The Leader provided an update on the Neath Port talbot £250 million adventure resort in the upper Afan Valley on the border with Bridgend County Borough, on the edge of the upper Llynfi valley. Intended to trigger a new wave of employment and tourism in the valleys, major works are taking place to prepare the site, and around £20 million will have been invested into the project by autumn 2023.

The Leader provided updates on the temporary closure of footpaths that would be required, the engagement with local residents that had taken place as well as the employment opportunities that would be created from the development.

A site meeting with all Llynfi Valley Members, Afan Valley Members and Wildfox Resorts will be arranged and Caerau members have been invited as the local members to a new quarterly stakeholder forum.

The Leader also provide an update on the Bus Transition Fund, which has been developed as part of a collaboration between local authorities, Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and the public transport industry.  The fund provides immediate financial support to bus operators in Wales so that vital services have been able to continue.

Plans are being revised as Welsh Government develop a longer term, sustainable funding model that bridges the gap to a franchising of services.

The Leader made reference to the recent incident in which a light aircraft crashed in shallow waters just 50 yards off Porthcawl’s Town Beach as well as the large tracts of land in the Garw Valley sadly destroyed by wildfire, recognising and thanking the various emergency services that had swiftly responded in both cases.

Finally, the Leader highlighted the deliberate nature of the wildfire and that of over 400 others and mentioned the work the Local Authority was doing alongside South Wales Police and South Wales Fire and Rescue urging residents to report any suspicious activity to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, and to follow some very simple rules that are designed to keep everybody safe by avoiding accidental fires.