WALES is set for a historic overhaul of how its water is managed, regulated and delivered, following the publication of the Independent Water Commission Report.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies told the Senedd on Tuesday (Oct 21) that the Welsh Government would act on the report’s findings, describing the reforms as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to build a fairer, more sustainable and transparent water system.

“This is a moment to do things differently – and to do them better,” he said. “Our current water system does not work as well as it should for people or for the environment. People are rightly worried about their water bills and the state of our waterways. That has to change. This is a golden opportunity to clean up our rivers and seas, deliver better value for Welsh bill-payers, and build a water system that’s accountable, transparent, and designed in Wales, for Wales.”

New independent regulator

Among the Commission’s main recommendations is the creation of a new, stand-alone economic regulator for water in Wales. The regulator would also take on water system planning functions, providing a more integrated and responsive approach to regulation.

The Welsh Government has confirmed it will move forward with this proposal, saying the new body will strengthen public confidence and support long-term investment in environmental protection and infrastructure.

A consultation will be launched later this year to shape the new regulatory model and ensure it reflects Welsh priorities.

Powers and accountability

The Deputy First Minister also announced that the Welsh Government will seek new powers for the Senedd. If agreed, Wales would, for the first time, be able to legislate independently for the water industry, aligning regulation and planning entirely within Welsh borders.

The reforms aim to set a clear national direction for water management — linking supply, resilience, and environmental goals with Wales’s wider commitments to public health and prosperity.

Moving away from competition

The proposed Welsh approach marks a shift from the competition-led model inherited before devolution. Instead, it would be based on sustainability, affordability and fairness — ensuring that long-term planning and accountability remain central.

To support a smooth transition, a shared plan will be developed with the UK Government, outlining the route towards the new system. Interim measures, including a Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and other regulators, will maintain stability during the changeover.

Mr Irranca-Davies added: “Reforming the water sector is a complex, long-term task — but it’s also an opportunity to create a better system and show what devolution can achieve. By working together — with the UK Government, regulators, water companies, and communities across Wales — we can build a water sector that delivers for our environment, our economy and our people for decades to come.”

Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and the Environment, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, said: “Since Labour came into power in Westminster, Environment Agency figures show that serious water pollution incidents have increased compared with the UK Conservative Government in 2023.

“Considering NRW has been run by Labour since its inception and the number of serious pollution incidents by Dŵr Cymru has tripled since 2016, I do not hold out much hope for this new regulator or the collaboration with the UK Labour Government.

“After 26 years of mismanaging waterways in Wales, a new regulator will not fix their inability to tackle water pollution in Wales and just like with UK Labour’s misguided energy plans, these plans will do nothing to stop water bill rises.”

The Welsh Government will publish its full vision for water reform later this year, inviting views from customers, businesses, regulators and the wider public.

The exhilarating sport of F1 draws more than 750 million fans—myself included—making it one of the most popular out there. Many of those who enjoy watching F1 cars speed by also like to heighten their experience by placing a bet on which car will be the first to see the chequered flag—it’s a great way to add extra suspense to those all-important pit stops and close overtakes. 

One of the ways I like to make my life easier is by using an affiliate like Irishluck to find me the best F1 betting options—saving time and allowing me to get straight into the fun. You can’t just pick a random affiliate and decide to trust every recommendation they make though. It’s important to first conduct a little research to make sure they’re worth using. 

What Do I Want to See From Irishluck? 

There were a couple of factors (or clues) I was on the lookout for in this investigation; let’s take a look at them in more detail. 

• Range of F1 Betting Sites—right out of the blocks I checked to see that Irishluck offered a wide choice of F1 betting sites with variety in terms of things like bonuses and payment methods. 
• Quality of Sites—having loads of options is all good and dandy, but it’s even more important that they’re really carefully chosen. I wanted to see a strict selection process that considered things like customer service, payment methods, and bonuses. 
• Helpfulness of Content—I carefully examined a wide sample of Irishluck’s reviews to see if they were up to par and clearly covered everything I wanted to know. 
• Team Credibility—last, but definitely not least, I looked at the team behind Irishluck and whether they had the relevant experience I was looking for. I tend to look for concrete experience in terms of former roles and publications. 

So, now that we know what I was looking for from Irishluck, let’s see how they compared. I gave each factor a mark out of five stars, depending on how well the comparison site performed; let’s get started! 

Range of F1 Betting Sites—4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It quite literally took me a matter of seconds to locate the F1 betting sites on offer at Irishluck, as they can be found under their individual section through the heading ‘Sports Betting Sites’. Right away, they offer 21 betting sites to choose from, and they included a really detailed toplist to help me pick the perfect one for me. They highlight the top features, best bonus, and expert rating of each site, so I could tell at a glance which looked to be the best option for what I was interested in. 

The second thread to this factor was looking at the variety in the sites. I’m pleased to report they impressed in this category as well, with a good choice of bonuses. I was able to find all the sorts I would expect to see, like deposit bonus, free bets, and cashback. It was also good to see that the sites on Irishluck accept a wide range of payment methods—including cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller. 

Why Did I Mark the Range at Irishluck Down Half a Star? 

Now, this could be me being a bit greedy, but I would like to see a couple more options on offer at Irishluck in the future. While 21 sites is by no means awful, I’d still like to have a few more to choose from, just to make sure I can pick the one that completely meets all my criteria. 

Quality of Sites—5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When it comes to selecting their betting sites, I have absolutely no notes for Irishluck, as they already have an incredibly thorough process in place. They consider 13 separate factors, including things like payment methods, bonuses, customer service, and security. 

Honestly, all of those are factors I would expect to see at a comparison site, but Irishluck also considers a few more niche things. The first of those is the signup process for a site. They look at whether opening an account with a site is overly complicated or long. As someone who has been suckered in by a flashy deal, only to have my signup scuppered by a really unnecessarily complicated process, it was great to see Irishluck take this into account. 

How Does Irishluck Go Above and Beyond When Selecting Sites? 

When you take a quick look at their process, it comes as little surprise that Irishluck have spent 12,960 hours analysing casinos. Their methods go way beyond any others I’ve seen, and they actually use statistical formulas to determine whether a site is worth recommending; That includes the likes of the Wilson Score Interval and Bayesian Averages—both of which look at the number of reviews as well as their star rating. 

Helpfulness of Content—4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The quality of the reviews surrounding the F1 betting sites available at Irishluck is second to none, and I was hugely impressed by the amount of research and detail that went into crafting them. I read a good sample of the F1 reviews and was pleased to see they mentioned absolutely everything I could want to know; whether I wanted more in-depth information on the payment options, bonuses, or security of a site, they had me covered. 

Compared to other sites I’ve used in the past, Irishluck’s reviews are nowhere near as overwhelming or content-dense. Instead, I actually found them really easy to digest, and I think a lot of that is down to their use of things like lists and tables. One of the things I really enjoyed was that they walked me through how to claim a bonus or set up an account at a site step-by-step—making it much easier to understand. 

Why Didn’t I Give Irishluck a Five for Content? 

There’s only one real problem for me when it comes to the content available at Irishluck, which is that there aren’t reviews for all the betting sites yet. When I was scrolling through their toplist, I was disappointed to see that not all the options had an expert review linked. Given their high quality and how helpful I found them in guiding me towards the right site, that’s quite a big absence, and one I would like to see rectified soon. 

Team Credibility—5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The team behind Irishluck continued the theme of impressing me, as they have over 50 years of combined experience in the industry! It was obvious when reading their profiles that they all know exactly what they’re talking about, so I felt like I was in the best hands for recommendations. 

Irishluck’s Standout Team Members

As their resident specialist, Siobhan Aslett was Irishluck’s standout team member when it came to sports betting. Her CV is stacked full of impressive experiences—including almost a decade in the industry and experience working at some of the biggest online betting sites in the business. 

It was also clear that Siobhan knows her onions when it comes to different sports, given her Degree in Sports Nutrition from the University of Exeter. When I read her content, I felt like her knowledge was really clear but also well-balanced, with a care for bettors that made it refreshingly honest. 

Is Irishluck the Place to Go to Find F1 Betting? 

Irishluck certainly took pole position for me when it came to affiliate sites to find F1 betting at—putting on a strong display across all the factors I examined. To kick off, it was easy to find their options through their clear, individual sections. I also found their toplist really helpful in guiding me to the right site for me, and when I needed a little more information—or was just plain curious!—I just had to check out their comprehensive expert reviews to learn everything I needed to know. 

Where Irishluck really kicks it into sixth gear, though, is with the expertise of their team, which is easily one of the most impressive I’ve ever evaluated. They have half a century worth of experience! That’s why, overall, I’ve awarded Irishluck a super impressive rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to other players! 

A FORMER Pembrokeshire dairy farmer and his wife have opened a new houseplant centre and botanical-themed coffee shop in Pembroke, supported by a £20,000 Start Up Loan.

Husband-and-wife duo Kristian (35) and Beckie Howell (31), both from Pembrokeshire, are behind Vine & Vibe, a new 6,000 sq ft indoor houseplant centre and café designed to bring an inclusive, wellbeing-focused space to the region’s retail and hospitality offering.

Housed in a converted commercial greenhouse, the venture is the result of both a personal and entrepreneurial journey. In 2017, Kristian sustained a life-changing spinal cord injury that ended his career in dairy farming and left him reliant on a wheelchair. The couple’s shared interest in gardening, sustainability, and mental wellbeing became the catalyst for launching their own business.

“After Kris’s accident, we had to completely rethink our future,” said Beckie. “Caring for houseplants gave me purpose, and for Kris, growing vegetables helped him reconnect with the land. Vine & Vibe grew from that shared passion, and now we’re turning it into something that can benefit others too.”

Vine & Vibe has been designed with accessibility in mind, including step-free access, wide walkways and low café tables. To help visitors plan their trip, the couple are launching a dedicated accessibility section on their website, complete with images and videos, so customers can decide for themselves if the space will work for their needs.

Renovating the disused greenhouse with reclaimed materials, the couple have undertaken much of the build themselves. The Start Up Loan funding has enabled them to kit out the café, invest in accessible furniture, stock their first plant collections, and bring in specialist trades where needed.

“We’ve worked hard to source ethically and locally wherever possible,” said Kristian. “Our coffee comes from Capital Roasters, just 1.5 miles away, and we’re working with them to develop our own flavour profile. The café will also serve seasonal drinks like yuzu lavender and strawberry basil iced lattes to make the experience unique.”

“The Start Up Loan gave us the platform to take our vision from idea to reality,” he added. “It’s been transformational.”

“Being on a low income and reliant on disability benefits meant that traditional lenders simply weren’t an option for us,” said Beckie. “We knew we had a strong idea and the determination to make it work, but we needed someone to take a chance on us. The Start Up Loan gave us that opportunity – not just with the funding, but providing the support and advice to help us understand cash flow and business planning too. Without it, Vine & Vibe wouldn’t be happening.”

Vine & Vibe stock a wide range of houseplants and botanical-themed homewares, and the coffee shop offers sweet treats and specialist drinks served in a lush, indoor tropical setting. Longer term, Beckie and Kris hope the business will become a go-to local hub for plant lovers and coffee drinkers alike – and an example of how thoughtful design can make spaces more welcoming to more people.

“Vine & Vibe is a great example of the power of entrepreneurial thinking in rural Wales,” said Jessica Phillips-Harris, Senior Manager for Wales at the British Business Bank. “Beckie and Kris are building something that’s sustainable, community-focused and rooted in their local area, and we’re proud to have supported them.”

Start Up Loans is a subsidiary of the UK’s economic development bank, British Business Bank. The Start Up Loans programme provides personal loans for business purposes of up to £25,000 at a 6% fixed interest rate per annum and offers free dedicated mentoring and support to each business.