News

• £10 million in Transforming Towns funding has been approved for regeneration projects across Wales, with Wrexham receiving £5 million of the total investment. 

• The Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning met with local artists at Tŷ Pawb to hear about their experiences of working and growing their businesses within the creative hub. 

• This funding delivers on the priorities set out by the Town Centre Taskforce, helping to create communities across Wales where people want to live, work and visit. 

• Members have been appointed to the Welsh Government's Town Centre Taskforce, bringing expertise from business, planning, housing and local government. 
• Alongside co-Chairs Professor Simon Gibson CBE and Tamsin Ramasut, members will consider the challenges and opportunities facing town centres across Wales and help develop practical, evidence-informed recommendations for Welsh Ministers. 

• This work builds on recent support for high streets, including a 30% business rates cut for eligible hospitality and leisure venues from 1 April 2027, with the Taskforce’s recommendations expected early next year. 

• Welsh Government announces the creation of the Wales Interim Measures Alarm Grant. 

• From 1 October 2026, the fund will ease the burden of expensive interim measures costs, potentially saving residents in eligible buildings hundreds of pounds each month. 

• Some leaseholders may also be entitled to refunds if they have already paid for alarms to be installed. 

• The Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) have renewed the Strategic Partnership Agreement, reaffirming their joint commitment to trusted partnership, fair funding and reducing bureaucracy. 

• The renewed Agreement, launched at the WLGA Conference, reflects the priorities of the new Welsh Government while building on the strong foundations of the original Agreement. 

• The Welsh Government is providing more than £2.3 million through the Housing with Care Fund to support new housing and care projects in Caerphilly and Carmarthenshire.

• The funding will allow more people with care and support needs to live independently in their own communities, avoid unnecessary hospital stays and return home sooner.

• The investment supports an integrated approach to housing, health and social care.

The Welsh Government has commissioned new research by the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) to review the formula used to distribute funding to local authorities in Wales. 

The Welsh Government has launched a public consultation as part of a major revision of the National Development Framework – which sets out how places, communities, infrastructure and natural resources should be planned and managed through the planning system in Wales.  

• Tamsin Ramasut and Professor Simon Gibson CBE announced as co-chairs for the Town Centre Taskforce  

• £1 million of new funding announced for town centre regeneration projects in Bangor and Bridgend  

• The taskforce has been established as a 100-day Government commitment  

The Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Siân Gwenllian, has issued the following statement in response to the recent incident at Gwaelod-y-garth.

• The Welsh Government is extending three schemes that help with the costs of buying or renovating homes until the end of the 2026/27 financial year
• Up to 400 households could be offered help through Help to Buy – Wales, while the Help to Stay - Wales scheme will continue to provide a safety net for homeowners struggling to keep up with mortgage payments
• Support for up to 300 empty and neglected properties to be renovated and brought back into use as safe, energy-efficient family homes through the Empty Homes Grant.

The Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Siân Gwenllian, has issued the following update on wildfire incidents across Wales.

The Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Siân Gwenllian, has issued the following statement in response to the ongoing wildfire incidents across Wales.