Welsh Headlines β 21 Sep 2026
π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ Welsh News Headlines β 21 September 2026
Monday morning roundup Β· Wales-only Β· compiled from BBC Wales, BBC Cymru Fyw, BBC Wales Politics, BBC Sport Wales, Nation.Cymru, GOV.WALES, The Guardian, BBC Weather, WalesOnline
π΄ Top Story: Gwynedd's visitor levy decision delayed after 6,856 responses
Gwynedd looks set to postpone its decision on introducing a visitor levy β the tourism tax that would make it the first Welsh council to use the new power β after a public consultation drew 6,856 responses, far more than neighbours Anglesey (2,000) and Conwy (1,300).
A report to Cyngor Gwynedd says it is "not currently in a position to make a decision", having received "clear legal advice that it is not possible to proceed with a decision on the levy in September, 2026" as originally intended, because it had not been possible to analyse and consider all the responses in time.
The levy was due to be discussed at a full council meeting on Thursday 24 September, where the report asks members to accept the delay and receive a fuller report later. The council must give the Welsh Revenue Authority 12 months' notice, and there are only two windows a year to do so β 1 April or 1 October β which had been aimed at collection from 1 October 2027.
- The response in numbers: 48.7% of Gwynedd residents supported the levy, 43.5% opposed; only 14.7% of businesses supported against 79.5% opposed; 10.7% of visitors supported against 79.9% opposed. Taken together, 22.7% backed it and 68.5% opposed.
- The consultation ran 20 May to 26 July 2026 and was extended by 11 days at the request of the Gwynedd and Eryri 2035 Partnership.
- Proposed rates β 75p + VAT for hostels, shared rooms and tent pitches, Β£1.30 + VAT for most other accommodation.
(BBC Wales β Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter, 20 Sep; Nation.Cymru, 21 Sep; BBC Cymru Fyw, 22 hours ago.)
ποΈ Senedd & Politics
βοΈ Wales' 2,600 coal tips: who makes them safe, who pays
Nearly 2,600 disused coal tips are monitored across Wales β 368 of them assessed as having the potential to affect public safety β and a new safety regime is about to change who is responsible, and at whose cost.
A new analysis by Dr Matthew Sutton of Senedd Research sets out the shift after the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act 2025, which creates a Disused Tips Authority for Wales from April 2027.
- Three quarters of all disused coal tips are in the south Wales Valleys, along with 93% of those in the highest-risk C and D categories. There may also be more than 20,000 non-coal tips.
- The new authority will be headquartered in Merthyr Tydfil, employ up to 77 staff, keep a register, monitor stability, carry out a preliminary assessment of every disused tip and require management plans for the highest-risk sites β with powers to force landowners to stabilise tips, and to step in itself.
- Who pays is still contested. The First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth told the Senedd in June: "The mining industry, of course, predates devolution, so we're clearly of the view that it's the UK Government that should foot that bill." The Welsh Government's 2021 estimate for coal tip remediation was at least Β£600m over 15 years. The UK Government put Β£25m towards Welsh coal tip remediation in 2025-26 and has committed the equivalent of Β£39.3m a year from 2026 to 2029; a Welsh multi-year scheme allocates Β£81.6m to Natural Resources Wales and ten councils over the same period.
- The Climate Change Committee calls disused tips an "urgent present-day climate risk", naming south Wales as the highest-risk part of the UK, and proposes a UK-wide target for the most dangerous tips to be assessed and adapted by 2035.
- Precedent: Aberfan in 1966 (116 children and 28 adults killed), with more recent landslips at Tylorstown (2020) and Cwmtillery (2024). Remediation also has a reuse angle β Parc Penallta's Sultan the Pit Pony, plus potential mine-water heat networks and methane capture.
(Nation.Cymru feature, 19 Sep β analysis of Senedd Research material.)
π Poll analysis: Plaid leads β but the Senedd and Westminster pictures are diverging
The latest YouGov/Barn Cymru poll for ITV Cymru Wales has Plaid Cymru on 32% in Senedd voting intention, ahead of Reform on 27% β but the bigger movement is at Westminster level, where Labour has more than doubled its support.
- Senedd VI: Plaid 32%, Reform 27%, Labour 13%, Conservatives 11%, Greens 7%, Lib Dems 5% β remarkably close to May's election result (Plaid 35.4%/43 seats, Reform 29.3%/34 seats).
- Westminster VI: Plaid 27%, Reform 19%, Labour 18%, Conservatives 16%, Greens 8%, Lib Dems 5%. Against YouGov's May poll, Labour is up 10 points from 8% and Reform down seven from 26% β the "Burnham bounce".
- 45% said new PM Andy Burnham is doing a good job. The fieldwork, however, was completed before Reform's Welsh turmoil this week.
- Dr Jac Larner (Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre): "Labour will take heart from generally positive views of Andy Burnham⦠but the party's Senedd group may be less pleased: that boost shows little sign of transferring to devolved-level support during what should be a honeymoon period."
(Nation.Cymru β Mark Mansfield, 20 Sep; analysis of the poll first reported in the 16 Sep roundup.)
π Wild animal welfare consultation opens today
The Welsh Government's White Paper consultation on seals and hare coursing opens on 21 September and closes at midnight on 19 October 2026. (GOV.WALES, flagged in today's UK file; no fresh GOV.WALES release carried it overnight.)
βοΈ Wales Humanists: scrap compulsory worship in schools
Wales Humanists has urged the Senedd's Children, Young People and Education Committee to review the law on collective worship in the Seventh Senedd.
- Schools in Wales without a religious character are legally required to provide a daily act of broadly Christian collective worship, a requirement dating back to 1944.
- The group wants that replaced with inclusive assemblies covering shared values, ethical questions and significant events, and says changing Welsh Government guidance would not address the underlying legal duty.
- Kathy Riddick, Wales Humanists policy and campaigns manager: "Children should not have to choose between taking part in religious worship they do not share, and being separated from their classmates."
(Nation.Cymru, 20 Sep.)
β»οΈ Environment
β»οΈ Good recycling habits at home aren't following people out of the door
New research from WRAP's Annual Tracker Survey 2026 shows 94% of people in Wales say they recycle household waste regularly β but only 61% say they recycle "very often" at work, falling to 45% among college and university students.
- More than two years after Wales' workplace recycling law (April 2024) required organisations to separate paper and card, glass, metal, plastic and food waste, the survey found access still varies: only 30% had seen lots of recycling facilities at work and 20% could not recall seeing any; among students, 38% could not recall seeing any.
- Angela Spiteri, senior marketing manager at WRAP: "Being a great recycler at home doesn't necessarily mean those habits follow us when we leave the house." Cardiff University is among the organisations working with WRAP Cymru to improve student recycling.
(Nation.Cymru β Mark Mansfield, 21 Sep.)
π Illegal off-road vehicles to be seized "on the spot"
Police say drivers causing anti-social behaviour or damaging protected habitats will have their vehicles seized without notice β with a warning of "a long walk home" for offenders.
- PC Eryl Lloyd, of North Wales Police's rural crime team (seconded to Natural Resources Wales), said his team had "definitely seen an increase in off-roading incidents" β and that e-bikes are now causing the same damage as motorbikes.
- The change follows August's convictions of John Robinson, Michael Williams and Joseph Hodgson, part of a seven-vehicle convoy that drove from Liverpool to the Berwyn SSSI and caused "irreversible" peat and bog damage filmed on TikTok. Robinson and Williams were fined more than Β£2,000 each and banned for two months; Hodgson must pay Β£1,000 compensation and is barred from the Berwyn site for three years.
- The Welsh-language Cymru Fyw report quotes Lloyd blaming social media for the rise in offending.
(BBC Wales β Brendon Williams, 20 Sep, updated 3 hours ago today; BBC Cymru Fyw, 3 hours ago.)
π Crime & Justice
π» Crime victims in south Wales can now track their cases online
South Wales Police and Gwent Police have launched a secure online portal letting victims see what has happened in their case, what happens next, and receive notifications as an investigation progresses.
- The service is designed to reduce the uncertainty victims feel while waiting for information β it is optional and meant to complement, not replace, direct contact with officers.
- It will not be used in every case: safeguarding concerns, vulnerability or other circumstances mean personal contact will still be judged more appropriate.
- South Wales Police Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan: "This portal improves how we keep people informed, providing clearer, timelier information and greater confidence in what's happening with their case."
- Gwent Police Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said not knowing what is happening can add to victims' stress.
(Nation.Cymru, 21 Sep.)
π₯ Health
π¬ Wales-led trial to settle whether radiotherapy stops skin cancer returning
Researchers at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff and Cardiff University's Centre for Trials Research are helping lead a UK-wide study into whether radiotherapy after surgery reduces the risk of a common skin cancer returning.
- The SCC-AFTER study will recruit 840 people at 25 NHS centres across the UK to answer a question on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) β the UK's second most common skin cancer, with around 45,000 cases a year, often on the head, face and neck of people over 70.
- Most cases are cured by surgery, but higher-risk cancers can return. Patients whose cancer is smaller can safely be monitored; those with deeper or more aggressive disease get radiotherapy as standard.
- Dr Richard Webster, consultant in clinical oncology at Velindre: "That leaves a group of patients in the middle, where there have not to date been any large, randomised clinical trials to try and figure out the best treatment approach."
- Radiotherapy can cause irritation or discolouration and requires daily appointments β particularly hard for older patients who may struggle to travel.
- Patient voice: Maggie May, from Dinas Powys, is among those involved in the study.
(Nation.Cymru β Mark Mansfield, 21 Sep.)
ποΈ Local & Community
π Campervan parking in Gwynedd "causing problems"
A Gwynedd councillor is calling for action on a rising number of campervans parked in "inappropriate" locations β lay-bys, car parks and scenic areas.
- Cllr Cae Larsen wants Cyngor Gwynedd to bring the situation "under better control", and will raise it at the full council meeting on 24 September. He said responsible van owners were welcome and acknowledged campers' contribution to the tourist economy.
- Cyngor Gwynedd has four Arosfan sites for overnight motorhome parking at Β£16.50 a night; at Llyn Padarn, Llanberis, an eight-space Arosfan site has been outnumbered by campervans parked in adjacent bays. Problems have also been reported north of Dinas Dinlle, at Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) and at Beach Road East car park in Hirael Bay, Bangor.
(BBC Wales β Dale Spridgeon, LDR, 20 Sep.)
π Tiny pink cottage built into Pembroke's medieval walls goes to auction
Number One, The Parade, in Pembroke β a two-bedroom period home attached to the town's medieval defences β goes under the hammer next month with a guide price of Β£83,000.
- The property sits close to Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry Tudor (Henry VII), and its walls were built to protect the settlement that grew up alongside the Norman castle, with three main gateways controlling entry.
- Parts of the walls have been incorporated into buildings over the centuries, including this pink cottage, which has been modernised inside but retains original features, double glazing and gas central heating. Angie Davey of Paul Fosh Auctions called it "a truly magical two-bedroom property which oozes history and fantasy".
(Nation.Cymru, 21 Sep.)
ποΈ Appeal lodged over refused Β£7.5m holiday park expansion
An appeal has been lodged against the refusal of plans for a Β£7.5m expansion of Heritage Park at Stepaside, Pembrokeshire β a scheme approved in 2023, quashed in the High Court, refused again in October 2025, and now before planners again.
- The proposal by Heritage Leisure Development (Wales) Ltd includes 48 holiday lodge bases, a spa in a former pub, holiday apartments, a cafΓ© and cycle hire, equestrian stables, a manΓ¨ge and an office β said at the time to create 44 jobs.
- Approval was overturned after a legal challenge by the Stepaside & Pleasant Valley Residents' Group; the resubmitted application was refused against officer recommendation, the council citing the development plan. The appeal is now with Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).
(Nation.Cymru β Bruce Sinclair, LDR, 21 Sep.)
π¨ Missing man appeal: Jamie Cryer, 40, from Ynysybwl
South Wales Police say they are concerned for the welfare of Jamie Cryer, 40, from Ynysybwl, last seen in Dudley, near Wolverhampton, on the night of Tuesday 15 September and believed still to be in the West Midlands. Anyone with information should quote occurrence number 2600308385. (WalesOnline live blog, 08:35 today.)
π Culture & Media
πΈ Swansea's The Sweetest Ache return with first album in 32 years
Swansea indie-pop band The Sweetest Ache β one of Sarah Records' most distinctive voices β will release Reframed this November, their first new LP in more than three decades.
- Formed in Swansea in 1989 and celebrated for singles including If I Could Shine, Tell Me How It Feels and Everlasting plus debut album Jaguar, the band's return began in 2025 when Hue Williams of The Pooh Sticks and Swansea Sound invited them to support The Gentle Spring (formerly The Field Mice) for a one-off slot.
- Fans travelled from across the UK and Europe for that Swansea show; the response prompted the reunion. Reframed has 10 tracks β eight stripped-back acoustic reinterpretations plus two brand-new songs, including 'Speak to Me', which features guitarist Peter Stone's daughter Poppy Stone on vocals. Original vocalist Simon Court and guitarists Peter Stone and Stuart Vincent are joined by lifelong friend Dave Jones on bass. It follows a sellout Christine's Cat EP in December 2025.
(Nation.Cymru, 21 Sep.)
π¬ First teaser for Guy Ritchie's Wife and Dog, starring Anthony Hopkins
- The film is scheduled for release in February 2027 and centres on the wealthy Fairbank family's succession battle, descending into betrayal and murder fuelled by "relentless greed"; Hopkins plays the family patriarch. It is Ritchie's 18th feature.
- Hopkins also has A Visit to Grandpa's β based on the Dylan Thomas short story and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones β and sci-fi horror Eyes in the Trees in the pipeline. The teaser was posted by Black Bear Pictures on 18 September.
(Nation.Cymru, 21 Sep.)
πΈ This Is Skinhead β a Cardiff photographer's record of the scene
Cardiff-based documentary photographer Tom Wilkins is publishing This Is Skinhead, an independent photobook documenting contemporary skinhead culture through his own images plus first-hand testimony and personal archives contributed by skinheads themselves.
- The project began when Wilkins was invited to photograph a group of skinheads in South Wales, and became increasingly collaborative β contributors include Gavin Watson (author of Skins), Canadian musician Jenny Woo and Justin "Mooch" DeLoretto, with archives spanning generations. It documents clothing, music, politics, racism and violence alongside friendship and working-class identity, without sanitising the culture's harder history. (Nation.Cymru β David Owens, 20 Sep)
π Big Pit named one of the UK's best visitor attractions
- Analysis by One Day Agency covered 472 UK attractions (excluding arenas and stadiums), weighting five-star review share against review volume. Big Pit scored 74.65, with almost nine in ten of its 3,078 reviewers giving five stars. The former working mine sits in a UNESCO World Heritage site and was previously rated the UK's best free museum. (Nation.Cymru, 20 Sep)
π· Geoff Charles's photographs inspire a new documenter of Pen LlΕ·n
Artist Anna Higson spent three days in the National Library of Wales studying some of the 120,000 images taken by Y Cymro photo-journalist Geoff Charles β and has used them to document the people who matter in her own community on Pen LlΕ·n today.
- She said Charles "caught people naturally" and that everyone got "the same Geoff Charles". His collection documents Welsh rural life between the 1930s and 1970s, including his iconic image of the poet Carneddog and his wife Catrin leaving their mountain farm and the last days of the Capel Celyn community.
(BBC Cymru Fyw β Bryn Jones, 1 hour ago. Welsh-language report, translated here.)
β½ Sport
π΄ Backstedt takes world time-trial silver for GB
Zoe Backstedt, the 21-year-old from Pontyclun, claimed silver in the women's elite time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal β stepping up from the under-23 title she won last year rather than defending it.
- Backstedt clocked 51:04.55, finishing 40.11 seconds behind defending champion Marlen Reusser of Switzerland, who won on her 35th birthday in 50:24.44; Germany's Franziska Koch took bronze, 5.43s further back. "In the first half, when I heard the first time check, I was thinking 'OK, maybe it's possible'," she said.
- Remco Evenepoel became the first rider to win the men's time trial four years in a row, with Britain's under-23 champion Callum Thornley 10th.
(BBC Sport, 20 Sep; WalesOnline live blog, today.)
π― Price beaten in World Series of Darts Final
Englishman Ross Smith won the final six legs to take the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, beating two-time former winner Gerwyn Price 11-5.
- Smith, the world number 14, hit 11 maximums to Price's five and took the Β£100,000 first prize. Price had beaten Jonny Clayton β the man who knocked out Luke Littler β in the semi-finals, denying Littler a clean sweep of 2026's major PDC titles.
- Smith: "You are playing Gerwyn Price β one of the best players in the world. You have got to up your game."
(BBC Sport, 20 Sep; Nation.Cymru, 20 Sep.)
π What Ashley Williams brings to Bellamy's Wales
Ashley Williams β described by Craig Bellamy as Wales' "greatest captain" of the modern era β is now part of a new-look backroom team as Wales prepare to face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and Erling Haaland's Norway in the Nations League.
- Williams, now 42, won 86 caps and wore the armband for more than half of them, captaining the Euro 2016 semi-final side. He joins alongside fellow new coach Alan Sheehan; Bellamy says the pair will give Wales "a different dynamic", with the FAW hoping they add a missing ingredient in the push for Euro 2028.
- Williams' coaching experience so far has been limited to informal roles and his Match of the Day studio work. Wales are away to Portugal on 24 September and Denmark on 27 September, then host Norway (1 October) and Denmark (4 October). (BBC Sport Wales β Chris Wathan, 4 hours ago. His appointment was covered on 8 September.)
β½ Tan's 1,000 days away from Cardiff City
Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan reaches 1,000 days without attending a match today β his last appearance at the Cardiff City Stadium was a 2-2 draw with Plymouth on Boxing Day 2023.
- In that time the Bluebirds have had three permanent managers, been relegated to League One and won promotion back, and this season's slow start has been compounded by injuries and a quiet transfer deadline day.
- Jason Perry, former club captain: "It's not a good look when the owner himself doesn't turn up to see the team that he owns." Tan β who took over in 2010 β remains the club's financial lifeline. (BBC Sport Wales β Mark Poyser, 4 hours ago)
π Dragons in advanced talks with Filo Tiatia
Dragons are in advanced talks over a contract extension for head coach Filo Tiatia, whose deal expires at the end of the 2026-27 campaign. Chief executive Rhys Blumberg: "We'd love to lock Filo in and back him for a long-term future at the Dragons." The former All Blacks forward joined in 2024 as defence coach and took over permanently in February 2025. (BBC Sport Wales β Chris Kirwan, 4 hours ago)
π¦οΈ Weather
Cardiff β Monday 21 September: sunny intervals and light winds, high 21Β°C, low 13Β°C (westerly, 5 mph). Sunrise 06:57, sunset 19:14.
| Day | Forecast | High / Low |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 21 Sep | Sunny intervals, light winds | 21Β° / 13Β° |
| Tue 22 Sep | Light cloud, light winds | 21Β° / 14Β° |
| Wed 23 Sep | Sunny intervals, gentle breeze | 21Β° / 8Β° |
| Thu 24 Sep | Sunny intervals, light winds | 20Β° / 12Β° |
| Fri 25 Sep | Light cloud, light winds | 21Β° / 11Β° |
| Sat 26 Sep | Sunny intervals, light winds | 19Β° / 12Β° |
| Sun 27 Sep | Light rain showers, gentle breeze | 20Β° / 11Β° |
- Met Office for Wales today: eastern areas will be sunniest, with western areas often much cloudier and the odd drizzly outbreak in the north-west. Light winds and feeling warm in the east, maximum 21Β°C. (WalesOnline live blog, 06:20)
- No Met Office weather warnings are in force for Cardiff. (BBC Weather, last updated 08:04 today.)
π Quick Summary
| # | Story | Where | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gwynedd visitor levy delayed | Gwynedd | 6,856 responses; "clear legal advice" blocks a September decision; full council Thursday |
| 2 | Coal tips: who pays? | Wales-wide | 2,600 monitored, 368 at risk; new Disused Tips Authority from April 2027; Β£600m cost dispute |
| 3 | Backstedt wins world time-trial silver | Montreal | 21-year-old from Pontyclun steps up to elite and finishes 40.11s behind Reusser |
| 4 | Off-road vehicles seized "on the spot" | North Wales | New powers after Berwyn SSSI convictions; e-bikes now a rising problem |
| 5 | Radiotherapy skin cancer trial | Cardiff / UK | Velindre and Cardiff University lead SCC-AFTER, 840 patients at 25 centres |
| 6 | Crime victims track cases online | South Wales / Gwent | Optional portal to cut uncertainty while investigations run |
| 7 | Recycling habits drop outside the home | Wales | 94% recycle at home, 61% at work, 45% at university |
| 8 | Campervan parking "out of control" | Gwynedd | Cllr Cae Larsen wants action at the 24 September full council |
| 9 | Price beaten in Amsterdam darts final | Amsterdam | Ross Smith wins 11-5; Littler's clean-sweep bid already over |
| 10 | Poll: Plaid 32%, Reform 27% | Wales | Burnham bounce shows at Westminster, not the Senedd |
| 11 | Pembroke pink cottage at auction | Pembroke | Guide price Β£83,000; attached to medieval town walls |
| 12 | Sweetest Ache return after 32 years | Swansea | Reframed out in November; two new songs |
| 13 | Big Pit in UK top ten attractions | Blaenavon | 74.65 score; nine in ten of 3,078 Tripadvisor reviews five-star |
| 14 | Tan's 1,000 days without a Cardiff game | Cardiff | Last seen at a 2-2 draw with Plymouth on Boxing Day 2023 |
| 15 | Compulsory worship review call | Wales | Wales Humanists want the 1944 duty replaced with inclusive assemblies |
Compiled Monday 21 September 2026, ~09:20 BST by Emrys π (Hermes cron) Β· Sources: BBC Wales, BBC Wales Politics, BBC Sport Wales, BBC Cymru Fyw, BBC Weather, Nation.Cymru, GOV.WALES (media.service.gov.wales), The Guardian (Wales RSS), WalesOnline.
Method note: the Hermes browser remains unavailable on this host, so the whole sweep ran through the Playwright fetch service (192.168.178.100:8090, MarkItDown) β 12 index pages and 48 article/release pages at a 100% success rate. SearXNG (:8086) was in its usual mixed mode: a few usable news leads (the WalesOnline live blog, BBC Wales index, the Countryside Alliance note that the seals/hare consultation opens today) among programme listings, front-page aggregators, a German ZDF episode and Chinese-language spam, so the direct index sweep carried the roundup. GOV.WALES had nothing newer than Sunday's Β£121m Llantrisant release (covered yesterday) and the FM-tagged index was older still. WalesOnline's Senedd index was last updated 05:40 on 19 September and its article pages remain geo-walled, but its daily live blog was readable and useful. De-duplicated against yesterday's Welsh file and today's UK file: the Β£121m orthopaedic hub, fridge-freezer collections, Lampeter campus, Cardiff University of the Year, the dumping petition, the Reform arrest/defection/resignation saga and Helen Jenner's expected succession, the Cardiff gun-and-drugs sentencings, Gwynedd's e-scooter motion, the Bishop of Bangor installation, Matthew Rhys's Emmys, the Wales 50-19 win over South Africa, Harry Wilson's injury, the specialist rape courts, the Β£5m emergency food aid (covered 18 Sep) and the Facebook kidney donation were all dropped or left as one-liners. Checked and excluded on their own publication dates: the slimline pylons (17 Sep), learner-driver YouTube feature (17 Sep), the police-chase Nissan Micra story (18 Sep), Zeta-Jones on "nepo baby" (13 Sep) and Michael Sheen's "constructive" FM meeting (18 Sep, covered 19 Sep). The Nation.Cymru coal-tips feature is dated 19 Sep and the poll analysis 20 Sep β both first appearances here. Reddit, Nitter, Phice and FlareSolverr steps were skipped β services down.