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Welsh Government Announces Business Rate Support for Retailers
On Friday 17th February the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Mark Drakeford AM announced an extra £10 million from Welsh Government to help high street retailers, pubs and restaurants with their non-domestic rates. Some details have now been announced & more are expected to follow in the next few weeks. Here is the link to the statement: Welsh Government announces details of High Street Rates Relief Scheme There are now a number of different scheme to support businesses in Wales in respect of business rates, these can be summarised as follows: Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) scheme which is already in place will remain the same until 31st March 2018 Transitional Rate Relief scheme (announced in December) will help ratepayers whose entitlement to SBRR is reduced or removed due to an increase in the rateable value of their premises following the revaluation which takes effect from 1st April 2017 One-year Targeted High Street Relief scheme announced last week is new and is in addition to the above schemes. Council’s Business Rates Teams do not yet have any further details on how this scheme will work and are awaiting an update from Welsh Government. Please note: Actual relief ascribed to each individual business will need to be calculated by the respective Local Authority’s Business Rates team. Business Rates in Wales are devolved so they differ from England, meaning that Small Business Rate Relief & Transitional Rate Relief will be different in Wales. From 1st April the appeals system in England is changing but the Welsh Government has yet…
Bargoed Town Centre Gazette – February 2017
Latest news for Caerphilly Town Centre, local community and Council offices.
Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company Creates a buzz
Social Enterprise Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company (SVHC) scooped the Pride in Your Place overall award. SVHC were recognised for their success in the innovative and ground breaking project bringing the importance of bees into the local schools. Honeybees are in crisis worldwide said SVHC founder, experienced beekeeper Lorne East Disease and climate change are decimating the numbers and impacting on the health of bee colonies. The knock-on effect of this decline is that our plants – most especially food crops – are not being pollinated as well as we might like them to be, and there is a real threat to our capacity to produce food. Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Pride in Your Place award ceremony was recently held at Blackwood Miners’ Institute to celebrate the environmental work undertaken by groups, schools and individual volunteers. The Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company clinched the overall award for their efforts in helping to stimulate local bee populations, as well as developing a honey education centre in Ynysddu. The education centre helps to teach groups of all ages can learn about the importance of pollinators in supporting a healthy food chain. Tyn-Y-Wern Primary with their award Other winners during the awards ceremony included: Environmental Champion – Mrs Daryl Resting for her work on litter clearance and bird box installations in and around the Caerphilly Basin Tyn Y Wern Primary – improving the local community with clean ups, planting and creating habitats for hedgehogs Fochriw Primary – salmon hatchery project Pengam Primary – making their school a more attractive place to learn and visit Cllr…
Caerphilly businesses help shape the future of the Valleys
Key business leaders from across the Caerphilly County Borough gathered at Tredomen Business Centre in Ystrad Mynach today to help the Welsh Government shape a new vision for the South Wales Valleys. The meeting was organised by the ‘Valleys Taskforce’, a newly-established group dedicated to developing and delivering a fresh approach to real change across the region. The Welsh Government has set up the group to focus on investment and jobs over the next five years. Over 50 people attended the event, hosted by Alun Davies AM, Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language. We had a great discussion with business leaders and other Taskforce members on opportunities for growth in the future. I’d like to thank all those who came along and I really enjoyed listening to businesses in Caerphilly shape the thinking of the Valleys Taskforce. said Alun Davies. Also in attendance was Cllr Ken James, Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration: We very much welcomed the opportunity to host the Minister and the Taskforce, as Caerphilly is a key strategic region located in the heart of the South Wales Valleys. It was encouraging to see so many business representatives in attendance and I’m sure the issues discussed at the event will provide the Taskforce with useful feedback and suggestions going forward. The Valleys Taskforce will build upon work previously undertaken in a more coordinated and targeted way which will meet the needs of the South Wales Valleys communities. It will learn from previous regeneration programmes in Wales, and further afield, to develop a fresh approach which matches…
Winter is on its Way
Over the next few days the weather forecasts are predicting a sharp fall in temperature, bringing with it the increased risk of snow and ice. Caerphilly County Borough Council is ready to respond to these types of adverse weather conditions and we will be paying particular attention to our town centres if there is heavy snow. We recognise the importance of keeping town centres ‘open for businesses’, particularly as they are key focal points for the community during periods of inclement weather. Each of our principal town centres have a number of yellow grit bins placed throughout the core retail areas and these are for use by local businesses to assist them in keeping the area outside their shops clear of ice and snow. If you notice that the grit level in any of the bins is low please contact the Council’s Customers Service Team on 01443 815588 / 01495 226622 and they will arranged for more grit to be delivered. The council has a detailed Winter Maintenance Plan in place which aims to keep the area’s main highway network open, as well as minimising disruption to key frontline services and protecting the vulnerable. Our fleet of gritters will pre-salt key strategic routes with priority given to the main ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads. The Council also tries to ensure, where possible, that access is maintained to residential accommodation for older people, education establishments, hospitals, doctors surgeries, town centres & major bus stations. Salt/grit box photo by Lee Haywood . True grit photo by Mary Hutchison .