Money to make coal tips safe only 'scratching the surface'
The amount of public money available to make Welsh coal tips safe "only scratches the surface", according to evidence heard by a parliamentary committee.The Welsh Affairs Select Committee was told there was a "disparity between the scale of the challenge and available funds" to remediate high risk coal tips.Representatives from four local authorities explained some of the challenges they face in dealing with the legacy of Wales' industrial past.A shortage of the appropriate skills to manage coal tip safety and remediation was also highlighted as a concern.
Earlier this year, the Welsh government said it had invested more than £100m in coal tip safety during the current Senedd term as a result of its own spending and money from the UK government.A new mining remediation authority has also been established to inspect coal tips identified as posing the highest risk to communities.Nicola Pearce from Neath Port Talbot council said the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill will "not be effective until there is sufficient public money in place to enable continuous monitoring or regular monitoring as well as being able to access those funds to undertake remediation work where it's necessary".
However, Ms Pearce said the council had received £14.4m from the Welsh government since 2020 to carry out "significant work" on one large coal tip within its ownership.She added about £12m will have been spent on making one coal tip safe and there were 617 tips across the Neath Port Talbot area.Mark Williams of Caerphilly council said: "My authority has received just shy of £3m for the year 2025-26 - and it only scratches the surface."The money will be spent on a range of maintenance tasks. We have 205 tips in Caerphilly borough - 89 of which are in local authority ownership."He said the cost of inspecting these tips is about £15,000 a year and that more money from UK government was needed."Money that's being passported is really helpful but it's really only useful for monitoring and routine maintenance, it won't really address any remediation costs."He also reiterated concerns around a shortage of engineers with the necessary skills for the work needed to make coal tips safe, although said he believed the Welsh government had recognised this and was trying to address these challenges.
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