Households and businesses could benefit from cheaper, low-carbon heating under expanded UK Government scheme

HOUSEHOLDS and businesses in Wales are set to gain access to new funding for low-carbon heat networks, in a move ministers say will help cut bills, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and support clean energy jobs.

The UK Government announced on Monday (Apr 7) that the Green Heat Network Fund is being extended to Wales. The scheme, which already supports projects in England, will now back Welsh developments aimed at providing lower-cost heating through cleaner, centralised energy systems.

Ministers said the expansion would help protect consumers from volatile fossil fuel prices, while supporting the wider push for clean, homegrown energy.

The fund forms part of a wider programme expected to invest £195m a year in heat network projects across England and Wales for the rest of the decade.

Heat networks provide heating and hot water to multiple buildings from a central source. These systems can use low-carbon sources such as heat pumps, surplus heat from factories and data centres, or even energy recovered from sewage systems.

The UK Government said the move could create hundreds of jobs in Wales, with opportunities for engineers, architects and construction workers as the sector grows.

Energy Consumers Minister Martin McCluskey said: “We are determined to fight people’s corner in this crisis, as we recognise cost-of-living concerns will be at the forefront of people’s minds.

“Welsh households and businesses will be able to benefit from low-cost, low-carbon heat networks, protecting them from volatile fossil fuel prices we don’t control.”

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: “The expansion of UK Government funding of low-cost heat networks to Wales is good news for billpayers and is just one of a range of measures we are taking to tackle the cost of living.

“We are lowering energy bills by up to £117 for households as well as reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuel to bring down bills and put more money into people’s pockets.

“Wales will also benefit from the new jobs that will be created in our growing green energy sector.”

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning Rebecca Evans also welcomed the announcement.

She said: “As recent events have shown, it is vital that we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and find new ways to heat our homes and buildings in a way which supports energy security and resilience.

“I’m pleased that organisations in Wales will be able to access this funding to support the development of heat networks, ultimately benefiting from lower heating bills.”

According to the government, there are already more than 500,000 heat network customers across Britain.

The announcement also follows recent changes to consumer protection rules. Earlier this year, Ofgem became the regulator for heat networks, bringing customers in England, Scotland and Wales more into line with those on traditional gas and electricity supplies.

Under the new arrangements, Ofgem can intervene where operators raise prices unfairly or provide poor service. Customers affected by outages may also be entitled to compensation through the Energy Ombudsman.

Aaron Gould, interim chief executive of ADE: Heat Networks, said Wales had strong potential for growth in the sector.

He said: “There is enormous potential for heat networks to grow in Wales, bringing low-cost, low-carbon heat, and jobs.

“Excellent work has been done by the Welsh Government to map priority areas, and align network plans with local ambitions. The government and sector in Wales is ready for massive growth, and extending GHNF to support these communities is a key step to a cleaner future.”

One example already backed in England is a £15m heat network in Sunderland, which will recover energy from a data centre to heat buildings across the city and is expected to create almost 300 jobs and apprenticeships.

Referee Martin Jones says Eluned Morgan’s visit to a community that recently backed Reform UK showed leadership willing to listen rather than hide away

FIRST MINISTER Eluned Morgan has been praised for visiting Hakin over the bank holiday weekend, with local referee Martin Jones saying her appearance showed a willingness to engage with communities where the political tide may be turning.

In a social media post after attending the Pembrokeshire League title decider, Jones said it would have been easy for senior politicians to avoid areas where support had “clearly shifted”, but argued Morgan deserved credit for doing the opposite.

His remarks come after Hakin, part of Milford Haven, elected a Reform UK county councillor, Scott Thorley, in a result seen by some as a sign of changing political sentiment in the area.

Jones wrote that Morgan’s visit “stood out” because it showed “a willingness to engage, not retreat”.

He also praised the First Minister’s approach on the day, saying her attendance did not feel like a staged appearance.

According to Jones, Morgan stayed at the event, spoke with local people, listened to what they had to say, and took time to connect with both matchgoers and residents.

He was also complimentary about the presence of members of her team, including Marc Tierney, saying it was encouraging to see political figures engaging directly with the public rather than keeping their distance.

Jones said that, regardless of political allegiance, leadership should still be prepared to show up in person and hear what communities are thinking.

In his post, he described Morgan’s visit as “refreshingly real” and said it mattered to see politicians “turning up, listening, and being present” at a time when many political conversations can feel remote from everyday life.

The visit took place at a high-profile local football fixture over the Easter bank holiday weekend, drawing a sizeable crowd and giving the First Minister the chance to meet residents in an informal setting.

While political divisions remain sharp across Wales, Jones’s comments suggest that personal engagement on the ground can still cut through, even in places where parties face a more uncertain reception than they once did.

The First Minister was also spotted at St Davids Cathedral on Easter Sunday.

Photo caption:

First Minister Eluned Morgan speaks with local referee Martin Jones during her visit to Hakin over the bank holiday weekend (Pic: Martin Jones).

Council says safety repairs remain on programme but traffic lights will stay in place as major bridge scheme moves into next phase

TRAFFIC delays on the busy road between Neyland and Burton are set to continue into late April, with Pembrokeshire County Council confirming that ongoing bridge repairs are still underway and unlikely to finish before the end of the month.

The update came after The Herald asked for clarification following concerns from a reader about the pace of the work and whether the original target of completion by the second week of April would be met.

In response, the council said the works now underway are essential safety repairs to replace the bridge’s original parapet railings, which are more than 50 years old.

Officials said the parapet replacement is expected to be completed in the week commencing Monday (Apr 20). After that, contractors will begin replacing the bridge surfacing, which is expected to take around a week and will also require traffic management.

The final stage of the project will involve replacing the bridge movement joints. Those works are due to be carried out at night and, according to the council, will not require daytime traffic management.

Pembrokeshire County Council said the current lane closure and traffic lights are necessary to protect workers on site, adding that the only alternative would have been a full road closure.

The authority said that while a closure might have shortened the scheme by a few weeks, it would have caused greater disruption overall and risked damage to diversion routes.

The council also explained that the job is more complicated than a routine bridge repair because the parapet plinths are around 100mm narrower than modern standards. That has meant a special parapet railing system has been needed, with only one accredited supplier in the UK able to provide it.

The supplier, the council said, has committed all available resources to the scheme, but site constraints and the required sequence of works mean each side of the bridge takes several weeks to complete.

It also said there are very few trained and accredited operatives able to carry out the specialist work, meaning night-time, 24-hour or weekend working was not possible.

On the issue of delays, the council said the traffic lights are manually controlled on working days between 7:00am and 6:00pm, with contractors instructed to adjust timings at peak periods to improve traffic flow where possible.

However, with the A477 carrying more than 13,000 vehicles a day, the council acknowledged that delays at busy times are unavoidable.

A spokesperson said: “We fully understand that having traffic lights on the highway network is inconvenient and frustrating for road users and apologise for the delays experienced.”

The council added that, despite the extremely wet weather this year, the scheme remains on programme.