Maesteg Hospital future still undecided as £30m health centre plans move forward

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board met with elected representatives and members of the Maesteg Hospital League of Friends last week to discuss the future of healthcare in the Llynfi Valley. The meeting followed growing concern over the hospital’s long-term role and the potential relocation of services.

Huw Irranca‑Davies MS, who requested the meeting, said it was “frank and honest and robust,” with all sides agreeing that the £30m funding available must be spent locally and not lost to the area.

“We made very clear in the meeting that the people of Maesteg and the Llynfi Valley are passionate about improving the healthcare of the area, and they must be part of the way forward,” he said.

The Health Board confirmed that Maesteg Hospital remains open and that no decision has been taken to close or sell the site. However, it warned that the building faces a multi-million pound maintenance backlog and cannot support the expanded services being proposed.

CTM UHB says it wants to deliver more services for more people, including urgent care, outpatient clinics, mental health support, GP provision and diagnostic imaging. These would be housed in a new Llynfi Valley Health and Wellbeing Centre, with a business case due by March 2027.

While the hospital currently offers limited services, the Health Board says its configuration and condition make it unsuitable for modern healthcare delivery. Feasibility studies suggest that upgrading the existing site would cost more than £40m — well above the available budget.

A new site at Ewenny Road is now being considered, with early assessments indicating it could deliver the proposed services within budget. If chosen, Maesteg Hospital would remain open until the new facility is ready.

The Health Board has ruled out building new hospital beds, citing international evidence that prolonged hospital stays can harm older patients. Instead, it plans to expand “hospital at home” services and secure intermediate care beds in local care homes.

CTM UHB said:

“We could not countenance missing out on the potential for £30m to be spent in a community with significant health challenges.”

Local representatives raised concerns about bed provision, transport access, and the need for clearer communication. CTM UHB acknowledged these concerns and committed to more proactive engagement, including in-person events supported by Llais, the independent patient voice body.

A like-for-like comparison of site options is expected by Easter 2026, with further public engagement to follow. The next meeting between the Health Board and elected representatives is scheduled for early March.

Labour accused of dirty tricks as row over future of Maesteg Hospital intensifies

Concerns about the hospital have been building for months as Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board develops plans for a new Health and Wellbeing Centre for the Llynfi Valley. The board says it has access to around £30 million of Welsh Government funding to expand local services, but that the existing hospital site cannot be redeveloped within that budget. That position has fuelled fears about the loss of beds, the future of the building and whether the community is being properly consulted.

The latest flashpoint came after Labour representatives claimed that protest organisers, including Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate Dean Ronan, had “declined to engage” with the health board. The allegation appeared in a series of letters signed by Huw Irranca‑Davies MS, David Rees MS, Stephen Kinnock MP and local councillors, who accused some campaigners of “politicising” the issue.

Labour representatives wrote:

We now understand that you have indeed reached out to the main organisers – including a candidate for the Liberal Democrats – and they have declined to engage with you.

They also warned that the £30 million investment must not be put at risk.

Labour representatives wrote:

We certainly do not want to lose the £30m which Welsh Government have already put forward… this matter is of such huge importance it should be well beyond party politics.

Dean Ronan has rejected the claim outright, saying he has never been contacted by the health board and could not have refused a meeting that was never offered.

Dean Ronan, Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate, said:

Not once have I been contacted about the future of Maesteg Hospital. I could not have declined a meeting that was never offered. If Labour or the health board have evidence to the contrary, they should publish it immediately.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats say the campaign to protect the hospital has always been community‑led and cross‑party, involving the League of Friends, independent councillors and Plaid Cymru candidates. They argue that the focus should be on the future of services, not political point‑scoring.

David Chadwick MP, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson, said:

This looks like a classic dirty tricks operation — brief against local campaigners, make untrue claims, and hope nobody challenges them.

On Sunday, Dean Ronan issued a new public statement confirming that he had been invited to meet Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca‑Davies to discuss the future of healthcare in Maesteg. He said he was open to meeting, but only if a public apology was issued for what he described as “false statements” made about him earlier in the week.

Dean Ronan, Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate, said:

I informed Huw that I would be open to meeting with him and sharing my views, on the condition that a public apology was issued by himself and the local councillors who attached their names to false statements made about me earlier this week. I was told that Huw would not issue a public apology, as he did not wish to focus on ‘politics or personalities’. As a result, I have declined the meeting.”

He said the issue was not political, but personal.

Mr Ronan added:

Morally, it does not sit right with me to allow lies to be told or left unchallenged. These are my values as a person, not a political position. The people of Maesteg deserve representatives who are honest and transparent at all times. Integrity and honesty matter more to me than any party policy.”

He added that he remained open to dialogue if a public apology was issued.

What the health board says it is planning

Behind the political row sits a much larger debate about what the health board is proposing for the Llynfi Valley.

The board says it wants to deliver a wider range of services locally, including urgent care, expanded outpatient clinics, mental health support, integrated community teams and space for third‑sector wellbeing organisations. It argues that these improvements cannot be delivered within the existing hospital buildings, which would cost at least £42 million to redevelop and potentially up to £48 million if further structural issues are uncovered.

A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said:

We have not taken any decisions to close Maesteg Hospital or sell the site. Whatever the future holds for this important, much‑loved building will take into account the views of local people and the heritage of the site.

The board says it is exploring a potential new site near Ewenny Road, close to Maesteg town centre and the railway station, because it offers better access and can accommodate the size of building required for modern services. It also says it is considering alternatives to hospital‑based community beds, including block‑booking beds in local nursing homes for rehabilitation, reablement and palliative care.

The health board said in its latest update:

Local people who are anxious about the future deserve the facts. We will continue to meet with representatives and provide information through other means.

Calls for transparency and engagement

Labour representatives say they share concerns about the future of the hospital building and have urged the board to protect the site’s heritage. They argue that the building is iconic and must not be left “empty or unloved”.

Labour representatives wrote:

There is no‑one in these communities who would allow this iconic building to lie empty or unloved or unused.

They also said they have pressed the health board to meet urgently with the League of Friends and all elected representatives, and that the board has now agreed to do so.

The health board says it has already held engagement events and will carry out further public consultation once more detailed work on both the existing site and the potential new site is complete. A decision on the preferred location is expected in early 2026.

For now, the political row continues to overshadow the process, with both sides accusing the other of misrepresenting the facts. What remains clear is that the future of Maesteg Hospital — its services, its beds and its building — has become one of the most contentious local issues in years, and the community is demanding answers.

New data reveals rising coal tip risk in Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot

Coal tip danger escalates in South West Wales

The risk rating has increased to the highest levels for five more coal tips in Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot, bringing the total number of high‑risk tips in these former mining communities to more than 80.

The newly classified tips include two in the Llynfi Valley above Caerau and Maesteg, and three in the Godre’r‑graig area of the Swansea Valley — the same community where a primary school was closed and later demolished because of fears a spoil tip could collapse.

Neath Port Talbot: Godre’r‑graig in the spotlight

Neath Port Talbot has 41 high‑risk coal tips in total. The latest update confirms that three tips at Godre’r‑graig have been reclassified to Category D, the highest risk level.

The reclassification comes just six years after Godre’r‑graig Primary School was evacuated and later demolished because of the threat from a spoil tip above the playground. Families in the village are still waiting for a permanent replacement school.

Other high‑risk tips in Neath Port Talbot are concentrated in the Afan Valley (Cymmer, Croeserw, Glyncorrwg), the Dulais Valley (Crynant, Seven Sisters, Onllwyn), and around Resolven and Blaengwrach.

📊 Table: Neath Port Talbot high‑risk tips

Bridgend: Valleys carry the heaviest burden

Bridgend has 42 high‑risk tips — the highest number in South West Wales. The Garw and Llynfi valleys carry the greatest concentration, with clusters above Pontycymmer, Blaengarw and Caerau.

Two tips in the Llynfi Valley were reclassified to Category D in the October 2025 update, adding to long‑standing concerns in communities where spoil heaps sit above homes and schools.

📊 Table: Bridgend high‑risk tips

Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire: lighter but not risk‑free

Further west, the numbers are smaller but the risks remain. Swansea has five Category C tips, spread across Cadle/Portmead (2), Pontardawe, Felindre and Loughor. None are currently rated at Category D, but all require annual inspections.

Neighbouring Carmarthenshire has just one Category C tip, located at Ammanford in the Amman Valley — the only high‑risk site in the county.

In Pembrokeshire, no Category C or D tips are recorded, reflecting the county’s different mining history.

The city and county have also faced other mining‑related legacies. In January 2021, homes in Clydach were flooded after water surged from old mine workings, underlining how the impact of coal is not confined to spoil tips alone.

📊 Table: Swansea & Carmarthenshire high‑risk tips

➡️ Pembrokeshire: No Category C or D tips recorded.

A legacy of tragedy and neglect

It is almost sixty years since the Aberfan disaster, when 116 children and 28 adults were killed as a coal tip collapsed onto a school and nearby homes.

Coalfield historian Ben Curtis said that while some tips were removed or made safe after Aberfan, the danger has never gone away.

“It is a potential problem that continues to remain for some of these tips to become unsafe over time, perhaps because of factors like the effects of climate change and increased rainfall,” he said.

For decades afterwards, little was known about the precise locations or conditions of Wales’ thousands of disused coal tips. That changed only after a landslip above Tylorstown in Rhondda Cynon Taf five years ago, which prompted the creation of a national register and new legislation to ensure tips were monitored and made safe.

Today, more than 2,500 disused coal tips have been identified across Wales, the majority of them in the south Wales coalfield. Of these, 360 are classed as Category C or D — the higher‑risk sites that must be inspected once or twice a year. Lower‑risk tips are categorised as A or B.

Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly remain the counties with the highest concentrations of Category C and D tips, each with more than 50. But the latest figures show that communities in Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea and Carmarthenshire are also living with dozens of high‑risk sites on their hillsides.

New dataset and map

The figures come from the latest update to the Welsh Government’s national coal tip database, published on 3 October. The database, first launched in 2023, is updated twice a year and is available through an interactive online map that allows residents to check the location and risk category of tips near their communities.

Coal Authority chief executive Lisa Pinney said managing tips on hillsides was key to reducing risk.

“Just under 300 are higher‑risk sites but that really just means that they need much more regular attention and inspection to make sure they stay safe. Any tip which is old mining material sitting on a hillside can pose a risk, obviously, but the key thing to their safety is to manage water and keep it away. And that’s why these inspections and maintenance are so important.”

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca‑Davies added:

“The regular updating of this national, publicly available data demonstrates our unwavering commitment to coal tip safety across Wales, and our absolute dedication to protecting people. I want to reassure people living near to where tips have moved categories that this means they will receive increased monitoring and management.”

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Safety works to begin at Cwmgwrach coal tip to reduce landslip risk
Drainage improvements are being carried out at a Vale of Neath tip recently upgraded to Category D.

Record funding for coal tip safety works announced – including more than £6.3m for Neath Port Talbot
The highest annual spend to date includes millions earmarked for local sites.

Investment and legislation

The Welsh and UK governments say they have now committed more than £220m to coal tip safety, with £118m pledged by Westminster over three years and the remainder from Cardiff Bay. Officials say the funding is being used for inspections, maintenance and remediation works.

But ministers have also warned that the true cost of remediation could reach £500–600m over the next 10–15 years, far above the sums invested so far. In Neath Port Talbot alone, more than £6.3m has been earmarked for safety works, including drainage improvements at Cwmgwrach where one tip was recently upgraded to Category D.

A new law — the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act — received Royal Assent last month. It will establish a dedicated Disused Tips Authority in 2027 to oversee monitoring and management. The legislation builds on proposals first set out in 2022, when ministers argued that the old law was “no longer fit‑for‑purpose” and called for a supervisory body with enforcement powers and rights of access.

⚠️ What do coal tip categories mean?

Category D
Highest risk. Potential to endanger life or property. Inspected at least twice a year.

Category C
Significant risk. Potential to impact public safety. Inspected at least once a year.

Category A & B
Lower risk. A = very low, B = low. Inspected less frequently.

Why it matters: Category C and D tips are the focus of safety works and new legislation, as they pose the greatest potential danger to communities.

Communities still living with coal’s legacy

Across South West Wales, more than 90 high‑risk tips remain on hillsides above towns and villages. For residents in places like Godre’r‑graig and Caerau, the latest reclassifications are a reminder that the scars of coal mining are not just historical — they continue to shape daily life.

Campaigners say the figures underline the need for long‑term solutions, not just inspections. As one local activist put it: “We’ve lived with these tips for generations. Every reclassification is a reminder that the risk is still with us.”

The risks are not confined to spoil tips alone. In 2021, a burst mine shaft in Skewen caused catastrophic flooding, leading to a national mines safety summit. First Minister Mark Drakeford warned then that climate change and heavier rainfall would increase the likelihood of such incidents.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Mines safety summit called following Skewen coal mine burst
A burst mine shaft caused catastrophic flooding in Skewen, prompting a national safety summit.

Landmark coal tip safety law comes into force in Wales
New legislation establishes a Disused Tips Authority from 2027.

#AfanValley #Ammanford #Blaengarw #Blaengwrach #Cadle #Caerau #coalTip #coalTipRisk #coalTipSafety #Croeserw #Crynant #Cwmgors #Cwmgwrach #Cymmer #DulaisValley #featured #Felindre #GarwValley #Glyncorrwg #GodreRgraig #HeolYCyw #HuwIrrancaDaviesMS #LlynfiValley #Loughor #Nantymoel #OgmoreVale #OgmoreValley #Onllwyn #Pontardawe #Pontycymmer #Portmead #SevenSisters #SwanseaValley #ValeOfNeath #WelshGovernment

Bridgend plans landmark nuclear power station to replace former coal site

A US-based energy developer has advanced its proposal to build four compact nuclear reactors on the site of the former Llynfi Power Station, marking a significant shift in South Wales’ energy future.

Last Energy, a company specialising in small-scale nuclear technology, confirmed in June that it had completed a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) — an important regulatory step carried out by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), Natural Resources Wales, and the Environment Agency.

The review examined the company’s organisational plans, environmental and decommissioning strategy, and safety analysis process. It concluded that Last Energy had demonstrated a clear understanding of regulatory expectations and was planning to address key issues as its design matures.

Diego Lisbona, ONR’s head of regulation – advanced nuclear technologies, said: “Our assessment involved multiple technical workshops and during the review Last Energy progressed its organisational plans and committed to address regulatory feedback on disposal routes and safety analysis.”

He added: “The early engagement process shows the flexibility of the UK regulatory framework. The feedback from companies is that they value the approach we take.”

The proposed PWR-20 microreactors would be built on the long-disused coal site in the Llynfi Valley. Each unit would generate 20 megawatts of electricity — enough to power thousands of homes — and operate with a passive safety design that requires no active cooling or operator intervention during shutdown.

Michael Jenner, Chief Executive of Last Energy UK, said: “Unlocking nuclear power at scale is essential to decarbonising the industrial economy and driving economic growth across the UK. Completing our PDR has provided essential guidance to efficiently undertake and complete licensing processes, positioning Last Energy to deliver the UK’s first commercial microreactor.”

The company says the modular design allows the reactors to be fabricated, transported and assembled within 24 months, using land equivalent to a third of a football pitch. All nuclear components, including used fuel, would be housed underground within a 500-tonne metal shield.

The project is privately financed, with a £81m letter of intent from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and is expected to generate around 100 jobs and £30m in local supply chain investment. No public sector funding is being sought.

Project timeline

October 2024
Last Energy announces plans for four microreactors and secures site control of the former Llynfi Power Station.

January 2025
Company enters UK nuclear licensing process — a national first for microreactor technology.

June 2025
Successfully completes Preliminary Design Review (PDR), building regulatory confidence in safety and environmental plans.

December 2027 (target)
Regulators expected to make a decision on site licence, contingent on successful submissions.

2028 onward
Construction phase anticipated to begin.

Early 2030s
Microreactors planned to go online, supplying power directly to local industry.

The ONR has stressed that the PDR is not a substitute for full design assessment or licensing, but it does lay the groundwork for future regulatory scrutiny. The company will now move into the next phase of assessment, including site-specific safety and environmental cases.

As the project is deemed a development of national significance, final planning approval will rest with Welsh Government ministers, following assessment by Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).

Local reaction has been mixed. Some residents have welcomed the potential for jobs and investment, while others have raised concerns about safety and transparency.

Cllr Malcolm James, who represents the Llangynwyd ward, said: “This announcement came as a bit of a surprise to a lot of people in the area. At the moment I’m very concerned because I don’t have enough details about the facility — such as how it would work, how the fuel will be transported in and out, and what plans would be in place for the facility after it closes.”

Local resident Sarah Dawe added: “It can’t be a bad thing in terms of the jobs and investment it will bring. But when it comes to the nuclear aspect I’m really not sure. I’d like to be given more information before anything goes ahead.”

Tracy Thomas, who works at a café in Maesteg, said: “I wouldn’t think it would be any good for the Llynfi valley to be honest because it’s nuclear and I don’t think that’s any good. I don’t think it will work up here, and I don’t think it will go through as a lot of people would protest it.”

Public consultation is expected to begin later this year, with events planned to give residents a chance to ask questions and learn more about the technology.

#energy #EnvironmentAgency #LastEnergy #Llangynwyd #LlynfiPowerStation #LlynfiValley #Maesteg #microreactor #NaturalResourcesWales #nuclear #NuclearPowerStation #OfficeForNuclearRegulation

Will Hayward #Guardian
I’d moved around many places but never found the place that spoke to my heart.

“Be careful, it’s really rough up there,” responded several people not from the area. While I tried not to judge, I won’t pretend I wasn’t nervous. My accent is #English though since arriving in #Wales it is more often described as “posh”. Was I about to get eaten alive in these former pit villages?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/30/wales-english-cymru-journalist-home

CC: @jaz

#Llynfi #LlynfiValley #UK #GB #England