Latest news with #WelshAffairsSelectCommittee
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cash to make coal tips safe '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. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, announced £118m in her spending review on Wednesday to "keep coal tips safe in Wales". £34m to help keep people safe from coal tips Coal tips moved to 'most at risk' list since 2022 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. A shortage of the appropriate skills to manage coal tip safety and remediation was also highlighted as a concern. 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. The Welsh government said: "We want to ensure our communities are safe both now and in the future, which is why we have introduced modern, first of its kind in the UK, legislation to prevent disused tips from being a threat to human life. "We are pleased the UK government has continued to match our investment in coal tip safety, providing an additional £118m over three years to support people living in the shadow of tips. "Taken together with the over £100m we have provided this Senedd term, our joint UK and Welsh government investment in coal tip safety now stands at over £220m." Coal tip activist's guarded welcome for £25m New maps reveal 350 old coal tips most at risk Illegal riding 'could cause coal tip landslides'
Leader Live
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
MP for Wrexham speaks out on pressures facing HMP Berwyn
MP for Wrexham Last week, along with colleagues on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, we took evidence from a number of witnesses for our enquiry into Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales. As MP for the constituency with the largest prison in the UK, HMP Berwyn, this session was particularly relevant to our area. I also wanted to hear the experiences of those representing people working in the prison and probation services. Berwyn faces pressures as it is increasingly being used to house the remand population from North-West England. The dynamics at Berwyn alongside its size is very different to jails like Swansea or Cardiff that tend to house inmates who are more local to the area. Furthermore, there have also been staffing challenges at Berwyn however recently the staffing levels have come close to a full complement. The importance of staffing and leadership was emphasised at all prisons. High recall rates in Wales are also putting pressure on the prison and probation services. There is no women's prison in Wales and we heard about the impact of this on women and their families. Welsh women are held in prisons in England, often meaning significant journeys for relatives wanting to visit them. Women from Wrexham for example, might be taken to HMP Styal near Manchester. A report entitled 'Time to Care' emphasised the importance of keeping close ties with families to support. Following on from this, I welcome the Justice Secretary's announcement on Thursday that the Government will take the recommendations of the Gauke report and introduce a presumption against custodial sentences of less than a year. As 77% of women sentenced to custody received a sentence of 12 months or less, this change should have a significant aspect on women. Having spoken to organisations working in our community like the Wallich and NACRO, I understand the issues around homelessness and reoffending and I am looking to work with them to see how we can strengthen prevention and rehabilitation efforts. As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or
