approach so far to enforcement on roads, where the limit has changed, to allow motorists to get used to the new limit, with a greater focus on engagement with drivers.

According to GoSafe, enforcement was reintroduced on existing 20mph areas at the start of November - these were places that were 20mph prior to September 17, when the new limit came into effect. However from today, all roads including the new ones with a 20mph limit, will be subject to enforcement.

Personal attacks on social media put women off standing for leader of Welsh Labour, says Mark Drakeford.

Mr Drakeford said he was disappointed there were no female candidates, and denied there was a problem with the "pipeline" of talent in the party.

Earlier this week the first minister announced he would stand down in March.

The ballot closes on Thursday but the two women considered front-runners to stand, Eluned Morgan and Hannah Blythyn, have ruled themselves out.

A majority of Welsh Labour Members of the Senedd have declared their support for Jeremy Miles to be the party’s next Leader and First Minister of Wales.

Overnight, eight MSs confirmed their backing for the Education and Welsh Language Minister, and urged him to confirm his candidacy for the leadership.

A university has donated four mopeds to students in Pakistan in a bid to stop sexual harassment putting women off education.

£2,000 was spent as part of the Aberystwyth University project, which is aimed at female students aged 18-25. Each can borrow a moped throughout their course and get trained to use it.

Strike action could be on the cards at popular leisure sites across Newport in the near future. Leisure workers in the city are to be balloted for strike action as a pay dispute escalates.

Unison say Newport Live are refusing to negotiate on pay, despite having a written agreement with the union to do just that.