IN a recent address to the Senedd, Cabinet Secretary Ken Skates unveiled a comprehensive three-phase plan aimed at refining the implementation of 20mph speed limits across Wales. This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance road safety in residential areas, particularly near schools, hospitals, and other sensitive sites.

Skates emphasised the Welsh Government’s commitment to incorporating the views of Welsh citizens directly into the decision-making process. “We’ve started by listening,” Skates stated, underscoring that the voice of the community is pivotal to the transport policy development. The approach includes a significant public engagement campaign set to run until July, where feedback will be sought from a diverse group of stakeholders including bus drivers, emergency service personnel, businesses, and local council representatives.

The Welsh Government plans to work in close collaboration with local authorities to assess and prepare for the proposed changes. This preparation will involve revising guidelines to determine which local roads might be exempt from the new speed limit, with an updated version expected to be published in July. Following this, councils will initiate detailed consultations from September to ensure community needs are fully addressed.

The phases of the plan as outlined by Skates include:

1. A robust national listening programme to gather input on road safety concerns from across the community.
2. A partnership with local authorities to prepare for the changes, encouraging public participation in identifying areas where the 20mph limit should be applied.
3. Implementation of the changes on the ground, with local authorities adjusting speed limits in accordance with new guidelines and community feedback.

The Cabinet Secretary reiterated the primary aim of the policy: “The principal objective is to save lives and reduce casualties on our roads. We continue to believe 20mph is the right speed limit in key community areas, and what I am doing now is listening to what people want for the roads in their communities, and pressing ahead with refining the policy.”

Skates also made it clear that the final decision on the extent of change would not solely rest with the Welsh Government but would significantly depend on the input from local authorities and the public. Information on how residents can participate in this consultation process will be provided on the Welsh Government’s website, ensuring that all community voices can contribute to shaping the future of their local transport policies.

NATURAL Resources Wales (NRW) has taken further enforcement action at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire, setting out the urgent steps its operators must take to address the site’s ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues.
NRW has issued site operators Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice, which requires the operator to deliver a series of actions by specified deadlines – the first due to be achieved by April 21.

The actions include implementing measures relating to gas management infrastructure, further capping areas of the site, and improving interim cover arrangements as the work progresses.

Each step outlined in the Notice must be completed by May 14.

However, the Notice stipulates that most works must be completed before May 8.

The measures are intended to address the odour issues experienced by communities surrounding the site.

Although actions set out in the Section 36 Notice issued in February to prepare and cap a waste cell and install gas infrastructure to contain and collect landfill gases appear to have been completed, the site operator has identified further areas of the site which could be causing problems.

RML submitted their plans to resolve these issues last week.

The proposed solutions informed the actions included in a new S36 notice issued last week.

The new enforcement activity requires the operator to deliver the additional steps they need to take.

If the actions outlined in this new Notice are not complied with, NRW will not hesitate to take further action. The Welsh Government agency will consider all the regulatory tools available, including issuing a Section 37 suspension notice.

A Section 37 Notice would end operations at Withyhedge

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, NRW, said: “NRW is taking additional enforcement action to ensure RML Ltd. takes the urgent action they have identified needed to control the odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill.

“We fully understand the growing discontent from the affected communities, and we feel that it is unacceptable for residents and visitors to the area to continue to be affected by these odour and landfill gas emissions.

“We want to reassure everyone that we are committed to ensuring RML Ltd. deliver the actions they have identified and that they work quickly to resolve this issue.

“While the pressing work required by the operator progresses over the coming days and weeks, the site remains under investigation, and we will continue our regulatory presence.

“Nothing is off the table. If the series of actions required in this Notice are not complied with, we will have no hesitation to take further enforcement action, considering every option available to us under the regulations, including suspending the environmental permit if appropriate.”

Will Bramble, Pembrokeshire County Council Chief Executive, said: “We are extremely disappointed that RML, the company managing the Withyhedge landfill site, has not delivered the necessary action to stop the completely unacceptable odour emissions.

“We fully support NRW’s additional enforcement action and continue to work closely with them to correct the situation.

“We also support NRW’s intent to take further action should it fail to meet the May 14 deadline, including considering suspending the permit.

“Geotechnology is monitoring under the direction of the air quality cell and liaising directly with residents affected.

“We will ensure the data is made available to the public at the earliest opportunity.”

The controversy over £200,000 in donations to Vaughan Gething’s Labour leadership campaign by companies linked to Withyhedge and a further substantial personal donation by company director David Neal continues to dog Wales’s new First Minister.

As revelations continue to bubble up from under the cap that Mr Gething has tried placing on them, the smell from Withyhedge has reached Cardiff Bay. It is beginning to stink out the Senedd.

More details of that story are elsewhere in this week’s Herald.

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge.

A 72-YEAR-OLD Pembrokeshire man has appeared before magistrates charged with 17 sexual offences against children under the age of 14.

The Crown Prosecution alleges that between May 2004 and April 2007 Robert Hughes of The Close, Spittal, sexually assaulted three girls on eight separate occasions, by touching. At the time of the alleged offences, the girls were aged under 13.

Hughes faces nine additional charges of gross indecency against four girls under the age of 14, allegedly committed between October 1998 and October 2004.

The Crown alleges that all offences took place in Haverfordwest,

Hughes denied all 17 charges when he appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on Tuesday via a video link from his home.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction in the matter. Trial proceedings against Hughes will now commence at Swansea Crown Court on May 24.

Hughes was granted conditional bail, the conditions being that he does not contact the four complainants nor the Prosecution witnesses. He must also notify the police if he changes his address and must have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18.