24 January 2023

Following Welsh Governments approval of the county’s Active Travel Network Maps (ATNM), work has started to develop designs for improving active travel provision on Severn Street, in Welshpool.

Identified on the ATNM by the community and stakeholders, this would form the first phase of a wider project to create a local active travel network – enabling more journeys to be undertaken by foot or bicycle within the town.

The proposed route would run along the north side of Severn Street, from the train station to the bridge over the canal. The project would see the existing path widened to become a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, and improvements made to the surface and drainage, enhancing safety for all users – but particularly for families and pupils going to and from Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng, the new Welsh medium primary school, and commuters using the train station. As part of the design work, consideration is also being given to the road crossings.

“Welsh Government have made it clear that walking and cycling must be the natural mode of choice for short everyday journeys, or as part of a longer journey in combination with other sustainable modes, and the continued investment into practical active travel routes within Powys will help us achieve this vision.” Says Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.

“Not only do these routes improve road, pedestrian and cyclist safety, they also provide us with the opportunity to increase our health and wellbeing by being more active, as well as contributing to reducing emissions and combating the current climate emergency by enabling us to prioritise walking and cycling, rather than using the car, for short, local journeys.”

Local councillor and Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys, Cllr Richard Church is encouraged by all the planned improvements to the area. “There’s lots happening around Severn Steet which will bring more people to the area. The new Extra Care home at Neuadd Maldwyn, the new Welsh medium school and work to improve the library and the museum by the canal. These improvements, along with the development of the active travel provision, will make it a safe route for young and old people alike, by linking these new facilities to both the town centre and the railway station.”

Once design work has been completed a funding application will be submitted to Welsh Government (Active Travel fund) and if successful, work to begin the construction phase would begin soon after.

All designs and updates will be made available online.

23 January 2023

A revised business case to construct a replacement building for a north Powys all-through school has been approved by the Welsh Government, the county council has announced.

Powys County Council has been working on plans to build a new school for Ysgol Bro Hyddgen since 2017, but the project faced an unforeseen delay due to the collapse of the main contractor, Dawnus Construction Ltd.

A new Strategic Outline Case/Outline Business Case was prepared by the council for a new 540-place all-age school at Ysgol Bro Hyddgen’s secondary school site to replace the current primary and secondary school buildings.

When built, the replacement building will incorporate early years facilities, areas for primary, secondary and post-16 education, a community room, an additional learning needs centre, wellbeing areas as well as external areas and a 3G pitch. 

The design could also include a space for a public library if required. This would be subject to public engagement which will take place in February. 

The building will have excellent environmental credentials and will be the council’s first all-through school Passivhaus building, with the aim of achieving Net Zero in operation and with a target of <800kg/CO2m2 of embodied carbon, and it is expected that the new school will be open to pupils in 2026.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “I’m delighted that the Welsh Government have approved our plans for a replacement building for Ysgol Bro Hyddgen.

“We believe that the preferred option will provide excellent education facilities for the next generation of learners. This option remains affordable within the current available funding envelope and protects the planned investment in other school sites elsewhere in the county.”

23 January 2023

Building new council homes while continuing to maintain the existing housing stock will be supported by a below-inflation rent increase, the county council has said.

Last week (Tuesday, January 17) Powys County Council’s Cabinet has agreed to increase council house rent by 5.36%, which equates to an average of £5.16 per week.

The increase is necessary to fund the service as well as allow the council to continue with its maintenance investment plans for the existing 5,500 council homes and to support a growing programme of building new council homes.

The rent increase will come in from April 2023.

Cllr James Gibson-Watt, Leader of Powys County Council, said: “Our growing programme of building new council homes and our maintenance investment plans for our existing council homes will help us build a stronger, fairer, greener Powys.

“This below-inflation rent increase will ensure that we can invest in our housing stock and while increasing the number of council houses in our communities by building high-quality council homes.

“The council would also like to acknowledge the Tenant Scrutiny Panel, who were consulted on the proposals and made a valuable contribution to the decision-making process.

“Council rents in Powys remain amongst the lowest of any landlord working in the county yet offer tenants the most security.”

Cabinet also approved new charges for services such as grounds maintenance, communal cleaning, heating, washing lines, tv aerials, sewerage treatment and fire safety work.

Rent for council garages will also increase by 84p per week.

19 January 2023

The proposed precept for Dyfed Powys Police will be put under scrutiny at the first meeting of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel in 2023.

Panel members will meet on January 27 to discuss the precept and challenge Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn on his budget plans for the coming year.

The panel, made up of members nominated by the four councils in the force area plus two independent members, has the power to approve or veto the proposed police precept.

Local policing is funded from a Home Office grant, as well as contributions from the public via the Council Tax, known as the police precept.

During the meeting Mr Llywelyn will inform the panel of the findings of a recent public consultation on police funding.

Panel Chair, Professor Ian Roffe, said: “We look forward to meeting with the Commissioner to discuss his proposed precept. Households across the country are feeling the strain of the cost of living crisis, therefore any increase in their taxes must be coupled with a reassurance that they will have good value for their money.”

Visit www.dppoliceandcrimepanel.wales for more information about the Panel, its membership, forthcoming meeting dates, agendas and webcasting links, as well as submitting questions for the Panel to put to the Commissioner.

Questions can be submitted online, or in writing at [email protected] at least 10 days before a meeting.

17 January 2023

Less than three weeks remain for people to give their views on plans to introduce a Welsh-medium stream at a south Powys primary school.

Powys County Council is proposing to move Ysgol y Cribarth in Abercraf along the language continuum by establishing a Welsh-medium stream at the school.

The school is currently an English-medium school providing education for pupils aged 4 to 11.

The proposed change would see a Welsh-medium stream introduced at Ysgol y Cribarth from September 2023, operating alongside the school’s English-medium stream.

The council is asking for views from the public on the proposal, who have until Monday, February 6, 2023 to provide their views.

Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “Since September 2021, Ysgol y Cribarth has operated a Welsh-medium Foundation Phase class on a pilot basis as part of a scheme that has been supported by the council.

“The class has continued to operate in the current academic year and there are currently 20 pupils in the Welsh-medium class.

“To provide continuity of provision for pupils attending the pilot provision and to provide clarity for the school going forward, the council has explored options for the school’s future language category with the aim of ensuring that Welsh-medium provision can continue to be offered at the school.

“This would ensure that all pupils in the area would have the opportunity to choose this provision, which would give them the opportunity to become fluent in Welsh and English and therefore contributing to the Welsh Government’s aspiration to achieve a million Welsh speakers by 2050.

“It would also support the council’s aims and aspirations as outlined in the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) for 2022-32 and the Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys.

“However, it is important that the school community of Ysgol y Cribarth and those living in the wider area have their say on these proposals. I would urge them to send their views so that they can be considered.”

To respond to the consultation, visit Transforming Education and follow the links to give your views online.

Alternatively, you can respond to us in writing by emailing [email protected] or via post at Transforming Education Team, Powys County Council, County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, LD1 5LG.

To find out more about Welsh-medium education in Powys, visit Destination bilingual.

17 January 2023

There is still time for members of the public who visit a north Powys canal to give their views on the canal before a major restoration project begins.

As part of the Montgomery Canal Restoration Project, three surveys are being held to find out the current views of people who visit Montgomery Canal.

The surveys are being carried out by Glandŵr Cymru (the Canal & River Trust in Wales) and Powys County Council, who are delivering the ambitious project to restore and revitalise parts of the Montgomery Canal. The two organisations were successful in securing almost £14m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund for the project.

The three baseline surveys are being held before restoration works begin. The surveys are:

The surveys will close on 31 January 2023.

The survey results will help the Trust and Council understand what people currently think of Montgomery Canal and Y Lanfa, how often they visit and the purpose of their visits. The Trust and Council will carry out other surveys as the project progresses and at the end of the project.

Cllr David Selby, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys, said: “The Montgomery Canal Restoration Project will make a substantial contribution towards the wider, phased restoration of the Montgomery Canal, that when fully completed, will provide long-term economic, cultural, wellbeing and recreational benefits for local communities.

“However, it is important that we seek the views of the local community and visitors to Montgomery Canal and Y Lanfa to understand their current thoughts, how often they visit and the purpose of their visit.  I would urge visitors to the Montgomery Canal and local residents to use this opportunity to make their opinions known by completing this survey.”

Jason Leach, Head of External Programme Delivery at Glandŵr Cymru (the Canal & River Trust in Wales), said: “The next phase of the restoration of the Montgomery Canal will bring many benefits to the community but it’s important we understand how local people use the canal and why they come to visit.

“We know that being by water is good for our mental and physical health so it’s wonderful that this next step of this restoration project is going ahead. Our canals have been reinvented as a place for people to spend their leisure time, get fit, enjoy the outdoors, and feel healthier so come for a visit.”

For more information on the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund in Powys, including the Montgomery Canal Restoration Project, visit UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund

For general enquiries regarding the Levelling Up Fund in Powys, please email [email protected]

12 January 2023

Powys County Council’s new Progressive Partnership has today published its draft budget for 2023/24.

It balances the need to deliver sound services at an affordable cost and protects the most vulnerable in society, while continuing the council’s journey towards its goal of net zero carbon by 2030.

Council Leader, Cllr James Gibson-Watt said: “This has been the most difficult budget-setting process the county council has ever experienced.  The impact of over 10% cost inflation, the consequent need to increase staff pay to meet the cost of living crisis and a huge increase in demand for social care as a result of flu, Covid-19 and the crisis in the NHS, have combined to create an extremely difficult position.

“But after a lot of detailed work and a better-than-expected grant settlement from the Welsh Government we have been able to limit the proposed council tax increase to 3.8% for council services, well below the current rate of inflation, with a further 1.2% to cover the unprecedented increase in the Fire & Rescue Authority annual levy imposed on the council.”

The view was endorsed by Deputy Leader Cllr Matthew Dorrance, who said: “As a new Administration we said we would be stronger, fairer and greener and this budget delivers on all of those themes. We have focused on protecting services such as our libraries and roads; and sustaining funding for those services that support people at this most difficult of times, while implementing measures to cut energy costs and take us closer to net zero.”

Cllr David Thomas, Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation, said: “The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement made it clear that all councils will face a worse funding crisis in two years time and it is vital that we move the council to a position from which it can successfully meet that challenge. This budget achieves that and gives us a stable position to undertake a major review of council services to prepare them for the future.”

Cllr James Gibson-Watt added: “The economic turmoil produced by Brexit and the UK Government’s actions last Autumn has left a legacy that means that we cannot continue with business as usual. It has been a hard task for Cabinet colleagues to balance the books for the coming year.

“We now begin the even harder challenge, working with our local communities and partner organisations, to protect future services while delivering balanced budgets in the face of a hugely unstable future.”