Not too many, if any, chores. Not really a care in the world, I thought that was ‘normal’. I thought that was everyone’s normal.

Until I grew up and realised that life can be a lot harder than that for some children.

I’m Katya Fowler, a reporter for ITV Cymru Wales, and I wanted to understand what life is really like for a young carer.

Officially, a young carer is someone under the age of 18 who provides unpaid care for an adult or child with a disability.

There are an estimated 22,500 unpaid carers under 25 in Wales. One of them is Bella.

Bella is 14 years old. She cares for her siblings and her dad, who have health problems, and while her mum, Carly, would prefer to shoulder the responsibility herself, she simply can’t without Bella’s help.

Bella’s family include her younger brother who has a terminal illness.

Her mum told me she’d be “drowning” without her daughter’s help.

Bella and her mum couldn’t have greeted us at the door with bigger smiles. But as soon as the front door was closed, the tears came.

“So many people don’t know I’m a young carer,” Bella told me, welling up with every word.

“More people expect young carers to always be down in the dumps, never in school, failing in school and I’m like the opposite. People just don’t see it because they’re not me.”

She told me she doesn’t feel like she gets much of a childhood. She doesn’t really get to go out with friends. And for her, an hour to herself, reading or doing her make-up, is an escape and a treat - but even that doesn’t happen every day.

Statistics from 2024 estimate that one third of young carers report a constant struggle to balance school with their home duties.

I asked Bella how she manages to balance it and she looked at me blankly, as if “balance” wasn’t something she’d heard before.

Less than 10 miles away from Bella is 15-year-old Cearion. He cares for his three-year-old brother, Arthur.

Arthur has talipes, more commonly known as clubfoot, and struggles with his mobility.

“I know he struggles, but I like to be there for him. The best thing about being a young carer is the satisfaction of helping your brother out,” he explained.

While Cearion does get more time to himself, he told me there are still days where his mum will need him to stay at home to help look after his brother.

Ceairon was perhaps the most positive teenager I’ve ever spoken to. We left that day, after meeting both him and Bella, feeling truly inspired.

Despite everything these two young people do and give up, they both told me they wouldn’t have it any other way.

What struck me most about Bella and Cearion is that they don’t see themselves as extraordinary. They are just doing what they feel they need to do for their families.

But to someone looking in, that is extraordinary.

Giving up pieces of your own childhood to make someone else’s life a little easier is something many of us will never have to understand, but for 22,500 people that is their version of ‘normal’ life.

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Prime minister commits to ‘deeper devolution’ for Wales

In his first visit to Wales since becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham said he is committed to “deeper devolution” in Welsh communities.

Mr Burnham made the comments on Thursday, while at the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot.

Speaking to ITV Cymru Wales, he said: “We can discuss these issues, where I will also want to make an offer to put more power down into all of the communities in Wales with deeper devolution and we can have a conversation about what that looks like.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham also faced questions about the Welsh Government’s calls for devolution of the Crown Estate, which he confirmed will be “given a fair hearing” when the first ministers of the UK’s devolved nations hold their first meeting with him in October.

What a difference 100 days makes?

One hundred days doesn’t feel like a long time to wait before judging a new government.

But in fairness, it was Plaid Cymru themselves who invited this scrutiny by championing a 100-day plan during this year’s Senedd Election campaign, so how have they done?

I’m Guto Llewelyn, a producer on ITV Cymru Wales’ political programme Sharp End and I, like others this week, have been looking at if Plaid have kept to their pledges.

The government has pointed to an expansion of free school meals, a new direct bus route connecting the north and the south, and a new multi-year funding deal for farmers as some of its successes during its opening months.

But opposition parties have been unsurprisingly critical with Labour in particular accusing the new administration of lacking action.

Welsh Labour Leader Ken Skates said: “We’ve seen a lot of plans, we’ve seen a lot of process. What we haven’t seen is much action or many tangible outcomes to Plaid being in government and that’s in stark contrast to what we’ve seen in the opening weeks of the (UK Prime Minister) Andy Burnham premiership.”

During the election campaign, Plaid Cymru were criticised for having too many “plans for a plan,” and their 100-day plan certainly includes a large number of reviews (eight), audits (three), commissions (two) and task forces (two).

Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution, Dafydd Trystan Davies MS, told ITV’s Wales at Six this criticism was unfair.

He said: “We’ve seen tangible action on childcare, on schools, on transport, on the economy. So there are a number of areas where we’ve seen tangible action but I make no apology for planning properly our public services.

“We’ve seen 27 years of drift and complacency from the Welsh Government. What we have to do is not only look to today but look to the future.”

Both Reform and the Conservatives marked the occasion by drawing attention to Plaid’s record so far on NHS waiting lists.

Again, it’s only early days and Plaid say their plan for tackling waiting lists is for the long term, but NHS waiting lists have increased for three consecutive months and that’s after a sustained period in the final months of the previous Welsh Government where they were on the way down.

Plaid’s first 100 days in power also saw them fail in their attempt to pass a supplementary budget. As a minority government, they will need support from some opposition MSs to get their budget passed - something that has proven difficult so far.

The first politician to refer to his first 100 days as a significant milestone was Franklin D Roosevelt following the first of his four US Presidential election victories, way back in 1933.

He wanted to send a clear signal to a nation suffering from the effects of the Great Depression that he would waste no time in getting things done.

Since then the first 100 days have grown in significance in American politics and most presidential candidates these days publish plans during the campaign for their first 100 days.

Like it or not, this Americanism is now creeping into politics on this side of the Atlantic and Plaid Cymru put unusually large emphasis on this milestone in the weeks leading up to polling day.

Looking at the scrutiny they’ve received over recent days for just three months of work, you could argue the Plaid Cymru government has needlessly made a rod for its own back.

The Welsh Government has to a large extent prioritised long-term planning at the expense of quick wins. To some this will feel like an admirable and responsible step but there are those, particularly on the opposition benches, who believe there should have been more direct and immediate action to address the myriad of problems facing Wales right now.

• Watch more on how Plaid Cymru’s first 100 days in office have played out here.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

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We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

Flood-hit residents still without answers one month on from quarry blast

One month on from mud and flood water tearing through their homes, residents in Gwaelod-y-Garth say they have been left without answers.

Homes in the village on the outskirts of Cardiff were flooded in July after a planned blast at a nearby quarry in the Taff’s Well area.

Resident Mandy Symonds told ITV News: “There are things that I’ve lost that can never be replaced.”

In a statement, Breedon Group said: “We continue to support affected residents and are engaging directly with Senedd members and local councillors.

“Investigations by the relevant authorities are ongoing, so it remains inappropriate for us to comment further at this stage.”

The Health and Safety Executive says its preliminary investigation shows rock from the blast entered flooded iron mine workings, displacing “a significant volume” of water from a mine adit (an entrance for access or drainage).

• Read more here.

Welsh rugby legend Sir Billy Boston dies at the age of 92

Earlier this week, one of Welsh sport's most iconic stars, Sir Billy Boston, passed away at the age of 92.

He died in hospital on Monday, just four days after the funeral of his wife, Lady Joan, to whom he had been married for 70 years.

Paying tribute to the sports star, the Welsh Rugby Union said he was “one of the best loved and most iconic figures in the history of Welsh sport”.

Born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Sir Billy always wanted to play for Wales in rugby union, but never had the chance to. He believed it was because he was not white.

Internationally, he won the World Cup with Great Britain and played 31 times for the Lions, becoming the first black person to tour Australia as part of a British sports team.

• Read more about his legacy here or watch ITV Wales Sport Reporter Matt Southcombe look back at Sir Billy’s life.

What’s coming up?:

• Sunday 30 August: Wales’ strongest man competition takes place in Cardiff.

• Tuesday 1 September: A new school year begins although many Welsh pupils won’t return to lessons until Wednesday, or later in the week.

• Wednesday 2 September: Stephen Kinnock will face his first set of questions from MPs as Secretary of State for Wales.

• Thursday 3 September: A 16-year-old is due to sentenced for stabbing a teacher in the head at Milford Haven Comprehensive School in Pembrokeshire.

And finally… Nine-year-old amputee completes Three Peaks Challenge

A nine-year-old boy from Holywell is thought to be the youngest amputee to complete the Three Peaks Challenge.

Albie-Junior Thomas had his foot amputated when he was just 15 months old.

He has now raised more than £3,000 by scaling the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales.

• Watch this report as ITV Wales Correspondent Carole Green went to meet Albie.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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Twelve months on, the Union remains utterly committed to that vision, yet completely unable to execute it, writes ITV Wales Sports Reporter Matt Southcombe. In fact, they have yet to even tell us what that execution strategy looks like.

It leaves Welsh rugby in a state of limbo. The last 365 days have been anything but quiet.

Initially, the WRU’s preferred model was a brutal drop to two teams. But the hierarchy swiftly realised they lacked the political capital to survive that nuclear option, so they pivoted to three.

This is where they’ve drawn their line in the sand.

The cleanest route to three teams evaporated in April when the deal for Ospreys owners Y11 to take over Cardiff Rugby collapsed. The move would have effectively erased the Ospreys as we know them.

During those negotiations, Swansea Council launched legal action to protect public investment. Now Y11 has recommitted to the Ospreys, pumping £2.5 million into the £7.6m redevelopment of St Helen’s alongside the council.

By summer, WRU Chair Richard Collier-Keywood had walked away. It was a staggering exit for a man who had nailed his colors to the mast of radical restructuring - only to walk away before seeing it through.

The Union has now confirmed that the Dragons and Cardiff are safe, pitting the Scarlets and Ospreys directly against each other for the single remaining license in the west. Quite how they expect two historic neighbours to politely resolve that battle for survival is a mystery.

Earlier this year, all signs pointed to the Ospreys being on the chopping block. Suddenly those west of the Loughor find themselves back in the fight.

Meanwhile a resistance is brewing.

A consortium of Welsh business leaders, supported by former international stars and led by former Principality COO Rob Regan, is openly mobilising. They are calling on the entire WRU Board to resign to clear the path for an interim Board.

Their argument is straightforward: with £106.1m in top-line turnover, the money is there to fund four professional teams - the WRU is simply choosing to spend it elsewhere.

How this ends is anyone’s guess but at some point, the rubber has to meet the road.

The WRU Board and Executive are proving they have the stomach for a fight. But do they have the strategic mindset required to actually deliver their aims? Previous Union regimes have attempted far less radical changes and ended up careering through the exit door.

Can this current executive survive where others failed? We will have to find out soon enough because while the boardroom battles drag on, Welsh rugby grows weaker by the day.

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‘Lessons to be learnt’: Wales to reflect on wildfire response

A Welsh Government minister has acknowledged there are “lessons to be learnt” in Wales’ wildfire response, as the country still smoulders from several major blazes.

Dafydd Trystan Davies, Minister for Government Effectiveness, was speaking on a visit to the site of wildfires near Treorchy on Wednesday.

When asked about the speed of the Welsh Government’s response to fires, Mr Davies agreed there are lessons to be learnt.

He said: “We need to make sure all of the lessons from this summer are learnt. We are hopefully a government that learns from experiences.”

He added: “What a huge debt of gratitude we owe to the fire service because the work they have done has been terrific, resources have been stretched.”

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has already committed to a wildfire summit to strengthen wildfire prevention and resilience and Mr Davies confirmed that would take place - potentially in the autumn.

• Read more about what the Welsh Government had to say here.

Renewed calls to quash jail sentences for IPP prisoners

The wife of a man who has spent nearly 18 of the past 21 years in prison after stealing a laptop, has joined renewed calls for so-called IPP prisoners to have their sentences quashed.

Abdullahi Suleman, received an IPP - a type of sentence that can see offenders recalled to prison at any time for minor breaches, like missing a probation meeting.

Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences were abolished in 2012 but the move wasn’t applied retrospectively.

Bernadette Emerson, wife of Abdullahi, told ITV Wales Correspondent Richard Morgan: “You can’t do anything, the IPP dominates it all and it’s like watching a cruel experiment.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished and as the IPP annual report shows, support has significantly improved for these offenders, with greater access to rehabilitation and mental health support. We are now looking at what more can be done.”

• For more on the story, watch Richard Morgan’s full report here.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

Welsh A&Es see busiest month on record

New figures show Welsh emergency departments had their busiest month on record in July this year, with an average 3,357 attendances per day.

That number is 67 higher than the average day in June 2026. In total, A&Es across the country saw 104,100 visits throughout July.

The Welsh Government described the statistics as “stark”.

Minister for Health and Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor, said in the coming weeks he will reveal details of how "an extra £145m" will be invested to tackle waiting lists and waiting times.

However Reform Wales said Plaid are “struggling” to take control of “the crisis in our NHS”.

Hundreds turn out to celebrate life of singer Bonnie Tyler

The funeral for the late Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler took place on Monday in Swansea city centre.

The service was held at Swansea Minster, with hundreds of fans crowded outside to pay their respects to the Total Eclipse of the Heart singer.

Speaking to ITV News at the funeral, close friend of Bonnie Tyler and Welsh musician, Mal Pope paid tribute to the legendary singer and described her as an “everyday superstar”.

He said: “We didn’t know how special she was, because she was just Gaynor from up the road.

“People would ask her if she was still singing a bit and she’d go “yeah yeah”, even though she may have just done a massive stadium tour.”

Another friend of Tyler’s, Rob Marshall, said she always had time for people and “she never lost where she came from”.

What’s coming up:

• Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 August: Green Man festival continues near Crickhowell. Electronic musician Four Tet headlines Saturday and Wolf Alice top the bill Sunday.

• Wednesday 26 August: 100 days since Plaid Cymru's first full day of government - the party made a series of pledges that it said it would deliver by then.

• Thursday 27 August: Cadw launches its annual Open Doors event, offering free entry to some historical sites across Wales.

• Sunday 30 August: It’s a month on since the quarry blast and flooding in Gwaelod y Garth on the outskirts of Cardiff.

And finally…the Carmarthenshire park where you can swim and ski

Memory’s a funny thing isn’t it? How is it that some days of your childhood stick out so vividly? Well for me, our family days out to Pembrey Country Park are up there with some of my happiest memories.

Lewis Rhys Jones here, ITV Wales West Wales Reporter, and like me, I’m sure you can remember those days of going to the local park to play or just to get away.

If you grew up in Carmarthenshire, chances are you got to know Pembrey very well. Whether it’s spending hours on the eight-mile long Cefn Sidan sands, hopping on a toboggan or even venturing up the ski slope.

Did you know that Cefn Sidan was the first beach in Wales to win a prestigious Blue Flag? This year it took the award for the 38th time. As part of our journey to discover more about this 46-year-old country park, Duty Manager Emyr Richards has been educating me about the number of shipwrecks believed to be buried along the sands - a whopping 300.

“There’s a number of shipwrecks going from the 17th century right up to the 19th century,” he said. “They would come in for the coal, steel, the tin plates that were produced here. It’s the first example of the real industrial heritage of the area.”

Beyond the dunes and further inland, the site of the country park was once home to a munitions factory that operated throughout the First and Second World Wars. Even now, the country park continues to offer glimpses into the past, with tunnels and concrete bunkers from both World Wars still dotted around the site.

In the 21st century, it has also established itself as a successful holiday park, with many camping here during the peak season. And for those looking for an affordable day out, Zoe Smith who works at the country park says Pembrey is the ideal location.

“People will pay for the parking or the permits but once you’re in the park, there are a number of things you can do that don’t cost anything,” she explained.

“So we’ve got our walking trails, we’ve got the nature trails where you can have a little bingo card and tick off little animals or leaves that you’ll see along your walk. And just enjoy the beach as well when it’s like this.”

From the beach, to the dunes to the woodlands, Pembrey’s 500 acres hold a lot of history - and it’s a place that’s clearly dear to so many.

• Watch Lewis Rhys Jones’ full report over on ITVX.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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Depending on where you lived, it looked darker than usual, and for a moment you could be forgiven for thinking it had something to do with Wednesday’s partial eclipse.

It didn’t.

The real cause was wildfire smoke, drifting across huge parts of the country and blotting out the sun. I’m Rob Osborne, ITV Wales National Correspondent, and I saw it for myself - standing on moorland above Ebbw Vale, looking at a blaze that stretched about four hundred hectares and was still being fought.

The sun was still up there but as my camera operator, Lynsey, pointed out, you’d barely have known it. Just an odd haze where the sun was battling to get through.

The firefighters on that hillside were doing a sterling job under brutal conditions. This particular fire was on the border between mid and south Wales and it took two fire and rescue services working together to bring it under control.

But there’s been more than one wildfire. It has felt for weeks now like we’ve been reporting on wildfires somewhere in Wales almost daily - north, mid, west and south, one after another.

The scale of it became clear on Thursday night when South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said its crews were tackling thirty separate wildfires at once, several of them severe.

The firefighters’ union say their members are feeling the strain and they’re not well enough resourced for what they’re now being asked to deal with.

The Welsh Government has committed to holding “a multi-agency summit to consider how we can best strengthen wildfire prevention and resilience".

But nobody currently serving in the fire service has experienced anything quite like this. Wales has had wildfires before but not at this intensity.

Record-breaking temperatures and dry conditions have turned the land into fuel.

The images coming out of Wales this summer tell their own story: not the usual beaches, ice creams and sunshine, but flames, smoke, and fire engines instead.

Now there’s talk of a Welsh wildfire summit and the prime minister’s announced a ban on disposable barbecues.

But as one firefighter said to me, as the climate changes, we’re probably going to see more of this.

Scientists have warned for years that this was coming: hotter summers, wetter winters. Wales has already lived through bad flooding. Now we’re watching bad fires. Next week shows no sign of letting up.

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Mother’s fury as son’s killer could be freed after four years

A grieving mother has told ITV News that she’s angry after being told her son’s killer could be released from prison after just four years.

Lisa Hippsley lost her son Kaylan when he was 13 after he was hit and killed by a speeding driver who’d been drinking and taking cocaine. The driver, Harley Whiteman, was due to serve a nine-year prison term but now the family say they’ve been told that could be reduced, as the UK Government tries to address prison overcrowding.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This was a terrible crime and our thoughts remain with Kaylan Hippsley and his family.

“Prisoners held in open jails must abide by strict conditions, and we do not hesitate to move them back to closed conditions if they breach the rules.”

• Watch ITV Wales Reporter Mike Griffiths’ interview with Lisa here.

Welsh police forces support call to stop early release of PC’s killers

Police chiefs from Wales have joined calls to prevent the early release of two men who killed PC Andrew Harper in Berkshire in 2019.

They, along with police forces in England, have urged Andy Burnham to use “every lawful option” to prevent the early release of PC Harper’s killers.

In the open letter to the prime minister, coordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, policing and law enforcement leaders also called for more protections for victims’ families and communities when offenders’ release arrangements change.

Two of his killers were due to be freed in January under plans to release about 5,000 prisoners early to ease overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales.

On Wednesday, Mr Burnham said he had ordered Justice Secretary Alex Norris to draw up plans to free up prison space for serious offenders, and said he is “increasingly confident” PC Harper’s killers will not be released early from their sentences as a result.

More than one million people have signed a petition set up to stop the police officer’s killers from being released early from prison.

• Read more on that story here.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

‘It’s made me feel like I can’t be a professional’: Frustration over lack of accessible taxis

Disabled people have told ITV Wales they are being let down by Cardiff’s taxi companies and drivers who either cannot or refuse to transport them.

Britain’s Got Talent winner Lee Ridley and disability campaigner Kat Watkins have both shared their frustration over drivers refusing fares to wheelchair users and falling accessible taxi numbers after their separate experiences in the capital.

As an electric wheelchair user, Kat said she was turned away by a Cardiff taxi driver after he claimed her wheelchair would break his ramp.

His refusal to transport her forced Kat to make a two-mile journey in the rain, which she described as “upsetting”.

She said: “As an electric wheelchair, I try to be professional, but it’s just made me feel like I can’t be a professional because I’m always going to turn up dishevelled.

“It just left me feeling so terrible this time that I actually couldn’t talk about it for a few days because it upset me so much.”

In a statement, Cardiff Council said: “Refusing to carry a disabled passenger, failing to provide reasonable assistance, or charging a disabled passenger more are criminal offences, not matters of the driver’s discretion.

“Cardiff Council investigates every report it receives and takes action where the evidence supports it.”

• Read the full story and watch the report from ITV Wales’ Katie Fenton here.

A-Level results: How did Welsh students fare?

After weeks of anticipation, thousands of A-Level students across Wales picked up their results on Thursday and looked ahead to their next steps.

Welsh results were up slightly, by 0.2%, overall compared to last year and one in 10 students achieved the top grade of A*.

A record number of young people have been accepted to a college or university this year, but for those whose results did not go the way they wanted, the advice is not to panic.

Natalie Thomas from Careers Wales said: “If they feel as though their plan isn’t working or they haven’t got the results today that they wanted, please get in touch with a careers adviser because we’re here to support you through this transition and get you to where you need to be.”

• Watch more on how results day went in Wales here on ITVX.

What’s coming up:

• Sunday 17 August: The Principality Stadium in Cardiff hosts Arsenal v Manchester City in the 2026 FA Community Shield.

• Monday 18 August: A service celebrating the life of Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler will be held at Swansea Minster, before her coffin is taken to her hometown of Skewen.

• Wednesday 19 August: 47-year-old man from Ely due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to passing a car on an MOT, despite it having several faults. Three young people were later killed after it crashed in St Mellons.

• Thursday 20 August: GCSE results day for school-leavers across Wales.

And finally…78-year-old from Swansea sets world record for longest-serving football referee

When Ken Wright first blew his whistle, England had yet to win the World Cup, Neil Armstrong had yet to set foot on the moon, and Swansea was still a town.

Sixty-three consecutive seasons and more than 5,000 matches later, the 78-year-old from Swansea has earned a place in the Guinness World Records as the longest-serving football referee in history.

Ken described the achievement as “unbelievable”.

He said: “When you think of the number of countries in the world and the number of referees, I just can’t believe it’s now a fact that I’m the longest serving in the world.

“It’s something you can’t believe in all honesty.

“To be the longest-serving referee in Wales would be an honour, Europe would be an even bigger honour, but when you talk about the whole world, it’s unreal really.”

• Watch the moment Ken received his Guinness World Record here.

• Got a story? You can email our inbox at wales@itv.com

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Damage to property and loss of possessions is one thing. There’s a lasting emotional impact and beyond the clear-up operation, it’s often many months before people can return to their homes.

Even the most impactful videos can struggle to do justice to witnessing the awful impact of a flood for yourself - as people in Gwaelod-y-Garth told me, ITV Wales Reporter Mike Griffiths.

The events that led to the flooding of homes in Gwaelod-y-Garth last week are now being closely examined.

We witnessed the immediate aftermath of the flood and the clean-up effort in the following days.

As people attempted to sweep discoloured mud from their homes, neighbours went door to door offering whatever help they could.

The owners of the nearby quarry confirmed that the flood had followed a “planned blast” at the sprawling site. Breedon Group have pledged to work with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), who are leading the investigation, and say they have launched their own also.

Establishing a precise sequence of events that led to the flooding is now a key part of the inquiry.

Initial inspections from the HSE revealed “a substantial quantity” of rock from the blast entered water in old mine workings.

This then sent “a substantial volume of that water” through a mine tunnel in the side of the mountain. The HSE said its investigation will focus on the planning and design of the blast.

It has examined the flooded workings of the former Garth Iron Mine and states its tunnels and voids remain intact.

ITV News understands blasting and quarrying operations at the site have been suspended while this stage of the investigation continues.

But residents nearby - both those directly impacted by the flood and their neighbours - want wider assurances about the safety of the site.

Speaking as he visited victims of the flooding last Saturday, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth promised answers.

Establishing the full picture will be a careful and potentially lengthy process. But lessons learnt will be watched closely, both in Gwaelod-y-Garth and communities across the country.

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Man jailed for keeping mother’s body in freezer for nearly three years

A man has been jailed after keeping his dead mother in a freezer for nearly three years whilst receiving her benefits.

Christopher Phillips, 60, from Porthcawl, previously pleaded guilty to preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body, and to fraud by false representation.

The body of his mother, Sylvia Phillips, 89, was found in a chest freezer at the home they shared in Porthcawl in February.

He claimed more than £78,000 in benefits paid to Sylvia Phillips following her death, money a court heard he used for “his own benefit”.

The court heard Phillips used the money to pay off a credit card bill and household debts at the property he shared with his mother.

Addressing the court, defence barrister Ruth Smith said Phillips had previously been a “productive member of society” but had given up work in 2022 to provide full-time care for his mother, to whom he was “exceptionally” close.

She said Phillips told a psychiatrist that when his mother died he “didn’t want to let her go”, and he spent a day holding her hand and telling her he would look after her.

The defendant bowed his head and wept as details of the offending were read out to the court.

• Read more about the case here.

Reports of ‘deliberate’ fire-setting as crews fight yet another wildfire

Firefighters continued to battle wildfires across the country, this week focused on a blaze on Llanwonno Mountain in Ferndale.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said there were reports of deliberate fire-setting on Monday night, adding: “We ask anyone with information to call South Wales Police.”

By then the blaze on Llanwonno Mountain had already spread to around 150 hectares of land - the equivalent size of about 210 football pitches. By Thursday it was impacting 400 hectares of land.

The wildfire was declared a ‘major incident’ due to the size of the blaze and poor visibility levels, and a helicopter was deployed to try and bring the fire under control.

The major incident was stood down on Thursday, with the flames contained, but fire crews remained at the scene to deal with any hot spots.

• Read more about the science behind the dramatic spread of wildfires here.

Concern over ‘extremely concerning’ Powys hospital bed cut plans

Thousands of people have signed a petition opposing plans to remove inpatient beds from all but two community hospitals in Powys.

Critics of the proposals have argued that residents would be forced to travel further to access inpatient care, with services concentrated in Brecon and Newtown.

A petition against the potential cuts, launched by the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has been signed by more than 4,000 people, prompting a series of public meetings.

Powys Teaching Health Board said that it expects to launch a formal public consultation later this year.

Sally Snelling is one of those against the health board’s plans. She was able to regularly visit her late mum, who had Alzheimer’s disease, in Ystradgynlais Community Hospital for six weeks because she had access to an inpatient bed.

She described the potential cuts as “extremely concerning”.

• Read more about the story and Sally’s experience here.

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Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

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Europe’s largest touring festival, The National Eisteddfod, draws to a close today - bringing a week of events celebrating everything Welsh arts, language, literature and culture to an end.

ITV Wales West Wales Reporter Lewis Rhys Jones has been on The Maes all week.

One of the highlights of the event is the annual chairing of the Bard and this year it was won by a Londoner who moved to Wales when he was six.

Emyr Lewis won Cadair Eisteddfod y Garreg Las this year, and it wasn’t his first time winning it either. He first took the prize back in 1998.

• Watch Lewis Rhys Jones’ opening report of the week here.

What’s coming up:

• Saturday 8 August: Comic Con Wales is in Newport, with tens of thousands of fans expected to visit.

• Wednesday 12 August: First total solar eclipse visible over mainland Europe since 1999. The Moon begins to pass in front of the Sun from 6:15pm.

• Thursday 13 August: Students across Wales will receive their A-Level results.

• Saturday 15 August: People invited to line Newton Road, Mumbles, as late singer Bonnie Tyler’s coffin is moved to her former home, ahead of her funeral.

And finally…revisiting Cwmdonkin, Swansea’s much-loved park

There are some places that never really leave you. For me, it was the local park.

I’m Dean Thomas-Welch, ITV Wales Swansea Correspondent, and I remember the excitement of heading to the park as a child, meeting friends without a plan, climbing trees, disappearing into imaginary worlds and wondering what adventure the day might bring. For a while, I feared those memories belonged to a different generation - one that grew up before smartphones.

So I was genuinely heartened to discover that parks are still Wales’ most popular outdoor destination.

Growing up in Swansea, Cwmdonkin Park was my favourite. It felt unlike anywhere else. The exotic plants, the tennis courts, the zip wire and, best of all, the bandstand with its enormous slide built into the hillside made it feel like a place designed entirely for childhood adventure.

It had been almost 20 years since I’d last walked through its gates.

Returning as part of ITV Wales’ Park Life series, I expected to find plenty of memories. What I didn’t expect was to find a community whose dedication is ensuring today’s children can create memories of their own.

My first stop was the park’s orchard. There I met Hedley Austin, co-chair of Friends of Cwmdonkin Park, who was tending to the trees.

“It’s a lovely haven for relaxation,” he told me.

It didn’t take long before Hedley was sharing the remarkable history of the park - a story he knows inside out.

“Cwmdonkin Park started around a reservoir 152 years ago.

“The Victorians planted lots of non native species; they laid out a nice array of paths that are still the same today, for the Victorians to promenade along. All that’s happened since then is the trees have grown considerably.”

As we walked, it struck me that I wasn’t the only child whose imagination had been shaped by this place. Long before I was racing around its paths, a young Dylan Thomas was doing exactly the same.

Many of his earliest memories were formed here. The sights, sounds and characters of Cwmdonkin Park would later find their way into some of his finest work, and after his death the park became home to a memorial celebrating his life.

Anne Pelleschi now leads visitors through the same park, pointing out the places that helped shape one of Wales’ greatest literary figures.

“Thankfully, Dylan never left Cwmdonkin Park,” she said.

“It gave him emotion and he reflects it in his work. He talks about the mitching boys in the park, and the cup that was attached to the drinking fountain being filled with gravel. And he’s conjuring up wonderful, wonderful images of his childhood imagination.”

Standing there, I realised this story wasn’t really about a park. It was about the people who refuse to let it become just another green space.

For more than 150 years, Cwmdonkin Park has given generations somewhere to play, explore, dream and simply be children. Judging by the passion of the people who now care for it, it’s creating the memories that future generations will one day look back on with exactly the same affection.

• Got a story? You can email our inbox at wales@itv.com

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Campaigners are pleased that the issue has gone right to the top of the political agenda, even if there are questions about how politicians will solve it, writes ITV Wales Political Editor Adrian Masters.

It comes as the latest figures show the number of rough sleepers here in Wales has increased by a quarter, meaning that 162 individuals were sleeping rough in May compared to 131 in May 2025.

The Welsh Government announced recently that it will deliver an additional 20,000 social homes and that it will implement the previous Labour government’s Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Act, which it supported.

Beyond that, its aim is to move to a more preventative approach, as it pledged in the 2026 manifesto which stated that it would “prioritise early intervention”.

How that will happen is another question, one that Sian Aldridge, the Chief Executive of The Wallich homelessness charity posed when she told us that she wants “a refreshed Welsh Government Action Plan with a clear roadmap to ending homelessness”.

Political pressure on the Welsh Government over homelessness is coming from another direction too. Reform UK Wales says that “homelessness numbers in Wales show a crisis in the system”.

And the party’s Shadow Housing minister, Francesca O’Brien, made it clear that Reform believes that the Nation of Sanctuary policy - a former Labour policy recommitted to by Plaid Cymru - is a driver of pressure on housing.

She said that the Welsh Government should “drop their Nation of Sanctuary scheme which aims to attract even more people from other countries into our taxpayer-funded housing system”.

Picking up where we started, this issue is another example of how Andy Burnham’s flurry of policy announcements is putting pressure on Plaid Cymru to state or restate its position.

Linked into that is the question of devolution, something which has gone from the margins of British politics into the centre because the new prime minister is ensuring that it’s there.

This week he announced plans for fiscal devolution in England, allowing mayors to keep a share of income tax in their areas from April 2028.

This is devolution within England. What, if any, further devolution there might be for Wales is far from clear.

There’ll be a White Paper setting out the devolution plans, to be published alongside the Budget later in the year. The Welsh Government’s understanding is that that White Paper will be England-only.

A UK Government spokesperson said only that “The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Wales look forward to conversations with the Welsh Government on the opportunities ahead”.

The Welsh Government is keen for those conversations to begin as soon as possible.

First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said that he welcomes “the tone reflected in the pledge to move away from an over-concentration of powers in Whitehall”.

He added: “I also welcome the recognition that a separate conversation is needed about Welsh devolution, and I was encouraged by the prime minister’s commitment during our recent meeting to an empowered Senedd and an empowered Welsh Government.”

Both men have spent a long time waiting to put their ideas into action and they both say they’re open to discussions. Only when those discussions begin will we see if these two political opponents will work together or against each other.

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Homes flooded and residents evacuated after quarry ‘incident’

An investigation has been launched into the cause of a flash-flood in a village on the outskirts of Cardiff. 15 homes in Gwaelod-y-Garth were flushed with mud and water on Thursday afternoon after a “planned blast” at a neighbouring quarry.

One resident described the scene and how it unfolded. She said: “The water was just brown and rushing down the hill like a river.

“It must have hit our back gardens in less than a minute. All of a sudden it’s gushing in and it was coming in so fast. We couldn’t stop it. We shut the door but it was coming through the cat flap.”

Another resident told ITV News that he was in his garden as the water came “gushing” towards him, which took him off his feet.

He said: “I was hanging onto the gate.”

Breedon, the company who own the nearby quarry, said they are working with the authorities and local community, and supporting the investigation into what happened.

• Read more about what happened here.

Wheelchair user says broken stairlift has forced him to live in kitchen for years

A man from Ceredigion says he’s been confined to his kitchen for more than two-and-a-half years due to the stairlift in his home being broken.

Peter Bakewell, from Llanfarian, is a wheelchair user and has lived in the same property for more than a decade.

When he first moved in, it was managed by Ceredigion County Council but it has since been acquired by Barcud Housing Association.

Mr Bakewell told ITV Wales West Wales Reporter Lewis Rhys Jones that despite many efforts, neither the local authority nor Barcud have come round to replace the condemned stairlift.

“I have to do everything in the kitchen. Toiletries, everything in one room, where I’m supposed to eat. It’s not very hygienic,” he said.

He feels that he’s been “completely blanked” by both the local authority and housing association.

“I just want my life back for the few years I have left,” he added.

Barcud Housing Association told ITV Cymru Wales in a statement that its “approach is guided by independent professional assessments, including recommendations from specialist healthcare teams and Occupational Therapists”.

They continued: “Where a property cannot be reasonably or safely adapted to meet a tenant’s current or future needs, we will explore all viable options, including identifying alternative homes that are appropriate for the individual’s circumstances.

“We recognise that moving home can be a difficult and emotional experience, and we are committed to supporting tenants throughout the process with sensitivity and understanding.”

Ceredigion County Council said it is in touch with the relevant parties but cannot comment on individual cases.

• Read more about Peter’s story here and watch Lewis’ full report here.

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ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

‘It’s like a sand-storm’: The locals who say they’re living with construction site dust clouds

People living near a major housing development say they are inhaling “dirt” as a result of dust clouds blowing into their street.

The Plasdŵr construction plans were first submitted in 2014 and work began in 2017.

But since the start of the summer holidays, when the country has been in the midst of a prolonged dry spell, those living in Pentrebane have raised concerns about dust infiltrating their homes when windows are open.

Jacob Sparkes, an affected resident, said he is desperate for rainfall to tackle the dust and is worried that basic environmental controls have not been enforced.

He said he has been in correspondence with the regulators of the site in an attempt to resolve the issue. Jacob described the situation as like “living in a sand-storm”.

Another resident, who didn’t want to be named, has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is worried about the impact it could have on their health.

A spokesperson from Barratt Redrow said: “While we have not received any direct complaints from local residents regarding dust, we are working in accordance with the approved Construction and Environmental Management Plan.

“Following a visit to the site, the local authority was satisfied with the dust mitigation measures in place and did not require any further follow-up.”

A spokesperson for Cardiff Council, who regulate the site, said they have contacted the developer and agreed a series of mitigation measures aimed at reducing the impact of the dust.

• Watch the full story here on ITVX.

What’s coming up:

• Saturday 1 August - Saturday 8 August: National Eisteddfod of Wales takes place in Llantwd, near Cardigan.

• Monday 3 August: Sentencing of a 60-year-old man after the body of an elderly woman was found in freezer in Porthcawl.

• Friday 7 - Saturday 8 August: Wrexham play their first game of the season away at Middlesbrough on Friday. Meanwhile Newport, Swansea and Cardiff play their first round games on Saturday.

And finally…Welsh music stars launch commemorative song for America’s 250th anniversary

What gift do you give the country that has everything?

From the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office to the Statue of Liberty, diplomatic gifts hold an important place in America’s history.

Now as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, Wales has created a special gift of its own - a specially commissioned orchestral work from the ‘land of song’.

The piece was written by Pontypridd-born composer Katie Jenkins and features opera superstar Sir Bryn Terfel alongside a number of other Welsh artists.

Symffoni’r Môr Mawr - A Transatlantic Symphony is a ‘story of friendship across the Atlantic’ and is designed to be Wales’ cultural gift to the people of America.

The track will be gifted at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. on Tuesday 1 September.

ITV Cymru Wales correspondent Richard Morgan joined the musicians for the recording. Watch the full piece here.

• Got a story? You can email our inbox at wales@itv.com

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As Andy Burnham stood outside Number 10 Downing Street as the new prime minister on Monday, I was sitting in a burger restaurant in Swansea. The televisions were blasting out coverage from the news channels but nobody, apart from me - Rob Osborne ITV Wales National Correspondent, was paying any attention.

The customers were far more interested in their fries and milkshakes than in the latest change at the top. Perhaps that is understandable. After seven prime ministers in a decade, another arrival in Downing Street no longer feels quite as momentous as it once did.

When I was growing up, prime ministers were almost permanent fixtures. Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street for eleven years. John Major was there for more than six. Tony Blair lasted ten. Whatever you thought of them, you had plenty of time to form an opinion.

Now it’s Andy Burnham from Manchester’s turn, promising a “circuit-breaker” from the politics that has dominated the country since the 1980s.

His first priority, he says, is the cost of living. If that sounds familiar, it should be.

The cost of living was also a defining concern of the man Mr Burnham succeeded, Sir Keir Starmer. It dominated Rishi Sunak’s premiership too. Even Liz Truss, during her brief residency in Number 10, had plans to shield consumers from rising energy prices.

But what does this latest change of management mean for us in Wales?

For a start, we have a new Secretary of State for Wales - the sixth in a decade.

A Kinnock has made it into the British Cabinet - not Neil, but his son Stephen.

He replaces Jo Stevens, whose departure was hardly surprising given her close political ally and friend Keir Starmer was out. Mr Kinnock must now establish a working relationship with a new Plaid Cymru government in Cardiff Bay. That hasn’t always been easy even when Labour was in power at both ends of the M4.

Above him sits a prime minister who has spent years presenting himself as one of Britain’s great devolutionists. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham repeatedly argued that Westminster hoarded too much power and that decisions should be made closer to the communities affected by them.

That ought to give him something in common with Rhun ap Iorwerth.

The two men held their first meeting not in Cardiff, but in Glasgow. The first minister used the meeting to press the case for more powers for Wales but no promises from Mr Burnham. Meanwhile, in his first interviews as Secretary of State, Stephen Kinnock said he was “not entirely convinced” more powers being devolved would benefit the people.

As for the new prime minister, his greatest challenge is convincing those people in that Swansea fast-food restaurant that his arrival in Downing Street will make their lives better.

He has made a series of announcements this week, many of which apply only to England, but announcements are the easy part. There are tougher problems to deal with, some within his power to address, others will be shaped by events elsewhere.

Andy Burnham says he has a ten-year plan. To carry it out however, he must first defy the pattern of recent British political history and remain in office for longer than two or three years.

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Wildfires continue to burn as drought declared in Wales

This week saw a number of wildfires rage across the country after an extended period of dry weather.

In the north, there have been fires in Holyhead, Flintshire and on Bangor Mountain. An estimated 951 hectares (2,350 acres) of the Rhinogydd mountains in Gwynedd have been destroyed by flames.

One campsite owner near Llanbedr said: “It’s been very sad, it’s a lot of land and so much wildlife and everything has been destroyed.”

They added: “It’s heartbreaking, really.”

A drought has also been declared for north Wales and Upper Severn areas.

Fire crews have been tackling significant blazes in the south too, in places like Ferndale and Swansea. Among the most severe was a fire in Blaenavon. The smoke could be detected up to 30 miles away. Residents as far Cardiff reported smelling smoke for days after the fire had begun.

Schoolboy acquitted of attempted murder after stabbing teacher in head

A schoolboy has been acquitted of attempted murder after stabbing a teacher in the head.

The 16-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty by a jury of wounding with intent after attacking Vicki Williams at Milford Haven Comprehensive School in Pembrokeshire in February.

Swansea Crown Court heard previously that the pupil, who was 15 at the time, deliberately stabbed Mrs Williams after asking her to check his schoolwork.

Earlier in the trial, he told the court Mrs Williams had seen him with the knife and “tried to grab it” from him. He said he “accidentally assaulted her” in the ensuing struggle.

On Monday, a jury found him guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but not guilty of attempted murder.

• Read more about the case here.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

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Royal Welsh: The show is over but how did Plaid’s funding announcement go down on the ground?

Another Royal Welsh Show is at an end and once again politics and government policy have been at the heart of the discussion on the showground in Llanelwedd.

I’m Hannah Thomas, ITV Cymru Wales Rural Affairs and Climate Correspondent and when reporting at the show last year, the starter gun had been fired on Senedd Election campaigning. The year before we saw a new First Minister sworn in during Royal Welsh week.

This year wasn’t quite as dramatic but it was the first time that the show took place with a Plaid Cymru government in power at the Senedd.

Llyr Gruffydd, the new Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, kicked off the week with an announcement that Welsh farmers would get more than a billion pounds in funding over the next three years - the first time that the agricultural budget will be set on a multi-annual cycle since Brexit.

Mr Gruffydd said: “We know how hard it is to plan and make business decisions without knowing what funding is coming. Farmers told us loud and clear they need certainty and stability - and that is exactly what we are delivering.”

The announcement was largely welcomed by Welsh farming unions. Abi Reader, President of NFU Cymru, gave this response: “This year we have seen farm-gate prices fall in some key sectors and input prices soar in response to global instability.

“This move to a ring-fenced multi-annual system of farm support will underpin the financial resilience of family farms and help them ride out these challenges, whilst at the same time helping deliver on our ambition for the sustainable growth of the sector.”

But some farmers argued that this did not go far enough.

Many have been asking for more money to cover the increased input costs and higher inflation that they have seen over the past few years; and there is not a penny more in this announcement. Political opponents Reform UK and the Welsh Conservatives have both called for a financial uplift to the farming budget. And while the Welsh Government announcement was widely embraced by farmers, no doubt there will still be lobbying over the next few months.

In the meantime we have a drought to deal with in many parts of Wales. And as farmers return home after a busy week at the show, they will have the headaches of taking water to livestock as their streams dry up; the conundrum of feeding winter fodder to animals in fields with little grass left; and the challenge of keeping their livestock cool in the heat.

The Royal Welsh Show is over but the long hot summer of 2026 shows no signs of giving up.

Welsh athletes prepare to compete in Commonwealth Games

Team Wales has arrived at the Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2026 has truly started with a bang. The first day saw competitors from around the country compete in sports such as basketball, gymnastics, bowls, boxing, powerlifting and swimming.

• Watch the full interview with Jeremiah Azu here.

Some of Team Wales’ star athletes are yet to compete including those performing in athletics, such as Jeremiah Azu.

Speaking to ITV Cymru Wales before his trip up to Glasgow, he shared his excitement for representing Wales. He said: “Growing up in Cardiff has had a huge impact on who I am today...it’s hard to put into words how special it feels to represent this country, putting on the red and flying the dragon around.”

He added: “It’s an honour to be a part of that.”

Another member of the team hoping to bring home a medal for Wales is Ruby Evans. The 19-year-old gymnast recently won the silver medal at last year’s World Championships and has been working hard for another great result in Glasgow.

She said: “I’ve always wanted to do Commonwealth. When I was little, it was never ‘I want to do the Olympics’, it was always ‘I want to do Commonwealth’.”

• Watch the full interview with Ruby Evans here.

What’s coming up:

• Saturday 25 - Sunday 26 July: Thousands will attend GlastonBARRY in the Vale of Glamorgan to watch tribute acts to the likes of Queen, Abba and Tina Turner.

• Saturday 25 July - Saturday 1 August: The Commonwealth Games continues in Glasgow.

• Tuesday 28 July: Former boxing champion Joe Cordina is due in court accused of assault and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place.

• Thursday 30 July: Latest statistics on levels of homelessness and rough sleeping in Wales released by the Welsh Government.

And finally… mental health charity celebrates a decade supporting those in agriculture

A mental health charity that supports those working in agriculture across Wales has celebrated its tenth anniversary.

The DPJ Foundation was set up by the widow of Daniel Picton-Jones, an agricultural contractor who died after suffering poor mental health.

Kate Miles, from the charity, said: “It’s such a massive milestone, it’s quite hard to believe really that the charity’s been going for ten years.

“It was always intended to be a small charity that would make a little difference in a small corner of Pembrokeshire. And yet the need was there, the demand was there - so we’ve gradually grown and now we cover the whole of Wales.”

• Watch more here on ITVX.

• Got a story? You can email our inbox at wales@itv.com

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This week saw the new Plaid Cymru government suffer its first defeat in office as it failed to get its supplementary budget passed, writes Guto Llewellyn, a producer on ITV Wales’ political programme Sharp End.

Finance Minister Elin Jones MS said it would have delivered £294m in extra funding for the NHS, childcare and free school meals. But in order to get it passed, Plaid would need to get backing from either Reform UK, Labour or the Conservatives.

Reform UK and the Conservatives had both indicated they would not support the supplementary budget, leaving only one option.

So would we see Labour repay the favour after Plaid Cymru enabled the last Welsh Government to pass its budget in December? No.

Despite extensive discussions behind the scenes, the government could not meet Labour’s demands on Additional Learning Needs (ALN) spending, which proved to be a deal-breaker.

The Welsh Government first offered an extra £80m over two years, then £120m over three years for ALN support, but Labour stood firm on its demands for £100m in the first year.

The end result was deadlock, a government defeat and a lot of finger pointing.

Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates MS accused the Welsh Government of hypocrisy for failing to agree a deal on ALN funding, despite Plaid Cymru calling for more ALN support when in opposition.

Meanwhile Plaid Cymru MS Kiera Marshall labelled Labour “irresponsible” for walking away from the table, claiming the government’s offer presented a step forward for ALN in Wales.

It all felt quite messy and it’s not finished yet.

Plaid Cymru will now have to go again in the autumn and in all likelihood they will once again have to negotiate with Labour, who are unlikely to soften their stance over the long summer recess - especially with Plaid Cymru releasing social media videos accusing them of teaming up with Reform UK and the Conservatives to block NHS funding.

When in opposition, Rhun ap Iorwerth repeatedly said it wasn’t his job to get the government’s budget passed, and that responsibility lies with the government itself. Now that the shoe’s on the other foot, those words feel truer than ever.

It all means Plaid Cymru head into the summer recess in a slump. Not only did they suffer a painful defeat with their supplementary budget, they also came in for heavy criticism from teaching unions as the government announced a planned 3.5% pay increase for teachers - lower than the 4.5% recommended in an independent report.

Together with the debate over ALN funding, this saw the two school leaders’ unions in Wales (NAHT Cymru and ASCL Cymru) jointly declare a collective trade dispute with the Welsh Government.

This is particularly awkward for the Education Minister Anna Brychan MS, as she led NAHT Cymru as its director for many years. She now faces a battle to pacify relations between the government and unions in order to see off the risk of strikes.

Senedd Members are now embarking on their summer recess and after a bruising week in Cardiff Bay, many within the cabinet will feel they need a holiday more than ever.

• ITV Wales Political Editor Adrian Masters explains why that budget vote didn’t go Plaid’s way.

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Welsh Labour Leader ‘expects tension’ between Andy Burnham and Plaid Welsh Government

Welsh Labour’s new leader Ken Skates said he “would expect tensions to come” between Andy Burnham, the next UK prime minister, and the Welsh Government.

It comes as the former Manchester mayor was officially announced as the new leader of The Labour Party at a special conference on Friday (17 July).

Speaking at the conference, Ken Skates told ITV News that whilst Andy Burnham’s vision looked positive for Wales, tension is likely between Labour in Westminster and Plaid Cymru in the Senedd.

He said: “There may well be tension, I can imagine there will be over various issues. Let’s not forget they are different parties.

“We in the Labour movement, we are the party of devolution. Plaid Cymru are the party of Welsh nationalism. So, you would expect tensions to come.”

In his first speech as Labour leader, Mr Burnham insisted he would speak up for all parts of the UK - including Wales.

• Read more about what Andy Burnham said here.

Residents in Chepstow left with mould-ridden homes after £49,000 roof replacement abandoned

Residents at a three-storey apartment block in Chepstow say they have been left with homes plagued by black mould, damp and leaking ceilings after paying almost £50,000 for a new roof that was never completed.

More than 18 months after work began by a Wiltshire-based company, a substantial section of the roof remains unfinished, allowing rainwater to enter the building and leaving one flat so badly affected that environmental health officers have deemed it ‘uninhabitable’.

ITV Wales Consumer Affairs Correspondent Kate Lewis spoke to a one resident who lives on the top floor. She said returning to her flat has become too distressing.

Standing in the hallway of the property for the first time in months, Trish Chaldecott struggled to hold back tears: “Oh my gosh... I don’t think I want to go in.”

Residents say they have tried repeatedly to recover their money or seek further action but have reached a dead end and they believe they have effectively been left without a clear route to redress.

The Wiltshire based company employed to carry out the work was called Rise Above Roofing but according to Companies House ceased trading in June 2026.

Its, Robert Burton, declined ITV Wales’ request for an interview and after initially corresponding by email, he said he did not wish to respond to questions about the incomplete work, what happened to the money or whether any funds would be returned to residents. He said only that the business had experienced difficulties because of personal circumstances.

• Read more about on Kate Lewis’ investigation or watch the report over on ITVX.

Newly qualified midwives say they cannot get jobs and are ‘left in limbo’

On Wednesday, newly qualified midwives in Wales met with Senedd members after more than half didn’t receive jobs when they graduated.

The Royal College of Midwives says up to 70 student midwives have been denied employment with the Welsh NHS despite staff shortages, with unions describing it as a blow to an “overstretched service”.

Speaking outside the Senedd, one recently qualified midwife said: “Not only am I concerned about my future career, but I’m concerned about the future of midwifery and for the women and babies we care for and how safe the care is going to continue to be.”

The Welsh Government says it held a graduate summit in June to find immediate solutions and insists it is supporting graduates to find emerging jobs.

• Find out more about that story here.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

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Hosepipe ban announced for parts of west Wales

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has confirmed that a hosepipe ban will be introduced this weekend.

The ban covers mid and south Ceredigion, parts of north Pembrokeshire, and north Carmarthenshire. The ban comes into force from 10am on Sunday 19 July and about 33,000 properties are impacted.

Welsh Water said that around one billion litres of water have been put into supply each day over the last week, which is up about 20% more than usual at this time of year.

Kit Wilson, Welsh Water’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “This has not been an easy decision, and we fully appreciate that these temporary restrictions will disappoint some customers.”

What’s coming up:

• Saturday 18 July: Wales face the Springboks away in the next game of the Nations Championship.

• Monday 20 - Thursday 23 July: The Royal Welsh Show takes place in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells.

• Monday 20 July: Andy Burnham moves into Number 10 Downing Street and becomes prime minister.

• Thursday 23 July: The opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games gets underway in Glasgow.

And finally…what life is like for the young couple who are wardens of a Welsh island

Have you ever dreamt of quitting your job, leaving your home town and making a new life somewhere remote? Well that’s exactly what Lois Roberts and Aron Jones from Cardiff have done, at the age of just 29. And amazingly, that was never really the plan.

I’m Hamish Auskerry, an on-screen journalist with ITV Wales and I was sent to Ynys Enlli, the island often called Bardsey off the Llŷn Peninsula in north Wales.

It’s an island defined by beauty and mystery. The “island in the currents” would once have been a frightening place to sail to, as the tide whips around the coastline and coves. Thankfully nowadays it’s a simple half an hour journey with Colin the boatman.

When you arrive at the harbour, you suddenly feel a calming sense of isolation. There’s barely any phone signal on the island, caused by the 167 metre tall mountain ‘Mynydd Enlli’, which protects the island from the east and hides the mainland from view from most of the island.

Lois and Aron lived together as a couple in Cardiff and one day decided to apply for seasonal work on Enlli, imagining it would be a brief adventure from March to October.

“The contract was for eight months,” Lois tells me, “and we were just expecting to go back to Cardiff afterwards.”

But by the end, they were hooked on island life.

Three years on they successfully applied to be head wardens on the island - a full time job - meaning they will spend this coming winter on the island for the first time. In the summer the population is 11, with boatloads of visitors arriving most days for company. In the winter the population falls to just four people, including Lois and Aron.

“It’s nice not to have to rush around, having to commute to work and be in the middle of the crowds and things in the city,” Lois said.

“I think the slower pace on the island is really, really nice.”

Now, I have to declare a bias here. I myself grew up on a tiny island in Orkney, Scotland, where my parents are sheep farmers. So I was predisposed to enjoying Ynys Enlli. But 24 hours there did not disappoint I can tell you.

It should be said though, if you’re considering a visit, this is no luxury getaway. There are no flushing toilets for a start. There is however something about island life that seems to get into your bones, even for a young couple who’d grown up in Wales’ capital city.

For now though, they’re just preparing for winter on a beautiful island nearly all to themselves.

• Watch Hamish’s full report here.

• Got a story? You can email our inbox at wales@itv.com

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I’m Adrian Masters, ITV Wales Political Editor and arguable the biggest and most important change next week is at the top of the UK Labour Party. The first stage of the process to choose a new leader to replace Sir Keir Starmer began last week with the vast majority of MPs choosing to nominate Andy Burnham.

At the end of the week he was just one short of the number needed to make it impossible for anyone else to stand. That’s all but certain to come on Monday when MPs return to parliament because they have to put their nominations in in person in Labour’s parliamentary office.

Even without a challenger there are hoops to go through, which include nominations from affiliated organisations such as trade unions and a special conference due to be held next Friday. The new leader is then expected to go to Buckingham Palace on Monday 20 in order to be appointed prime minister by the King.

It’s not yet clear when the new prime minister will meet the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rhun ap Iorwerth was due to meet Keir Starmer last month but that didn’t happen for obvious reasons. They would have met at the British Irish Council on Guernsey but Sir Keir stayed away from that.

The first minister was taunted about the lack of contact by the leader of Reform UK Wales, Dan Thomas, in the Senedd. He said: “Your demands are not being taken seriously. You are not commanding the respect that Wales needs in the first minister.”

Rhun ap Iorwerth was exasperated, saying that none of that was through want of trying and adding that “it’s chaos at Westminster that has stopped us from being able to take that face to face between the Welsh first minister and the UK prime minister.

“I’m looking forward to putting that right very, very soon when they sort out their leadership issues there.”

The choice of a new leader for Welsh Labour may not have quite the same impact as choosing someone who will become prime minister, but it’s still a big choice even if the Senedd group they’ll lead is a small one.

That particular process was rather suddenly sped up last week, from a summer-long contest into a truncated couple of weeks to match the UK party’s election. I’m told the decision to speed it up was backed by all nine Senedd members. It seems there’s no appetite for a longer process.

There’s no sign anyway of it being anything other than a coronation for the interim leader Ken Skates who’s made it clear he’s keen to do the job over the longer term.

He was right at the front of the audience at Andy Burnham’s recent speech setting out his priorities and told me this week that the former Manchester mayor ‘gets’ devolution and will be pushing for a constructive working relationship with the Plaid Cymru Welsh Government.

Maybe, but I think tension is still on the cards. In his speech Mr Burnham talked about “driving down devolution”. That was seen as meaning not just boosting power for governments in Cardiff and Edinburgh but also giving local councils a bigger say over decision-making in their areas.

And then we come to the vote this week on the Welsh Government’s Supplementary Budget.

As things stand, it won’t pass. Reform UK said last week that it won’t back it, the Conservatives had previously done so and as I’ve reported elsewhere, talks with Labour on increasing the amount of funding for Additional Learning Needs have stalled.

It’s not a full budget, it won’t bring down the government if it doesn’t pass but it will be an embarrassment and a headache - the finance minister will have to try again in the autumn.

But it’s another reminder of how tricky minority government is and how Plaid Cymru’s strategy of putting forward spending plans that they believe other parties can support because, well, they do, is simply not enough.

Plaid Cymru itself many years ago pulled its support for crucial legislation when a Labour minister said they were “a cheap date” - and that’s high in Labour’s minds now.

Sometimes political deals require giving the other party what they can claim as a “win” and maybe that’s the lesson Plaid Cymru is learning as it navigates the tricky waters of minority government.

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Wales in midst of third and longest heatwave of the year so far

Temperatures across Wales are set to soar over the next week and could climb into the mid 30s in some areas.

Eastern parts of the country are expected to reach higher temperatures.

This is the third heatwave of the year and while it isn’t predicted to be as hot as the last, it is anticipated to carry on for longer than the previous heatwaves.

Humidity is expected to be lower however, with cooler nights bringing some relief. UV and pollen levels are also anticipated to be incredibly high.

Scientists say these record-breaking weather events are becoming more intense and more frequent because of climate change, largely driven by the burning of fossil fuels.

The fallout from ‘seismic’ pylon court case verdict - that’s not actually about pylons

It has been a sore subject that has quite literally ‘sparked’ political debate in Wales for years - whether to allow the construction of new electricity pylons in the Welsh countryside. The purpose of those pylons to connect renewable energy developments and add capacity to the national grid.

But back last year, more than five hundred farmers and landowners came together to take a green energy company to court. The case did not centre on whether more pylons should be built at all, but on the behaviour of the company and its representatives while trying to sign them up to the scheme.

Back in April a two-day judicial review was held in Cardiff and this week, after a few months of considering the legal arguments, a judge delivered his verdict. Many of those five hundred campaigners told me, ITV Wales Rural Affairs & Climate Correspondent Hannah Thomas, that they felt “vindicated” by the findings.

They had previously said they felt “bullied” by the energy company’s tactics.

“It should never have got into a court room with a community group,” said Stella Price, a farmer and landowner from Hundred House in Powys.

“The reason we got there was because of the behaviour of the company in accessing land. Particularly with elderly and vulnerable rural members of our community. We hadn’t seen anything like it before.”

Builth Wells farmer Anthony Powell said he now wants to draw a line in the sand with the company and begin creating a new positive relationship with them going forward, because things have not got off to a good start over the last few years.

Without buy-in from landowners, energy company Green Gen Cymru knows that fulfilling its ambition of a pylon network stretching sixty miles from Powys to Carmarthenshire may be almost impossible.

It said: “Environmental and technical surveys are essential to developing major infrastructure responsibly. As we have consistently said, our preference remains to work collaboratively with landowners and stakeholders, and we will continue to prioritise dialogue, cooperation and voluntary agreements wherever possible.”

Green Gen Cymru acknowledged the judgement handed down in the judicial review. It added that it is “committed to carrying out work responsibly, maintaining high standards of engagement, biosecurity and environmental care - supporting the development of the infrastructure needed to deliver a secure and resilient energy network for Wales”.

All of the landowners were supported by legal teams and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in Wales were kept informed of developments. They think the case could be “seismic” for how companies deal with landowners in the future.

“It’s not just renewable infrastructure for a start,” said Mark Burton from CLA Cymru. “It affects everything from roads and railways to if you’re going to compulsory purchase land for housing. All of that. It’s about engaging at a very early stage in the process.

“It’s good to have seen Welsh farmers standing up about this and being prepared to make an impact because actually it’s potentially going to affect all of the UK.”

Welsh landowners and Green Gen Cymru know that this is not the end of the story yet. Thousands of pounds have been spent on legal fees, there’s been court hearings and plenty of protests attended. But there still has not been a single pylon built. Will these pylons ever be built in rural Wales? Well we will have to wait and see.

• Watch Hannah’s full report here on ITVX.

‘One of Britain’s greatest’: Tributes pour in after Bonnie Tyler’s death

Lengendry Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has died at the age of 75, her family announced on Thursday.

Tyler had previously been placed in an induced coma after having emergency intestinal surgery near her home in Faro, Portugal, in May.

In June, her spokesperson said the Welsh-born star was “no longer in a coma” but remained “very unwell” and in intensive care.

On Thursday, a message from her family on the singer’s website said: “Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for.”

Other music icons paid tribute to Tyler, including Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Rod Stewart, and Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley.

• Read more about what they had to say here.

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PIP review finds disability benefits ‘soul-destroying’ as claimants call for change

A review into Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has found that disability benefits are “no longer fit for purpose”, with claimants calling for reform of the current system.

PIP is a non-means-tested benefit designed to help people with the extra costs that may come with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability.

Cerys Davage has lived with a disability since she was a child. She has a type of muscular dystrophy, which is a lifelong and progressive condition that will cause her muscles to weaken over time.

She said PIP has changed her life. “I wouldn’t be able to work, I wouldn’t be able to have a social life if it wasn’t for PIP,” she explained.

But she wants to see changes to the application process. She said: “Each time the reapplication for PIP comes through every three years, my condition will be worse off so I really think they should scrap the need for reassessment.”

• Find out more about that story and Cerys’ experience here on ITVX.

What’s coming up:

• Sunday, 12 July: Wales play Argentina in the next round of the Nation’s Championship. The match kicks off at 8:10pm BST and will be shown on ITV4.

• Sunday, 12 July: The IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea triathlon takes place. There will be various road closures in place throughout the day.

• Tuesday, 14 July: Members of the Senedd vote on the Welsh Government's Supplementary Budget. Plaid Cymru need the support of another party to pass it.

• Tuesday, 14 July: The UK Covid-19 Inquiry will publish its fifth report, looking at procurement during the pandemic.

• Friday, 17 July: Special conference to confirm Labour's new UK leader if there’s only one viable candidate by then.

And finally…Statue of former First Minister unveiled in Cardiff Bay

A statue of Wales’ former First Minister Rhodri Morgan, alongside his canine companion Tel, was unveiled by his family on Thursday.

It stands outside the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay and the making of the bronze sculpture took Welsh artist Andy Edwards a total of eight years.

Mr Morgan’s journey into politics began in 1987 as an MP, then he went on to become a Member of the Senedd in 1999. He then served as Wales’ first minister for nine years, between 2000 and 2009.

He passed away in 2017 but his family, friends, and supporters began fundraising for a statue to keep his memory and legacy alive.

• See how people reacted to the new statue in the full report over on ITVX.

• Got a story? You can email our inbox at wales@itv.com

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My name is Hamish Auskerry, I’m an on screen journalist with ITV Wales. I’m about to go out armed only with my camera on an evening shift with Gwent Police officers who are part of the Community Action Team (CAT), launched in June 2025 to bolster neighbourhood policing.

Observing the daily briefing at the start of the shift gives me a flavour of what might be to come tonight.

“There’s reports of people bringing weapons and crack cocaine into the property so it’s possible he’s being cuckooed there”, the Detective Sergeant Ian Tucker tells his colleagues at one point. At this point I’m feeling somewhat apprehensive about the night ahead.

In reality these briefings before officers are sent out are more of an intelligence sharing opportunity. We won’t be exercising any arrest warrants tonight, but officers will see things on the beat that will be fed into wider long term operations tackling serious organised crime.

The team of 16 PCs, 10 PCSOs and two sergeants is led by Inspector Laura Paget. It was created to be a flexible, highly visible force focusing on the issues that matter most to residents—specifically anti-social behaviour, vehicle crime, and community-level offending.

Since last October, the primary focus for the CAT has been Bettws, a massive housing estate on the outskirts of Newport. It is here that I joined PC Billy Connor and PC Ifan O’Sullivan, who between them carry 15 years of policing experience. Through regular foot patrols, they’ve learned the layout of the land and, crucially, where criminality often hides.

The impact of this presence is almost immediate. We hadn’t been on the beat long before the officers were forced to spring into action. In an area known for drug supply, a group of young people scattered at the sight of the uniforms. After a short chase, a 14-year-old male was caught and searched. He was found with a grinder that can be used to smoke cannabis, but on its own that is not an offence. So with no drugs found, he was free to go.

For the officers, these encounters are about more than just potential arrests. They are about intervention. Police warn that children using drugs are often being groomed by organised crime groups for involvement in “county lines” exploitation. Much of the rest of the officers’ foot patrol is taken up talking to young people out on their bikes or at a local youth club, with the aim of breaking down barriers with police by engaging with them on their own turf. Enforcement is mixed with prevention.

Beyond drug supply, the team is locked in a constant “cat and mouse” game with illegal off-road bikers. In urban areas, these bikes are a particular menace, often ridden dangerously on footpaths and in public parks where they are strictly prohibited.

The difficulty lies in the risk; officers are mindful not to push riders into more erratic behaviour that could endanger lives. Instead, Gwent Police say they’re getting inventive, utilising specialist road policing units, drones, and unmarked cars to catch offenders.

Gwent Police says the proactive approach is yielding results. From June 2025 to April 2026 the Community Action Team arrested over 300 people and seized more than 220 vehicles. In Bettws, where the team has been stationed since last October, Gwent Police says there has been a steady downward trend in reports of anti-social behaviour.

As darkness falls over south east Wales, the shift continues. The work is demanding and, as the unit’s inspector admitted to me, it can feel relentless. However, the CAT team promises their commitment to stamp out anti-social behaviour remains just as relentless. They are one year into their task, but as I’ve seen tonight, their work is far from done.

• Watch the full report on ITVX here

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Solar-powered housing developments risk losing out on energy generated

Housing campaigners have warned that people may not be benefiting from the energy created by solar panels on housing developments.

Phil Brown lives on a solar-powered housing development in the east of Newport and has described how excess electricity from his house is fed into the National Grid.

He told ITV Wales that whilst the running costs of his house are low, there are still missed opportunities.

Phil says that neither he or the housing association is benefiting from the power they are providing.

TPAS Cymru, which supports social housing tenants and landlords, has described the situation as a ‘mixed picture’ across Wales, with opportunities and money often being missed.

Read the full article here

Man on ‘inhumane’ IPP sentence returns to prison because of crime he committed 20 years ago

Shirley DeBono does not mince her words when it comes to describing IPP prison sentences. “Inhumane” and “torture” are among the terms she uses.

For her, these “Imprisonment for Public Protection” sentences (now abolished) have cost her son 17 years of his life, and caused his family untold grief.

Shaun Lloyd was 18 when he robbed a mobile phone from a man on the street in 2005.

In January 2006, he was sentenced to 2 years and 9 months in prison. But crucially, because he was handed an IPP sentence, this was just a minimum. In order to be allowed to leave prison, Shaun would need to convince the parole board that he was safe to be released.

He was denied parole, and ended up spending 8 years behind bars. It was just the beginning of the nightmare. IPP prisoners are subject to a “life licence”, meaning they can be recalled to prison at any time if found to be in breach of their licence terms. Worse, even when back in jail, IPP prisoners can wait more than 2 years for their next parole board hearing.

If the prisoner fails to complete the necessary courses (which critics say often happens due to a lack of resources) or lapses into drug addiction, they can be denied parole. In Shaun’s case, this all means he’s served a total of 17 years behind bars.

His mother says the most recent recall is especially hard to take, as it is based on an anonymous phone call which didn’t result in an arrest or charge.

“The first I knew is when police came to my house to do a welfare check on me because the call said Shaun had strangled me,” Shirley said.

“Which categorically didn’t take place. Never has done, never would.

“I think this time more than before, [the recall] is concerning for him because he’s done everything asked of him by probation.

“He’s drug-free, he’s clean, he’s got himself onto an apprenticeship. And ‘bang’, one phone call and you have all that taken away from you.”

The Ministry of Justice says 2,329 people were serving IPP prison sentences at the end of March. 44 of them were Welsh, although the figure doesn’t include those who’ve been released and subsequently recalled to prison.

896 IPP prisoners have never been released from jail, say the MoJ. 1433 are behind bars following a recall. The Government claims both these figures are lower (by 11% and 6%) than the previous year.

Following a change in the law, if an IPP prisoner has been in the community for two years following their first release, the Parole Board can then consider terminating their licence.

But a group of campaigners - including prominent politicians - are campaigning to have all IPP sentences quashed retrospectively.

This week, Baroness Fox of Buckley was among those who raised the issue in the House of Lords, describing the long wait faced by IPP prisoners to see a probation officer as “cruel”.

She told ITV Wales that the sentences made little sense against the backdrop of the UK Government’s “Early Release Scheme”, intended to free up spaces in overcrowded jails, which has seen some prisoners released after serving 40% of their sentences.

The Ministry of Justice said: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished. We are determined to make progress towards safe and sustainable releases for those in prison, but not in a way that undermines public protection.

“There is no evidence IPP offenders are being recalled unnecessarily, which HM Inspectorate of Probation confirmed in an independent review of IPP recalls in December 2023.”

Shaun is currently waiting to hear from the Criminal Cases Review Commission in a bid to get his IPP conviction quashed.

His mum, meanwhile, continues to speak out. Earlier this year she and other campaigners submitted a complaint to the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

She’s also written to the King, and the Pope, to protest about Shaun’s treatment.

“They let rapists out, they let murderers out, they let terrorists out. Why not let a boy out who stole a mobile phone when he was 18 with no violence?” she said.

“If this was going on in another country like North Korea, the people would be outraged. But no, it’s happening here in the UK.”

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

Wales squad resolve last-minute pay dispute ahead of Nations Championships

Wales’ preparations for their fixture against Fiji this weekend were unsettled by last-minute pay negotiations.

Steve Tandy’s side will face Fiji later today, but the game was plunged into uncertainty when players refused to fulfil media obligations on Wednesday lunch time.

Later on Wednesday, a group of senior players - including the captain Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan, Josh Adams, Dillon Lewis and Ryan Elias - remained locked in talks with the Welsh Rugby Union regarding contractual issues, including match fees, for the upcoming Nations Championship.

However, a deal was struck around 5pm, less than 48 hours before kick-off, and the game will go ahead as scheduled.

It is not the first time such a dispute has erupted in the week of a major Test match.

Ahead of the 2023 Six Nations match between Wales and England, players threatened to strike because the WRU and the regions could not establish a new financial agreement.

On that occasion, a deal was struck less than 48 hours before the match. Then-Wales captain Ken Owens branded Welsh rugby a ‘laughing stock’.

Read the full article here

What’s coming up:

• Saturday, 4 July: Wales face Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium for the opening round of the inaugural Nations Championship tournament. KO 1410 BST.

• Tuesday, 7 July: Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod begins, running until 12 July.

• Thursday, 9 July: Nominations open for leader of the Labour Party from Labour MPs.

And finally…Signed Paul McCartney book donated to charity shop sells for nearly £1,000

A book signed by Paul McCartney that was discovered at a charity shop has sold for almost £1,000.

The book was donated as part of a collection of 1970s memorabilia to an Oxfam shop in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.

But it was not until it had been put out for sale, that staff at the charity shop discovered it held a very famous signature inside the cover.

• Read more about the book here

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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I’m Adrian Masters, ITV Cymru Wales Political Editor, and you may have seen reporting this week by Sky News and BBC Wales that he does not intend to change the way that Wales and Scotland are funded, the mechanism known as the Barnett Formula, when he moves into Number 10.

That’s at odds with previous comments he made during his time as Greater Manchester mayor reported by the National newspaper, when he said he wanted to “tear up” the funding model and even earlier comments during the Labour leadership campaign of 2015 - when he acknowledged the Barnett Formula was unfair to Wales.

The Plaid Cymru First Minister has wasted no time in criticising this apparent u-turn. Rhun ap Iorwerth posted on social media saying: “It is disappointing that Andy Burnham has ruled out reviewing Wales’s funding formula, despite previously supporting it.

“I have always been clear that the respect agenda must work both ways. This Welsh Government will never let the UK Government take Wales for granted.”

As for Andy Burnham’s response, a spokesperson said: “Andy has spent his whole political career fighting for the nations and regions of the United Kingdom – he will put Wales at the centre of any government he runs, radically pushing power down and out of Westminster and Whitehall.”

One Welsh Labour MP told me that they’re “hopeful” for what Andy Burnham will mean for Wales, that “he gets devolution and the benefits of all our nations and regions”.

Another said that while they thought that most people in Wales were “glad” that Keir Starmer has set out his departure plans, they also “want to know how Andy will promote policies that benefit us in Wales. We look forward to clarification very soon”.

That clarification could come on Monday when Mr Burnham is due to deliver a speech setting out his plans for devolution, his first major speech since winning the Makerfield by-election and becoming the front-runner to take over from Keir Starmer.

It’s reported that his speech will include a proposal to move some of the work of Prime Minister from Downing Street to Manchester. What moves could he announce that would constitute “radical devolution” that would win over sceptics here in Wales?

Apart from funding reform, Plaid Cymru’s shopping list includes power to set income tax rates as well as the power it currently has to vary rates; the reclassification of HS2 as ‘England-only’ in order to trigger extra spending in Wales; devolution of the Crown Estate; devolution of criminal justice, social security and the benefits system.

Income tax powers could be an easy win for Mr Burnham, meeting a key demand of his opponents while also setting up a political battle for the future if Plaid Cymru were to follow through on its pledge to emulate Scotland’s income tax regime.

Other calls in that list have been met with a resounding ‘no’ from Keir Starmer’s UK Government, even though some are also Welsh Labour aspirations.

Welsh Labour continues to argue that a Labour UK Government has been good for Wales. Interim leader Ken Skates this week highlighted the fact that Wales “received a record devolution settlement and generational plans for £14bn for rail in Wales”.

There’s another view too. Reform UK Wales, now the opposition in the Senedd, is highly critical of what it says is Plaid Cymru “wasting time and taxpayers’ money” on constitutional issues.

In the chamber this week the party’s leader in Wales, Dan Thomas, said: “Instead of focusing on fixing the problems within his control, the First Minister is once again calling for more powers. The people of Wales are concerned about the cost of living, access to healthcare, and opportunities for their families, not constitutional rearrangements.”

The political parties are thinking about the next UK General Election, which is due in 2028 but could come sooner, and the next Senedd Election in 2030. These dates may seem distant but the dividing lines for them are being drawn up right now.

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Teenager charged with murder after body found in search for missing girl

A 14-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with murder after a female body was found in a park in Blaina, near Ebbw Vale.

The teenager from the Blaenau Gwent area, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Newport Magistrates Court on Friday. He spoke only to confirm his name, address, date of birth and that he could hear proceedings.

He will appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday next week.

Gwent Police said he was arrested after the body of a female was found in the Duffryn Park area at around 10pm on Monday, 22 June.

The body has not yet been formally identified but the family of a missing 14-year-old girl named Lilly Jones has been informed.

• Read more about that story here.

Wales’ first red hot weather warning - but buckle up for more

I feel like a broken record every time I talk about another day of record-breaking temperatures - but this week saw a June heatwave in Wales like no other.

50 years to the week since Wales baked in the infamous summer of 1976, the record June temperature set in that week five decades ago was smashed in Cardiff as temperatures soared to 35.9C on Thursday in the capital’s Bute Park.

I’m Hannah Thomas, ITV Cymru Wales Rural Affairs and Climate Correspondent, and I began the week with the prospect of sweltering heat firmly on my mind.

I decided to head to Cilfynydd in Rhondda Cynon Taf on Monday as the heatwave began - the place that saw seven consecutive days of temperatures above 30C in the summer of 1976.

50 years on, I was met with traffic light repair man Paul Fothergill who was fixing lights at a pedestrian crossing under a big white umbrella.

“We’ve been advised to do this to stay out of direct sunlight,” he said. “We’ve got water in the van to stay hydrated, sunscreen on any exposed skin, and we’re just trying to take it as easy as possible!”

In the middle of filming with Paul, I got a notification from the Met Office - Wales had been issued with its first ever red weather warning for heat on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wales’ first red heat warning, but of how many? We are told by scientists that Wales can expect hotter, drier summers with climate change. So how do we change with climate change? The Welsh Government says it recognises the need to do more.

“We understand and accept that there is a climate emergency”, said Nerys Evans MS Deputy Minister for Public Health.

“I don’t think that’s well understood by all political parties in Wales, but we are working across government to make sure that all departments are tackling that in everything that we do.”

Seeing exactly how the extremes brought about by climate change are impacting Wales can sometimes be hard to visualise. So on Wednesday I went back to the Llanthony Valley in Monmouthshire, which was under a red warning for rain last November when Storm Claudia blew in.

It was this storm that saw the worst flooding Monmouth had experienced from the River Monnow in 40 years. But Claudia did not only leave her mark on the town itself, but also on the wider county.

In the Llanthony Valley, a landslide caused by high river levels and the erosion of the riverbank left the village cut off for months. At Llanthony Priory the streams were like torrents, gauging out the land as they gushed their way down to the Wye.

But on Wednesday, the streams were not there. There was nothing for the sheep to drink from save the tank that farmer Bryony Gittins was filling up every hour. And for her, this is climate change.

“It’s one extreme to the other,” said Bryony. “We are seeing so much water that it’s completely changing the shape of the land and damaging infrastructure that we’ve had in places for years.

“And now it’s totally dry we are looking for water sources elsewhere to help the livestock. We are in a world where we need both flood resilience and heat resilience.”

I think it is fair to say that all of us have needed heat resilience this week. But it is only June. Buckle up, because as summer heatwaves go, we may not have seen the hottest yet.

• Watch more on that story here on ITVX.

Woman with severe epilepsy pays to go private after being ‘let down’ by NHS

A 24-year-old woman from Ceredigion said she’s had to pay for private healthcare to manage her severe epilepsy.

Kayleigh Roach, from Bronant, claims the NHS has not provided her with enough support and during appointments she felt like she ‘wasn’t being listened to’.

Last year, Kayleigh was having up to three seizures a week. After finding a new medication that could help ease her condition, she says the NHS team “denied” her it.

She added: “I then had to go private…I feel let down by the NHS, and I don’t feel like I should’ve had to do that.”

Hywel Dda University Health Board said it can’t comment on individual cases but wants to ensure patients are listened to.

• Watch more on Kayleigh’s story here on ITVX.

Bellamy’s move to Burnley off?

It was highly anticipated that former Wales captain, Craig Bellamy, was set to leave the national mens side and make his move to manage Burnley this week.

Thursday was particularly turbulent for Welsh football as Bellamy’s proposed move was on and off throughout the day.

It began to emerge that the move was in jeopardy and not long after it was announced to have fallen through entirely. Reportedly, Burnley were already moving on to other targets.

This leaves Bellamy in a difficult position where he faces a rather let down fanbase. He talked earlier this month about not going anywhere, so if he is to remain in post with Wales he will have to repair his relationship with fans who feel mislead.

However, sources within the FAW told ITV Cymru Wales that Bellamy will likely be in charge when the Nations League begins in September. Although, this should come with a warning that a lot can change within the next two or three months.

It comes in the same week as former Wales captain and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is named as the next head coach for Oxford United’s men’s team.

What’s coming up?

• Sunday, 28 June: Heavy metal band Metallica play at the Principality Stadium - with road closures in place in the city centre.

• Monday, 29 June: Andy Burnham, the front-runner to become the next UK Prime Minister, is due to deliver a speech setting out his plans for devolution.

• Wednesday, 1 July: The Welsh Affairs Committee will hear evidence about the impacts of metal mine pollution on water quality - both the scale of the problem and what is being done in terms of regulation.

• Saturday, 4 July: Wales face Fiji at the Cardiff City Stadium during the opening round of the inaugural Nations Championship tournament.

Celebrating the legacy of the Windrush generation

Deloris and Roma were only small children when they followed their families to Cardiff from Jamaica and Antigua. They were part of the Windrush generation - the name given to those who migrated from Caribbean countries to help rebuild post-war Britain.

78 years on from when HMT Empire Windrush first arrived on British shores, Deloris and Roma told ITV Cymru Wales why it is still just as important now to recognise the contribution of that generation.

• Watch more on Windrush Day celebrations in Wales here on ITVX.

And finally…Friends enter 300th day of charity cycle from north Wales to Thailand

Three teenagers from north Wales have surpassed 300 days of their mammoth charity mission. Dyfan Hughes, Louis Dennis and James Thomas, also known on social media as 'The West Heads', are travelling thousands of miles from north Wales to Thailand - on their bikes.

They still have more than a hundred days to go but the money they raise by completing the challenge is going to the British Heart Foundation.

When ITV Cymru Wales caught up with the boys, they were in China but the trip has not been without its challenges. One of the teenagers was involved in a collision with a car and while he was not seriously hurt, his bike was not so lucky.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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The average adult in the UK spends between three and four hours on their mobile, doing anything from answering e-mails to streaming movies.

But for children who have grown up in a digital age, phones are often an essential part of their lives, writes ITV Wales’ Political Producer Guto Llewelyn.

A 2024 House of Commons Committee report suggested as much as a quarter of children have an addictive relationship with their phones.

This can create any number of issues and the ones often having to deal with the consequences of heavy phone use are teachers.

Last year the Welsh Government convened a summit on behaviour in schools and found that 49% of teachers felt phone use was a major concern in their school. A further 18% described it as a minor concern.

Until this week, there was no Wales-wide policy on the use of phones in schools and the approach varied from school to school. Some have clamped down on the problem and banned them entirely, while others have kept a more relaxed stance.

However on Tuesday the new Education Minister, Anna Brychan MS, announced she would be issuing statutory guidance on the issue, encouraging schools to ban devices except for certain exceptions such as health reasons.

She told ITV Wales’ Sharp End programme: “I want head teachers and governing bodies to know that if they want to institute that complete ban we would support them to do so.”

It offers clarity on the issue and goes slightly further than the approach in England where the UK Government has so far only issued non-statutory guidance.

But it begs the question, with widespread agreement among teachers on the disruptive nature of phones, why not just introduce an outright ban?

Reform UK’s Deputy Leader in Wales, Helen Jenner MS, herself a former teacher told Sharp End a formal ban was necessary, adding: “youngsters, their brains aren’t fully developed to cope with it (technology) and I think if they had that space away from technology for 6 and a half hours a day it would be the best thing ever.”

She pointed to her experience in classrooms where pupils would get tetchy whenever they felt their phones vibrate in their pockets, unable to focus on anything else until they could feel the sweet relief of reading that notification.

When asked why an outright ban wasn’t announced, Plaid Cymru Senedd Member and fellow Sharp End guest Elwyn Vaughan MS said: “There will be statutory guidance made clear to all schools. At the end of the day, they are the governing bodies for those respective schools.

“What I would say is I foresee the vast majority of schools actually implementing such a ban, but with the caveats that those who need phones for medical reasons, or whatever…”

The Welsh Government has announced a consultation on the statutory guidance will begin in September so it could be some time before we know exactly what it will mean for schools, and whether the steps taken by the Education Minister will prove sufficient in tackling this very modern problem.

The phone crackdown continues: from schools to social media

Just a day before the Welsh Government’s new guidance on phone use in schools, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced social media will be banned for under 16s.

It followed a consultation and will see several social media sites including Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok banned for under 16s in the UK.

The prime minister said this is to ensure the “safety” and “happiness” of children. He expects the ban to come into effect from Spring 2027.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Government on Tuesday issued guidance to restrict phone use in schools. The Education Minister, Anna Brychan MS, said she would “strongly encourage” headteachers to limit mobile phone use in schools. These restrictions could include a total ban of phones on school grounds.

A survey conducted by the Welsh Government found 82% of respondents favoured restrictions for mobile phones in educational settings.

Unlike the UK Government’s social media ban, this is guidance meaning headteachers will ultimately decide the extent to which they restrict phones in schools.

• Watch the full report on ITVX.

Rioters jailed for a total of 137 years for their part in Ely disruption

26 people have been sentenced to more than 137 years between them, for their involvement in a riot that took place in the Ely area of Cardiff in 2023 following the deaths of two teenagers.

Four others have been sentenced to community or rehabilitation orders for their roles in the unrest.

Disruption bubbled in the area after local teenagers Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, died when they crashed on an electric bike in Ely.

The subsequent violence and disorder was sparked when news of their deaths and the suggestion police had been pursuing the pair prior to the incident spread throughout the community and on social media.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, passed sentences for 30 defendants at Cardiff Crown Court this week.

In her sentencing remarks, Judge Lloyd-Clarke said: “The loss of Kyrees and Harvey has obviously caused the most terrible grief to their families.

“The deaths of Kyrees and Harvey also brought grief to their community in Ely.

The court heard the crowd became openly aggressive towards the police as officers tried to expand the cordon around the scene of the crash.

A total of 31 police officers and one member of the public suffered injuries during the riot, ranging from bruising to sprained limbs and concussions, and “substantial damage” was caused to the community.

• You can read our full reporting of the sentencing hearing here.

Train driver did not use emergency system during fatal collision, report finds

A head-on train crash that killed one man and injured four others could have been avoided.

That's the finding of a new report into the collision on a remote stretch of line at Talerddig in Powys in October 2024 - Britain’s first fatal crash involving multiple trains in more than 25 years.

Rail investigators have now concluded the crash would not have happened if an emergency system to reduce speeds had been activated.

The report has made nine recommendations to four organisations: TfW, the Rail Safety and Standards Board, Angel Trains and Network Rail.

• Watch the full report here.

A new initiative that could save money and improve the lives of vulnerable adults

For the last three years Bernie Coppinger has been working as a Shared Lives carer. Using her spare room, she provides overnight respite care for around a dozen people - including 30-year-old Rosie. I’m Megan Boot, reporter for ITV Wales, and we’ve been given exclusive access to film the initiative and very quickly into our visit, it’s clear how well Rosie and Bernie get on.

The scheme sees carers, like Bernie, provide accommodation and support from their own home for adults who have support needs, like Rosie, whether that’s on a respite basis, like Bernie, or an emergency, short term or longer term placement.

For around two years, Rosie has been staying over on a regular basis and the spare room contains thoughtful items that reflect their connection. Whether it’s her favourite colour bed linen, a new toiletry bag or even a bright cushion picked up on one of their shopping trips, it’s clear that Rosie and Bernie have formed a real bond. And that’s the thing about the Shared Lives scheme - it isn’t simply about accommodation, it’s an opportunity for people to build relationships, independence and communities - but it also saves money.

Figures suggest the costs are up to 50% cheaper than if the council was paying for alternative accommodation schemes. National analysis from Shared Lives Plus suggests the initiative saves councils between £12,000 to £26,000 per person per year.

In the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend there are 85 carers helping 47 individuals living in households, and 25 in respite care. Bernie describes it as offering a holiday or a break for both carers, and the individuals themselves. Individuals are referred through social services teams.

Anyone can be a carer - as long as they have their own home, a spare room and the right values. It’s a registered service, with training, monitoring, support and checks in place to make sure it meets the needs of everyone involved.

So is this a model that could help social care more wildly?

Speaking to ITV Wales’ Sharp End, Mario Kreft, the chair of Care Forum Wales, believes this scheme needs to be developed even further because it’s such a success. And it’s a notion a lot of the panel agreed with. Wales’ Green Party leader, Anthony Slaughter MS, felt care based on who people are is something he wants to see more of in the sector, whilst Plaid Cymru’s Elwyn Vaughan MS and Reform’s Helen Jenner Ms were both keen to see if lessons from Barry could be transferred to other parts of Wales.

Back at Bernie’s, Rosie is showing her the bracelets and necklaces she makes to share with others. It’s clear this scheme isn’t just about sharing space, but sharing lives.

• You can watch Megan Boot’s full report on ITVX

What’s coming up?

• Monday, 22 June: A special event in the Senedd to commemorate National Windrush Day and remember what the Windrush generation gave to post-war Wales

• Tuesday, 23 June: A decade on from the Brexit referendum, ITV Wales takes a look at what’s changed in Wales.

• Wednesday, 24 June: Blackweir Live concert series starts in Blackweir Fields in Cardiff. The series is set to last for six weeks.

And a fond farewell…

ITV Wales’ presenter Andrew Jones has announced he is retiring after more than a quarter of a century on screen.

Head of News and Programmes Zoe Thomas said: “After 25 distinguished years with ITV Cymru Wales, Andrew’s immense professionalism and unwavering reliability set a standard for the newsroom. His contribution is immeasurable, and he will be hard to replace.

“Beyond his professional life, Andrew will be greatly missed as a valued colleague and friend. We will miss his sense of humour and his huge wealth of knowledge, particularly his unrivalled knowledge of all things space related!

“All his colleagues, past and present, extend their deepest thanks for his enormous contribution to ITV Cymru Wales and we wish him a long and happy retirement.”

• Take a look back at Andrew’s incredible career here.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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Senedd Members debated and voted on a motion tabled by Reform UK leader Dan Thomas “to ask the Welsh Government to publish the full costings and timetable for the introduction of their childcare offer.”

It was designed to put pressure on Plaid Cymru over the costings issue and was seen as something the opposition parties could unite on to inflict an early defeat on the minority government.

It wasn’t to be. Despite Conservative support, the original motion fell because Labour voted with Plaid Cymru, the Greens and the Lib Dems. Then the Conservatives voted for the amended motion, meaning that the Plaid Cymru version passed.

That may seem like procedural detail from the Senedd chamber, but it tells us a huge amount about the direction of Welsh politics.

Firstly it has acted as a reminder, if anyone needed one, that Rhun ap Iorwerth leads a minority government. The opposition parties may not have been able to defeat the government this time, but they can - and will at some point.

That reminder isn’t unhelpful to the governing party either. Not that there’s any sign of dissent amongst Plaid’s euphoric MSs, but clearly establishing the threat should quell any nascent rebellions, no matter how unlikely they seem right now.

It has also shown Plaid that it faces a divided opposition which it will take as a hopeful sign: winning votes such as these is not necessarily the most important thing, but not losing them is.

However, it can’t count on that remaining the case forever. Sure, it’s almost impossible to conceive of Reform UK, Labour and the Conservatives deliberately working together, but their interests will align on some issue at some point and then there’ll be no need for talks to get them to vote together.

Reform UK Wales under Dan Thomas’ leadership has already shown with this vote that it’s clever enough to identify such a unifying issue. All opposition parties criticise Plaid Cymru for failing to produce costings for its flagship policy or a timetable.

Where it fell apart was down to details and politics, some of it seemingly personal.

I understand that the Trefnydd (leader of the house) held conversations with both Labour and the Conservatives to warn them not to fall for what it described as a “Reform stunt.”

There was no deal offered, something all three parties confirm, but Labour denies there were any conversations at all.

Plaid sources expected Labour to be more receptive but were surprised by the Conservatives’ decision to support the amended motion, something they put down to bitterness and even ‘hate’ from the Tories towards Reform.

For their part, the Conservatives say that they were acting exactly as they said they would during the election campaign, voting for whatever is in their manifesto (childcare was a priority) and with whichever parties would deliver things they see as important.

They supported Reform’s original motion and voted for both amendments because they wanted to back both the call for costings and the importance of a childcare programme.

They also say that Reform didn’t talk to them and that, in the final vote, more Reform MSs than Conservatives voted for the Plaid Cymru amended motion, either through confusion or for other reasons.

That’s not how Reform sees it. The party’s Chief Whip, Llŷr Powell, wrote to Conservative leader Darren Millar, saying that “I recall Members of your Group expressing concerns over the lack of detail and potential cost in delivering this policy. Natasha Asghar outlined her concerns on ITV’s Sharp End.

“I note your spokesperson, Sam Rowlands, said in the debate: ‘If a policy is genuinely affordable, then publishing those full costings should strengthen confidence in it, not weaken it.’

“Given your willingness to ‘recognise the Welsh Government’s commitment to provide an update on the initial costings and phasing for the expansion of universal childcare’ on their terms, is it now Welsh Conservative policy to give the Plaid Government a blank cheque on the implementation of all of their policies?”

Meanwhile, as part of the fallout of the vote, we may be witnessing the beginnings of a claim from Plaid Cymru that could be a version of UK Labour’s claim after the 2024 General Election - that the public finances were much worse that they appeared when the party was in opposition.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told LBC’s Bronwen Wetherby that the Welsh Government has inherited an ‘incredibly tight financial situation, worse than people would have imagined.’

I’m hearing similar in relation to childcare. Sources have told me that budgetary pressures have been made more difficult by what they describe as the previous Labour government’s unfunded commitment on childcare.

What they’re referring to is an increase in the payment rate introduced by the former Labour government in April which they say has resulted in additional pressures on the Childcare Offer, which was not factored into the previous administration’s budgeting.

Labour naturally rejects that. One source says that the last Labour Finance Minister was Mark Drakeford, a “very upfront kind of person.”

It was he who brokered a budget deal with Plaid Cymru last year, during which the party would have had sight of Welsh Government finances.

Labour sources also point to the party’s manifesto which states that “The 2026-27 Final Budget does not allocate all the resources available to the Welsh Government. A small amount of resource funding is left unallocated to manage in-year pressures which will arise during 2026-27.

“The budget agreement included retaining £120m of capital funding which would be available for the next government to allocate after the Senedd election in May. This funding will be available from the unallocated general capital and further capital which will be made available during 2026-27 through in-year receipts”

Whether or not the new Welsh Government pursues this approach will become clear soon enough. The Finance Minister Elin Jones is making moves towards introducing a supplementary budget within the next few weeks.

• You can hear more about what parents think of Plaid’s childcare offer on ITVX

Drivers with medical conditions face long waits for licence renewals amid DVLA delays

Older drivers in Wales say lengthy delays in renewing their driving licences are leaving them anxious, frustrated and, in some cases, reluctant to get behind the wheel.

While the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) says many straightforward licence renewals can be completed within days, new figures obtained by ITV Wales through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveal that applications requiring medical assessments are taking longer than the agency’s own target.

The uncertainty is affecting daily life and holiday plans for pensioners.

Consumer Affairs Correspondent Kate Lewis met 82-year-old Glenda Edwards, who says driving has long been an important part of maintaining her independence.

• Watch her full report here

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

‘Dangerous’ unlicensed tanning products sold in Welsh salons

An undercover investigation has revealed several Welsh salons selling unlicensed and unregulated tanning products like nasal sprays or jabs. S4C’s programme Y Byd ar Bedwar showed the secret footage to a surgeon, who described the items being sold as “dangerous” and said what she saw was “unethical” and “shocking”.

Journalist Nest Jenkins went undercover to buy the unlicensed tanning products and find out more about the current craze for those chasing a dramatic tan. Read more here.

What’s coming up?

• Friday, 12 June - Sunday, 14 June: Pride Cymru returns to Cardiff Castle with an expanded programme featuring MIKA and Kate Nash. If you’re heading down, say hello to the ITV Wales team and have a go at reading the news at our pop-up studio!

• Tuesday, 16 June: The structure of the Committees in the seventh Senedd is set to be confirmed in a Plenary vote. The Business Committee has proposed the formation of 13 Committees – one more Committee than in the sixth Senedd.

• Thursday, 18 June: The residents of Makerfield head to the polls in a byelection triggered by Labour MP Josh Simons standing down in a bid to get Andy Burnham into Westminster. Former FM Mark Drakeford has been on the campaign trail to support Burnham.

And finally… the miracle boy defying all odds

Three years ago, Elis Lewis was fighting for his life with a rare brain condition. Now, at five years old, he’s performing on stage, defying all odds.

• You can watch his incredible story on ITVX.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

It has that typical old world feel about it - a big fireplace, stone floors and Toby jugs lining the shelves. It’s been here since 1750.

It’s in the tiny village of Groeswen. The population alone wouldn’t be enough to keep it going, so it relies on people making the journey here.

Back in the 1700s, if you wanted to get to the pub, you had two choices: walk or ride a horse.

In 2026, if you want a pint at the White Cross, you have an extra choice: walk, ride a horse, or get a lift.

But the one thing you’re unlikely to get is a taxi.

I’m ITV Wales National Correspondent Rob Osborne and I’ve been hearing how many drivers refuse to come here - not because of the clientele, not because of the area, but because of the potholes on the country lanes en route.

They’ve decided their suspension isn’t worth the risk.

Landlady Mair has become so fed up with the state of the roads that she turned to AI, creating videos of herself jumping into the potholes.

One of them attracted so much attention online that the pothole featured was fixed the very next day.

I’ve been travelling around Wales, finding out how people feel about our pothole problem. Spoiler alert: nobody likes them.

ITV Wales programme Wales This Week has found that, in the last year alone, local authorities across Wales have paid out at least £130,000 in compensation linked to potholes.

It adds to the financial headache facing councils. Budgets are tight, and every pound counts.

Meanwhile, at the White Cross Inn, they’ve decided to make the best of an unwanted attraction.

The pub now serves a locally brewed beer called Pothole Juice. It doesn’t taste of puddles. Unlike the roads outside, it’s gone down rather well.

• Watch the full Wales This Week here.

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Eyewitness to fire at Tata Steel site describes ‘terrible’ scene

An eyewitness has described a huge fire that took hold at the Tata Steel’s Port Talbot works this week as “another kick in the teeth” for the site.

The fire took place on Wednesday (3 June) evening, with crews from 16 local stations attending. Residents from a mile away said they could hear alarms sounding and could smell the smoke.

Barrie Evans, who is chairman of the Port Talbot site for Community union, arrived at the scene shortly after the fire began to spread.

He said: “It was really concerning and worrying... It was such a challenging evening with the high winds.

“It was terrible, it was moving so quickly.”

No one was injured in the blaze, but Mr Evans said the damage has been significant.

“There is a lot of damage, unfortunately,” he explained.

“It’s another kick in the teeth. But the benefit here is that we [have] got such a resilient workforce. The workers will step up to the challenge, and we will come over this stronger.”

• Watch ITV Wales Swansea Correspondent Dean Thomas-Welch’s full report here.

The two topics that could define this Plaid Cymru government

Health and the economy are two areas where previous Welsh Governments have struggled to get it right - so can the new one do any better?

This week saw ministers set out plans to tackle these two major issues.

The Welsh NHS’s difficulties are numerous and well-publicised. Long waiting lists, outdated hospital buildings and regional staffing issues are just some of the countless issues in the new health minister’s in-tray, writes Guto Llewelyn, a producer for ITV Cymru Wales political programme Sharp End.

The economy is also an area where Wales underperforms compared to most other parts of the UK. Recent years have seen several big employers shut up shop, and Welsh productivity is 15% lower than the UK average.

So what can be done to address these two problem areas?

On Tuesday, the Health Minister, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, announced his ambition to create up to ten new surgical and diagnostic hubs, improve care in the community and appoint more GPs to ease the pressure on hospitals. He also plans to eliminate two-year waits for treatment within the next few months.

Opposition parties agreed for the most part on many of the principles behind the statement but questioned some of the details, particularly around the lack of plans for rebuilding hospitals.

Clearly, the Health Minister cannot cover everything in this kind of statement, but there was a feeling on the opposition benches that they would have appreciated greater detail.

Of course, this plan can only truly be judged when we see it in action.

The government claims many of these strategies are looking at long-term change, but there will also be pressure to get quick wins on things like waiting lists, so that patients can sense improvements for themselves.

When it comes to health, the Welsh Government is chiefly responsible for its outcomes, and while the NHS faces a mountain of challenges, the new Health Minister possesses pretty much all the levers to enact change.

But that’s not as true for Adam Price MS, the new Enterprise Minister, as he looks to turn around the Welsh economy.

Westminster plays a much greater role in economic matters, and defenders of the previous Welsh Government’s record have occasionally claimed it only had limited ability to deliver radical change.

Nevertheless, Mr Price clearly feels there are many things he can achieve in his new role and he too decided to set out his vision in the Senedd on Tuesday.

He’s said he wants to halve the production gap with the rest of the UK, make Wales the easiest place in the UK to start and grow a business and – as promised in the Plaid Cymru manifesto – wants to create a new development agency, filling the gap left by the old Welsh Development Agency following its eradication in Rhodri Morgan’s famous Bonfire of the Quangos.

The plan’s been slammed by opposition parties, with Reform’s Jason O’Connell MS saying the plan for a “new WDA” was “unnecessary bureaucracy,” while Labour’s Shav Taj MS defended her party’s record in attracting inward investment to Wales.

Both the Health and Enterprise Ministers set out their agendas with the confidence, assuredness and perhaps even swagger you would expect from a freshly elected government, but make no mistake, their tasks are thankless, and their ambitions will be severely tested from day one.

During the election campaign, an ITV Wales/YouGov poll found that health and the economy/cost of living were the two most pressing priorities for voters, and it’s on these issues, more than any other, that this Plaid Cymru government will be judged.

Its fate could well rest on the government’s ability to deliver on these ambitions.

• Read more here about what was said in the Siambr in Rhun ap Iorwerth’s first First Minister’s Questions

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin.

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android.

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code.

Upgrade work underway inside historic Severn Tunnel

The Severn Tunnel provides a vital link between south east Wales and Bristol and was built nearly 140 years ago.

Engineers are currently working to upgrade the power supply and renew the track that, on any given normal day, helps thousands of passengers travel between England and Wales.

Network Rail says the track inside the tunnel typically needs replacing every 10 years, while elsewhere it might last 25 years.

The existing overhead power system was installed in 2015. One by one, each of the 838 bridge arms that support the overhead electric wires are being replaced.

ITV Wales reporter Hamish Auskerry was invited into the tunnel to see the work taking place.

• Watch Hamish’s full report here.

What’s coming up?

• Saturday, 6 June: Wales play a friendly against Romania in Bucharest. Kick-off is 6:45pm BST. It’s the first time the two sides will face each since 1993.

• Saturday, 6 - Sunday 14 June: The Great Big Green Week - community, nature and climate led events take place across the country.

• Monday, 8 June: Two-day inquest begins into the death of Private Adam Brocklehurst, 27. He died while on exercise at Sennybridge training area in 2023.

• Tuesday, 9 June: Wales Women’s last World Cup Qualifier, they play the Czech Republic. The two teams are currently tied at top of League B Group 1.

And finally…Welsh farmers celebrate Britain’s Got Talent choir victory

A group of farmers have been celebrating their victory, and getting back to working life, after winning Britain’s Got Talent.

The Hawkstone Choir was set up by TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson and is made up of farmers from across the UK, with nine of them from Wales.

Reacting to his win, choir member and farmer Aled Morris from Ruthin said: “It feels a bit odd really…I’m not used to the big stardom.

“I’m recognised everywhere and people keep coming up to me and saying, ‘Can I have a picture?’”

“It’s a very isolating kind of job and you spend a lot of time on your own with your thoughts a lot…we just wanted to put that out there and say if anyone else is feeling like this, there is support.”

• See ITV Wales reporter Joanne Gallacher catch up with Aled on the farm here.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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Obesity is one of the largest risk factors. With almost two thirds of adults and the highest number of children anywhere in the UK living with obesity, high diabetes rates in Wales should not come as a surprise.

But what has surprised the experts I spoke to this week is the speed at which they are growing.

I’m Katie Fenton, ITV Wales Health Reporter, and I’ve been looking over new figures that reveal more than 230,000 people now have diabetes here in Wales - a 3.5% increase in just a year.

One of those people is 68-year-old Elaine Adams from Barry, who opened up to me about her three-decade journey with Type 2 - which is driven by a combination of genetics and lifestyle.

“It did weigh down on my mind quite a bit,” she told me when we met at Jackson’s Bay, one of her favourite walking spots.

“Then I thought, I need to get a grip with this, start trying to understand it and start trying to work with it.”

She told me about the presence the disease has had in her life.

“It’s always there in the background. Sometimes it’s there in the foreground. [If] you get cut you have to be careful because you have to make sure it doesn’t get infected, and then it takes longer to heal.

“If you get a cold, instead of it being two or three days, it can be six, seven days, maybe even two weeks [to recover].”

Beyond the personal toll on individuals like Elaine, diabetes puts a staggering pressure on our NHS.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with long-term complications including with the heart, kidneys, and eyes.

These complications can be costly to the NHS. Dialysis - for people who reach end-stage kidney disease - is estimated to cost around £34,000 per patient per year.

The good news is Type 2 can be preventable and though there is no cure, some people can put it into remission.

The prescription is a familiar one: eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, get good quality sleep and avoid smoking.

But for some it’s not that simple.

Diabetes disproportionately affects areas of higher deprivation, where it can be harder for people to make healthier choices.

Those on lower incomes who work two or three jobs to make ends meet will have less time to cook nutritious meals from scratch.

Highly processed, calorie-rich foods are often cheaper and more accessible than fresh produce.

Deprived areas also have higher crime rates, so people often lack safe outdoor spaces to exercise.

These are issues the Welsh Government’s new Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health Nerys Evans will be hoping to tackle.

The Welsh Government has said it will continue to provide funding for the All Wales Diabetes Prevention Programme, and will focus on supporting the environment and access to healthier choices.

According to Dr Sarah Davies, a Cardiff GP and primary care diabetes lead for Wales, the allocation of funding is a critical factor.

She said: “I think it’s very challenging to make quick changes here, it needs a whole-system approach, but there are things we can be doing now to make a difference.

“It’s difficult sometimes to shift the funding from that spending in complications right to the beginning to prevention and early management, but in my opinion that’s the secret to really trying to reduce the issues we have here in Wales around Type 2 diabetes.”

Wales has been witnessing a slow-motion emergency for years but these figures suggest the situation is reaching a breaking point. The new Welsh Government faces a delicate balance of funding the fallout of this crisis with fixing the environments that created it.

• Watch Katie’s full report here on ITVX.

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Reform’s chief whip defends controversial appointment

A Reform UK candidate who stood down after photos of him appearing to strike a Nazi salute appeared online has been appointed as an advisor to the party leader, Dan Thomas.

Corey Edwards was due to be Reform’s lead candidate for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency in the 7 May election but later stood down, citing issues with his mental health.

In a statement to ITV News at the time, Corey Edwards said the photo had been “misinterpreted”, while acknowledging he had made “mistakes”.

Footage later emerged showing Mr Edwards appearing to film himself whilst driving and drinking a bottle of beer.

When asked about Mr Edwards’ appointment, Reform UK Wales’ Chief Whip, Llŷr Powell, said: “I don’t like the way other parties are trying to smear Corey here.

“Other members of that Senedd have been banned from speeding, drink driving, to a number of areas. I think people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

“And I would rather people, rather than focusing on staff behind the scenes, focus on their criticisms towards me. I’m big enough, with my shoulders open, so is Dan Thomas.

“I think leave staff alone. I don’t like this bullying culture that is here in Cardiff Bay. I’m not prepared to stand for it. If the media and other critics want to carry on, fine.

“He’s got no criminal record, he’s got nothing that has been held against him. I think it’s an unfair challenge.”

• Watch the interview with Llŷr Powell defending Mr Edwards’ appointment as special advisor here.

Justice for murdered mother after man already in prison found guilty of killing

A murderer has been convicted of planning the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old mother, from his prison cell.

Renaldo Baptiste is the sixth defendant to be convicted for the murder of Joanne Penney, who died shortly after being shot in March last year.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Baptiste, 39, was already serving a life sentence for a separate murder when he helped supply the gun used in Ms Penny’s shooting.

The jury was told about messages he’d sent from an illegal prison phone, including “This is the Welsh ting”, believed to relate to an image of a firearm.

He’s the sixth person to be convicted of the murder of Joanne Penney. A further five defendants have been found guilty of the roles they played.

Detective Chief Inspector Lianne Rees said: “Sentencing will be at a later date and will bring justice to those responsible for this crime. My thoughts remain with Joanne’s family at this very difficult time.”

• Read more about the police investigation and how it led to the convictions here.

Rhondda Cynon Taf communities left without clean water for days

On Tuesday, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water announced that their ‘boil water’ notice affecting communities across Rhondda Cynon Taf had been “fully lifted”.

It followed an issue at its Maerdy Water Treatment Works on Thursday (21 May) when a burst pipe caused a safety risk with the water quality, meaning nearby customers had to boil their tap water before drinking and cooking.

The company confirmed that it is now safe for households to drink their tap water without the need to boil it first.

Welsh Water Chief Operating Officer, Steve Wilson, said: “We would like to thank all customers for their patience and understanding throughout this incident.

“We recognise the significant inconvenience this has caused, particularly during the recent spell of hot weather, and we are sorry for the disruption experienced by customers and local communities.

“Protecting public health has been our priority at every stage. Before lifting the notice, we carried out extensive water quality sampling, testing and network flushing to ensure supplies consistently met the high standards our customers rightly expect.”

• Watch more on that story here or read more about the issue here on our website.

Mum whose son drowned warns of cold water danger after more teens die

A bereaved mother who lost her son to drowning almost 20 years ago is warning teenagers about the dangers of swimming in cold water after a number of open water deaths across the UK in the recent heatwave.

Maxine Johnson’s son, Reuben Morgan, drowned in 2006 whilst enjoying a day at Pontsticill Reservoir in Merthyr Tydfil.

The 15-year-old was camping with friends to celebrate the end of their GCSEs before some decided to swim across the reservoir. He then experienced cold water shock and drowned.

The bereaved mother explained how the news of the recent drownings has been difficult to process.

“It’s quite sickening to be honest,” she explained.

“I’ve not had much sleep in the last week thinking about the families.

“It brings everything back to the day Reuben died.”

• Read more on that story here.

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ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

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What’s coming up?:

• Tuesday, 2 June: Rhun ap Iorwerth will face his first First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd.

• Tuesday, 2 June: Trial due to begin of three inmates accused of murdering Kyle Bevan, who was jailed for murdering his partner’s two-year-old daughter Lola James in 2020.

• Friday, 5 June: Wales Women play Montenegro away in their next FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier.

• Sunday, 7 June: Swansea Half Marathon takes place, taking runners from the city centre along the coast to Mumbles and back.

And finally…Famous faces at UK’s biggest book festival

Dame Mary Berry, actor Ruth Jones and comedian Miriam Margolyes are just some of the celebrities on the line-up for this year’s Hay Festival - one of the world’s biggest book festivals.

The 10-day-long festival draws more than 100,000 visitors to Hay-on-Wye for a variety of events involving authors, politicians and public figures.

This year, there were also talks featuring well-known figures like Nicola Sturgeon, Gisèle Pelicot and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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It’s difficult to gauge exactly how the Welsh parliament will act over the next four years from its first meeting - after all it was a truncated affair with just a few admin votes followed by a statement by the First Minister and speeches by opposition leaders and backbenchers.

However, in that and in comments within interviews, you can begin to get a sense of dividing lines and possible areas of cooperation.

The dividing lines are straightforward. As the main opposition party, Reform UK Wales, along with the reduced Welsh Conservative group will keep their focus on what they say is wasteful spending on unnecessary projects and anything that smacks of what they call ‘constitutional obsession.’

Labour too, also greatly reduced, will keep its eye on spending commitments, harnessing its time in power to make critical insights about Plaid Cymru’s decision-making.

On the new Welsh Government’s part, it’s clear that it has no intention of backing down on calls for more power and more money. Not constitutional navel-gazing, it says, but standing up for the people of Wales and having the right tools for the job.

It will be harder to shake off questions over its spending decisions. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, which examined all parties’ financial plans and found them wanting, has returned to give Plaid Cymru’s another look now that it’s in government.

The IFS’s conclusion is the same: there’s still no clue as to how the Welsh Government will pay for its key pledges. Having ruled out tax increases during the election, its only option is to find savings - cuts, in other words - but ministers still aren’t saying what could be cut.

That was made very clear in interviews about the flagship childcare policy, the focus of the new government’s first policy visit in Merthyr Tydfil that I attended on Wednesday and where the First Minister repeated Plaid’s mantra that the policy was fully costed.

When Andrea put the same question to the Deputy First Minister for this week’s Sharp End, Sioned Williams said that "We haven't started to plan out this work... this is going to have to be a phased plan,” leading to widespread criticism from opponents.

Phasing in the plan is under scrutiny too. Just when people who will benefit from the funded childcare promised will notice it. I spoke to Emily Moore, one of the parents at the childcare provider in Merthyr, who has a very young daughter and is anxious about returning to work. If the childcare offer doesn’t come in soon, it might not help her.

I asked the First Minister on her behalf when it would begin to be rolled out and he would only say “very, very quickly.”

Opponents are, naturally, seizing on this uncertainty, but then this is a strange, limbo period. The new Welsh Government will seek to give answers when it sets out its spending plans in the coming weeks. Then the fireworks will really begin.

ANPR technology: can it be trusted?

When Rhodri Davies pulled into Adam Street car park in Cardiff, it wasn’t long before he noticed the long queues at the pay machine.

So he got back into his car and drove to another car park.

But not long after, he received a fine from NCP claiming he had not paid to park.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera technology appeared to show he had been in the car park for 20 minutes.

Except he hadn’t. And he had proof to show it.

In fact, he was able to show that his vehicle was actually in another car park at the exact time the ANPR cameras showed he was still in Adam Street.

Rhodri appealed and the fine was cancelled but he has described the ordeal as “frustrating” and has called for major changes in the industry.

“I knew I was being accused of something that wasn’t true. We shouldn’t be penalised and fined when we’ve done nothing wrong.”

• Consumer Affairs Correspondent Kate Lewis met Rhodri Davies to hear his story of being wrongly caught out by ANRP cameras. You can watch the full report here.

What was meant to be a carefully choreographed opportunity for the new Health Minister to signal a fresh start for the NHS, instead became the first sign of a potential shift in pledges since the election.

Visiting Neath Port Talbot Hospital on his first official engagement, Mabon ap Gwynfor found himself balancing campaign targets with the realities of governing, writes ITV Wales Health Reporter Katie Fenton.

While the First Minister had previously said it would take “a matter of months” to eliminate two-year waits for treatment, the Health Minister’s extended four-year target perhaps suggests a realisation of what is and isn’t possible.

• Read more about the so-called ‘U-turn’ by the new Welsh Government on waiting lists targets here.

Jury in Ian Watkins murder trial discharged ‘for legal reasons’

The jury in the trial of two prisoners accused of murdering paedophile Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins has been discharged for legal reasons.

The disgraced singer was stabbed to death by Rico Gedel, 25, in his cell at high-security HMP Wakefield, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sexual offences.

Leeds Crown Court heard that after walking out of the cell, Gedel handed the makeshift knife to fellow inmate Samuel Dodsworth, 44, who threw it in a bin.

Both defendants denied murdering Watkins and possessing a knife in prison.

On Friday the judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, discharged the jury, telling them: “Very reluctantly, I’m going to discharge you and the case will have to be re-tried.

“That’s disappointing for you and for everyone.”

What’s coming up?:

• Monday 25 May: Labour’s Jess Phillips and the leader of the Green Party in Westminster, Ellie Chowns in conversation with ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham at the Hay Festival.

• Tuesday 26 May: Jury continue deliberations in trial of man accused of the murder of Joanne Penney in Talbot Green last year.

• Wednesday 27 May: Squad announcement for Cymru women’s upcoming international window in June.

And…How a pair of shoes helped one man trek hundreds of miles to flee the Nazis

Now as tales of wartime heroics go they don't come much more daring than this.

When Sven Somme was captured by the Germans in Norway during World War Two, he might have thought his days were numbered.

But he escaped and embarked on a 200 mile trek to safety despite some unsuitable footwear.

• Watch the ITVX report here.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

The building in Cathays Park has seen plenty of protests over the years - over the future of the language, like that one, and over the investiture of the Prince of Wales. Plaid Cymru was often prominent among them.

Fast forward to 2026 and Rhun ap Iorwerth is standing on those steps once again, writes ITV Wales National Correspondent Rob Osborne.

Only this time, the building is now the headquarters of the Welsh Government. And he is First Minister.

Alongside him stand Plaid Cymru members. Not protesting decisions made by Labour or Conservative governments, but being unveiled as the first Plaid-led cabinet in Welsh history.

It was another striking image in a week full of them.

What struck me most, looking at the new government, was just how many ministers have only recently been elected. Only one has previous ministerial experience.

They are having to learn, in real time, how to drive government itself - how to shape agendas, move systems and make the machinery respond.

Too many politicians before them have discovered that pulling a lever does not necessarily mean anything happens when you want them to.

While Plaid rides high, Labour still seems shell shocked.

They resemble an animal emerging into daylight after a long hibernation, blinking, disoriented, struggling to understand what has happened around them.

An historic defeat. And the aftershocks are still being felt in Cardiff Bay and Westminster alike.

I hesitate to write about Keir Starmer because events seem to change by the hour. So let’s simply say this: the Prime Minister is in a spot of bother.

Here in Wales, Ken Skates takes over as interim Labour leader and the bloodletting has already begun.

Former First Minister Vaughan Gething, silent since his resignation, finally let rip on ITV Wales last week, describing the final Labour group in the Senedd as “unmanageable”.

“A defeat manufactured in Downing Street,” said the defeated Labour MS Alun Davies.

He lost in Blaenau Gwent - the birthplace of Aneurin Bevan.

This week I travelled to Tredegar to understand what is happening to Labour in the valleys that once formed its political heartland.

Tredegar Museum is somewhere I know. After the 2019 General Election, I dropped in and met a group of volunteers who live and breathe history, tea and politics. For a journalist, they were gold dust: open, unfiltered and completely honest.

I knew I needed to hear from them again.

So, unannounced, I walked back in. There they were, sitting in their familiar semi-circle, chatting away. I asked a simple question: “What’s happened to Labour?”

They did not hold back.

They blamed the “barrister” Starmer. Winter fuel payments came up repeatedly. And there was a sense that Labour no longer represents working-class people.

All of it culminated with Keith. He turns 91 next month. He has voted Labour in every election of his life.

But not this time.

Last week, he voted Plaid Cymru. “My father would be turning in his grave,” he told me.

So this is a tale of two leaders.

First Minister ap Iorwerth is focused on the next four years of his Plaid Cymru government. It increasingly feels as though Prime Minister Starmer cannot look beyond the next four hours.

Whoever is in power, whichever party leads Wales next, they would do well to remember the men of Tredegar Museum.

They want change. And they want it now.

The grim reality of sewage discharging into nature reserve

A river “full” of sewage.

That is the grim reality along the River Kenfig in Pyle, where wastewater has been captured continually pumping out of an overflow outlet.

The founder of a nature charity has called it the “single worst pollution incident” he has ever witnessed in the area, with reports indicating the waste is heading directly toward Sker Beach in Porthcawl.

Alun Phillips, founder of A Peace for Nature, told ITV News that the scale of the incident is “atrocious.” “What is going down this river should not be going down this river at all,” he said.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water say it’s currently working on a £13m project to replace 4.5km of sewer main in the Kenfig and Port Talbot area, to “protect the local environment following the escalated deterioration of the current main.”

In 2025, there were 11 serious incidents of pollution reported by Welsh Water. This is an 83% increase from 2024 when there were six serious incidents of pollution.

• Rural Affairs Correspondent Hannah Thomas went to see - and smell - the incredible stench of raw sewage being pumped into the river. You can watch the full report here.

Three nationalist First Ministers - what does this mean for the state of the union?

There are now three nationalist First Ministers in the devolved nations of the UK. So what does this mean for the state of the union?

Although the breakdown of the UK doesn’t look imminent, it may mean a change in relationship between Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Westminster.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code

Indecent exposure on the rise as victims claim it’s too often dismissed

“An incident which lasted 20 minutes impacted my life for the next 50 years.”

Those are the harrowing words one survivor of exposure told me during an emotionally-charged interview.

The crime of exposure, commonly known as indecent exposure, is when someone intentionally exposes their genitals intending for another person to see them and feel alarm or distress.

Exclusive data obtained by ITV Wales shows exposure is on the rise. In 2024, there were 642 reports made, compared to 567 in 2023.

What many dismiss as merely ‘flashing’, for victims can leave deep psychological scars.

• Two survivors shared their stories for the first time. You can watch the full ITVX report here.

What’s coming up?:

• Saturday, 16 May: Surfers Against Sewage campaigners will take part in a ‘paddle out’ across Welsh beaches to call for the newly-elected government to tackle the sewage crisis through more funding and powers for regulators.

• Sunday, 17 May: Wales face Italy in the women’s 2026 Six Nations finale at Cardiff Arms Park.

• Tuesday, 19 May: First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth will deliver a speech to the Senedd to outline his priorities for government.

And Finally… the canine hospital colleague bringing joy to young patients

Meet Milo the black Lab, who has been joining ward rounds at Bronglais Hospital to brighten the days of young patients in Aberystwyth.

• Watch the ITVX report here.

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has been confirmed as First Minister at the Senedd’s first meeting since his party’s historic election victory.

This is the first time in the history of devolution that the first minister will not be from Welsh Labour, after their party suffered an historic defeat in the election.

New members attended the first Plenary of the seventh Senedd to elect the Llywydd (presiding officer) and a deputy, before electing Mr ap Iorwerth as First Minister.

Labour’s Huw Irranca-Davies was elected as the new Llywydd while Plaid Cymru’s Kerry Ferguson was elected as deputy.

“It is the greatest privilege of my life to be elected first minister in a nation that means so much to me,” Mr ap Iorwerth said.

“I’m eager to repay the trust that the people in Wales have placed in us and to achieve the change that people have stated so clearly they wish to see.”

He also paid tribute to former First Minister Eluned Morgan, saying that “with resilience and determination Eluned steered her government with enthusiasm and with pride at all time.”

“From this historic moment onwards every person in every part of our nation can know that the government of Wales is their government,” he added.

“My promise to everyone is that I will lead without prejudice or presumption. I will never take this privilege for granted.”

He continued: “The Plaid Cymru government will be here to serve everyone in every community; urban and rural, old and young, whether they speak Welsh, or do not, those who have always been here and those who are new among us - south, east, west and north.”

Born in south Wales, Mr ap Iorwerth, 53, grew up on Anglesey. He was educated at Ysgol David Hughes before going on to study Politics and Welsh at Cardiff University.

A former BBC journalist and married father-of-three, he made the move into politics and became a Member of the Senedd in 2013 after winning a by-election in Ynys Môn.

He took over leadership of his party in 2023 during a troubled period for the party after his predecessor, Adam Price, resigned in the wake of a report finding there was a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny in Plaid Cymru.

Mr ap Iorwerth is in favour of Welsh independence and previously said his party would use time in government to make the case for an independent Wales. However he has ruled out a referendum in the first term.

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ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code

The ripples of change are only just beginning in Cardiff Bay

I have never before witnessed a queue of Senedd Members to enter the chamber for the first time. But then I haven’t before witnessed a group of 43 Plaid Cymru members taking their seats at the same time.

I’m Adrian Masters, ITV Cymru Wales Political Editor and it wasn’t the only unusual event I saw in the Senedd as it met for the first time after the election.

There was another queue for a secret ballot (most votes here aren’t secret) to choose a presiding officer. And a separate queue as Reform members on mass rejoined the first queue. So many queues. One new MS joked that they thought they’d seen the back of polling booths.

It was strange, too, to see Senedd members not sitting in their permanent places. So Reform MS James Evans sat in what looked like the First Minister’s position, interim Labour leader sat with Plaid Cymru and Conservative leader Darren Millar with Reform members.

In the Senedd itself, proud family and friends hugged and kissed the new members before the first meeting.

Earlier there had been what I can only describe as a festival atmosphere in the office block attached to the Senedd, Tŷ Hywel. Offices were being allocated at a frantic rate but that meant some MSs and staff didn’t have one, so wandered the corridors or set up in the canteen.

That canteen was abuzz with more people than it’s ever seen, eating and gossiping or just trying to work out where to go.

They have all been offered training. Not just in the practicalities like how to get to the Senedd itself (it’s not straightforward) or where to park, but also in how to be a Senedd member - how to act in a committee, for instance, or in the chamber.

And that chamber is different. There will now be 96 politicians inside it. Senedd officials who’ve been trying out say that number of people makes it much noisier and more intense. If you get barracked there now, you will really hear and feel it.

Then there’s the politics. If the vote in last week’s election was a stone dropped in the water of Cardiff Bay, the ripples it’s caused will be felt for years to come and all across Wales, not to mention wider UK politics.

Now that there’s a new First Minister in place, along with a Presiding Officer and Deputy, there are still some immediate changes yet to happen. A new cabinet will be appointed to run the Welsh Government, with the task of making an impact. Plaid Cymru promised tangible action in its first hundred days and it has to deliver on that promise.

Reform UK will be announcing its shadow cabinet too and, as an aside, it’s the first time for many years, if ever, that there’s been a clear opposition in the Senedd chamber. There’s never been an “official opposition” in the sense that there is in the UK Parliament, but there’s often been a larger and smaller opposition. Not this time. Maybe the term “official opposition” will come into use in Cardiff as it has in Westminster.

Who will chair committees? The work of those committees is often overlooked, but they are powerhouses of scrutiny and sometimes policy and where a lot of the Senedd’s hard work takes place. Their chairs become very influential figures, setting tone and direction in a lot of areas. Most of those chairs will now be Plaid Cymru and Reform UK politicians, with their respective parties’ agendas at the front of their minds.

Will there be changes to the way the Senedd works? Its long-established routine is to hold two plenary sessions a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with committee meetings on other days. Any changes will be up to the new business committee which will be dominated by Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.

Away from the headlines, the biggest changes will be really long-lasting. For the 27 years of Labour dominance, it has been able to count on the large support staff and funding that comes from being the largest party in the Senedd, not to mention the advantage of tapping into government machinery and the civil service. No longer.

As former Labour Education Minister, now Professor, Leighton Andrews notes on his Substack, the effect in pure numbers will be stark. He estimates that Labour will see its staff totals drop from around a hundred to around 30 while Plaid Cymru will see its staff rise to around 150 with a similar number for Reform UK.

“This should not be underestimated,” he writes.

“These are people able to contribute to policy, research, casework and media/social media work. They are also people who have a vested interest in seeing their bosses re-elected, and in their spare time will be dedicated foot-soldiers. The loss of Welsh Labour political staffers is going to be quite dramatic for the party.”

All that will make it harder for Labour and easier for Plaid Cymru and Reform UK to build on their successes this week in the months and years to come. First in the local council elections next year, then in the UK General Election expected in 2029 and ultimately in the next Senedd Election in 2030.

Not only that, but it’s impossible to overstate too the intangible influence bigger parties, particularly those in government have on a political culture.

For nearly three decades, public sector and third sector organisations, private sector groups, trades unions, charities and other organisations here in Wales have oriented themselves towards Labour. Now they’ll do the same with Plaid Cymru. Plaid supporters will be appointed to quangos and commissions.

And those organisations will be seeking to influence Reform UK too, hiring supporters of that party as well as, in time, staff members who move on from Senedd roles.

The ripples are only just beginning to spread out in Cardiff Bay. Change will be profound and long-lasting.

What’s coming up?:

• Wednesday,13 May: First Minister expected to announce who will take up cabinet roles from tomorrow.

• Wednesday, 13 May: Charles III will deliver the King’s Speech, setting out the government's planned new laws for the next Parliamentary session and beyond.

• Tuesday, 19 May: Could be the first First Minister’s Questions for Rhun ap Iorwerth.

• Monday, 25 May: Bank holiday

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

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Those were the words of Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth after his party’s historic election victory, making it clear he was already preparing for the practicalities of running Wales.

I’m Guto Llewellyn, a producer for Sharp End at ITV Cymru Wales, and while it might be difficult to envisage any scenario where Rhun ap Iorwerth isn’t the next First Minister, it’s still not entirely clear how Plaid plans to get key legislation passed - and what kind of relationship they’ll have with the other parties in the newly expanded chamber.

Their staggering haul of 43 seats puts them in a commanding position but they remain six seats short of a majority.

They can still decide to go it alone and govern as a minority government - the party has repeatedly stated this would be their preference.

There is a precedent for this too. Plaid’s sister party the SNP began its recent dominance of Scottish politics by forming a minority government in 2007 and they were in a far more vulnerable position than Plaid with just 37% of the seats in the Scottish Parliament.

This seems like the most likely scenario as things stand but this still requires a degree of co-operation with some of their rivals.

Rhun ap Iorwerth said in his victory speech: “I now intend to reach out to others who can support these missions with the pace and seriousness they demand, and to find common ground where we can, for the common good.”

It’s unclear what kind of relationships ap Iorwerth has in mind.

Would it be a formal co-operation agreement such as the one Labour and Plaid agreed in 2021, with extensive and structured policy plans? Or would it be a simpler confidence and supply agreement like the 2017 Conservative-DUP agreement, which just saw the Northern Irish party agree to back Theresa May’s government on certain significant votes.

There will have to be some kind of understanding between Plaid and other parties to enable a budget to be passed and even to ensure Rhun ap Iorwerth is successfully nominated to be the next First Minister - something that must happen within 28 days of the election.

So while Plaid may go it alone, they’re not in a position to bulldoze the opposition and will need to work with other parties to a certain extent.

If they feel they need the security of a full blown coalition their options are limited.

While the Conservatives would have the numbers to do a deal, it’s hard to see the two parties agreeing on much. The Greens were seen as a potential coalition partner but their two seats aren’t enough to make a substantive difference and the same is true of the Lib Dems who remain on one seat.

That just leaves Labour, who could still get Plaid across the line to form a majority, despite their spectacular collapse. But it’s debatable whether either side would have the appetite for a formal coalition.

Plaid may be wary of teaming up with a party that is clearly incredibly unpopular right now and Labour, who are about to embark on a period of reflection and repair, may appreciate a bit of time away from government to lick their wounds and find their feet again.

Whatever the outcome of Plaid’s discussions with other parties, the hard work starts now.

The next Welsh Government faces countless challenges including long NHS waiting lists, underperforming schools and an economy that lags behind the rest of the UK.

It must try to combat these challenges in an inexperienced Senedd, full of new MSs, with a radically different balance between the parties. The talks that take place over the coming days will be critical if the next government is to have the necessary stability to succeed.

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Welsh Lib Dems hold onto one Senedd seat as leader remains MS

Jayne Dodds, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has retained her seat in the Senedd but remains the only representative for her party.

During the campaign period, the Lib Dem Leader said she hoped she would no longer be “Billy-no-mates” and she would increase her party’s numbers in Cardiff Bay.

However that was not the case and Ms Dodds managed to bag the fifth seat of six seats in the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency.

Meanwhile the Green Party have secured their first ever Members of the Senedd in Wales.

Party Leader Anthony Slaughter secured a seat in Caerdydd Penarth, whilst his colleague Paul Rock secured the sixth seat up in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.

Speaking to ITV News Anthony Slaughter called it an “historic breakthrough” for his party.

• Find the full results of the 2026 Senedd Election here.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code

New allegations prompt police appeal for other victims of sex-offender former bishop to come forward

Police are appealing for other victims and survivors of a sex-offender former Bishop, who was convicted for multiple offences against a child in the 1980s, to come forward.

South Wales Police confirmed on 7 May that three people have “taken the first step in coming forward” since 84-year-old Anthony Piece was jailed.

Pierce pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on a child under the age of 16 at Swansea Crown Court in February 2025. The offences took place whilst he was working as a parish priest at Holy Cross Church in West Cross.

He was sentenced to four years and one month in prison and upon release will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Since the sentencing, South Wales Police confirmed they received three further reports of offences dating back to the 1970s and 80s, which are currently under investigation.

• Read more on that story here.

What happens to the thousands of cars clamped every month in Wales?

More vehicles were clamped in Cardiff last year than in bigger UK cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol and Sheffield.

In fact, the Welsh capital saw the fourth highest number of clamping actions in any UK city, behind only London, Manchester and Birmingham, writes ITV Cymru Wales Reporter Hamish Auskerry.

The reason? Failure to pay Vehicle Excise Duty, otherwise known as road tax.

All cars registered in the UK and driven on public roads must register for this tax but how much you pay depends on your vehicle. There are also some exemptions for people living with disabilities or owners of vehicles older than 40 years.

Last year the DVLA collected £110 million from enforcement action, with the money going back into the UK Treasury to be spent on anything from defence to policing.

We were invited by the DVLA to follow one of their patrols with wheel clamping operators in Newport. For personal safety reasons none of them wanted to be identified. The DVLA says aggressive or threatening behaviour towards its staff is rare but not unheard of.

Paul Davies is the DVLA’s Senior Leader for National Wheelclamping & ANPR Enforcement. Driving around Newport, I asked him whether they were seeing an increase in bad attitudes towards his staff by drivers who have not paid the tax.

“For those who get caught, yes,” he said. “But a lot of the public are very supportive of the action we take, especially because most people pay their tax.

• Watch Hamish Auskerry’s full report here.

What’s coming up?:

• Saturday, 8 May: Swearing in continues for new MSs.

• Saturday, 8 May: Wales Women play Ireland in Belfast for their next Six Nations game.

• Tuesday, 12 or Wednesday, 13 May: Likely the first meeting of the new Senedd will take place on one of these days. At this meeting, members choose a Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer. They could also get to nominations for First Minister.

• Thursday, 14 May: Sentencing of Dylan Dawes, a former BBC Wales producer, who was found guilty in April of possessing and making indecent images of children.

And finally…Bringing joy to strangers: The inspiration behind bereaved daughter's mystery parcel project

A blind woman who lost her mum to motor neurone disease (MND) is leaving mystery packages across Cardiff to spread awareness of the condition.

Laura Briars lost her mum Susan to the disease eight years ago. They both shared a love of reading and now in her memory Laura makes parcels containing a book, some sweets and a QR code to educate people about the illness and encourage donations.

Laura said her project, Parcels of Kindness, was inspired through this joint passion.

“Me and mum both found comfort in books. We both had different genres that we leant towards…it’s just something that was always close to our hearts.”

• Read more about Laura’s story here, or watch over on ITVX.

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• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

The party holds 43 seats, followed by Reform UK who have 34. It is the first time in history a party other than Labour have had the largest amount of Senedd seats.

Plaid Cymru’s Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Wales demanded change, in all senses, Wales demanded a new beginning and now a new dawn beckons.

“But we have not yet reached the destination, far from it, we are just setting out on our journey, and we set off with new leadership, new energy, and new ideas.

“We now need a government that represents that change that the people in Wales have voted for, governing with fairness, responsibility, compassion and humility.”

Although they are now the largest party in the Senedd, Plaid do not have enough members to form a majority government. To get an outright majority, any party needed at least 49 seats.

Plaid Cymru could now look to do a deal with MSs from other parties, to gain their support.

It comes as Welsh Labour suffer a crushing defeat, with only nine Senedd seats.

Incumbent First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her, making her the first head of government in UK history to lose her seat whilst in post.

Following her defeat, Ms Morgan announced she is standing down as the leader of Welsh Labour.

She said: “Welsh Labour has today suffered a catastrophic result.

“It ends a century of Labour winning in Wales, and the party will need to take a really hard look at itself, and understand the depth of the challenge that we face.

“I’ve lost my seat here in Ceredigion Penfro and I will be standing down as leader of Welsh Labour. I take responsibility for the Labour result in Wales.”

Ms Morgan was standing as Welsh Labour’s top candidate in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency but failed to be re-elected as a Member of the Senedd.

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The unthinkable happens to Labour as Wales enters new political age

There have been significant moments in Welsh political history. The knife-edge result in the 1997 devolution referendum, the election of Plaid Cymru’s first MP, but nothing compares to the moment a Labour First Minister lost her seat in the Senedd.

It defined a new political age.

When Eluned Morgan walked into a school hall in Ceredigion Penfro, she knew she had lost. She also knew the eyes, and the cameras, of the political world were focused on her. This was her Portillo moment.

I’m Rob Osborne, ITV Cymru Wales National Correspondent, and today I watched as Ms Morgan stood there whilst the six successful candidates in Ceredigion Penfro were declared. Then the unsuccessful candidates were given the chance to make a speech, if they wished.

The atmosphere was electric as the First Minister walked past the victors from Plaid Cymru, Reform UK and the Conservatives.

“Welsh Labour has suffered a catastrophic result,” she said.

“The party will need to take a look at itself and understand the depth of the challenge that we face.

“I will be stepping down as leader of Welsh Labour. I take responsibility for the Labour result in Wales.”

She went on.

Each sentence felt like another blow to everything we have come to understand about Welsh politics.

She added: “The age of two party dominance is dead.

“Social media has changed the way we do politics, it sets the political narrative.

“The people of Wales rejected Welsh Labour.”

She carried herself well in what must have been one of the hardest days of her political life.

Nearby, her staff - some of whom had worked with her for many years - were emotional.

It was noticeable she did not blame Downing St. No calls for the Prime Minister to go. There was a sense inside the hall that everyone understood they were watching something historic unfold in real time.

She pointed to successes like the falling NHS waiting lists, but she knew the electorate were no longer listening in the way they once had.

For more than a century, Labour has been the dominant force in Wales. Winning every national election.

That assumption is now shattered.

In total, just nine Labour MSs were returned. Plaid Cymru emerged dominant, though short of a majority, while Reform UK became the main opposition.

That alone would have been almost unthinkable in Welsh politics only a few years ago. The implications stretch far beyond Labour itself.

This election has exposed the fragmented modern multi-party politics of Wales.

Party loyalty and tribal voting patterns gone.

There are no Labour MSs representing areas like Ebbw Vale and Tredegar anymore. This is the homeland of Nye Bevan. You can no longer say the Valleys would vote for a donkey wearing a red rosette.

What happens next for Labour?

The leadership election which follows will focus minds in the short term, but it is the deeper questions that matter most.

Who are Welsh Labour for? What are Welsh Labour about?

After decades as the natural party of Welsh Government, they can spend the next period mulling it over.

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An election of firsts for Greens and Reform

The Green Party have secured their first ever Members of the Senedd in Wales.

Party Leader Anthony Slaughter secured a seat in Caerdydd Penarth, whilst his colleague Paul Rock secured the sixth seat up in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.

Speaking to ITV News Anthony Slaughter called it an “historic breakthrough” for his party.

He said: “This changes everything, politics in Wales has changed today. And, I am proud of that change.”

Meanwhile, Reform secured their first ever elected MSs, having previously had Laura Anne Jones defect to Reform during the last Welsh Parliament term.

Dan Thomas the leader of Reform UK in Wales won his seat in the constituency Casnewydd Islwyn.

It is the first time Mr Thomas has stood to be a Member of the Senedd after being announced the Welsh leader of the party in February.

He was previously a Conservative Party councillor in the London Borough of Barnet for more than 19 years from 2006 to 2025.

What’s coming up?:

• Saturday, 8 May: Swearing in continues for new MSs.

• Tuesday, 12 or Wednesday, 13 May: Likely the first meeting of the new Senedd will take place on one of these days. At this meeting, members choose a Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer. They could also get to nominations for First Minister.

• Wednesday, 3 June: Deadline for a First Minister to be chosen, otherwise the Senedd is dissolved and another election will be called.

Whispers and Welsh cakes - what it’s like at an election count

I’ll be honest: I’ve never voted in a Senedd Election before. So spending my first one at a count was quite the experience.

Newport Velodrome was set up for a very different kind of race to the kind I, Ella Lloyd, a reporter at ITV Cymru Wales, was used to.

It sounds a lot more exciting than it is. It’s a lot of waiting, a lot of whispers, and a lot of Welsh cakes eaten. But when it gets started it doesn’t stop.

I arrived around 9am and until the declaration around 2:30pm there really wasn’t much to do or say. Technical checks, speaking to candidates - but nothing concrete.

Then the first indication of a story - Natasha Ashgar, the Conservative candidate running onto the count floor in floods of tears, reaching to hug family members.

At first, we weren’t quite sure if these were happy or sad. But it transpired to be relief, she had been re-elected to the Senedd.

By the time I’d digested that result, they started to come in thick and fast. It took a few to get into the swing of understanding the new d’Hondt vote counts and picking out what was important.

After the count in Newport shut, it was on the road up the M4, the same journey as the new MSs would make to the Senedd. Pulling over to deliver the news that the first minister Eluned Morgan had lost her seat, and making it past security in time for the final two results.

By this point the dust has started to settle and I feel a bit like I need a lie down. Of course, that won’t be for long.

The story has only just begun of course - the result will raise more questions than it’ll answer. And tomorrow I’m back to make sense of it all again.

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Catch-up with all the results in a special ITV Cymru Wales broadcast

• Got a story? Contact the team by emailing wales@itv.com

The findings, released two days before polls open, show Rhun ap Iorwerth’s party with 33% of the vote share, four percentage points ahead of Reform UK at 29%.

According to MRP modelling by YouGov for ITV Cymru Wales in partnership with Cardiff University, under the new d’Hondt voting system, this round of results means Plaid Cymru would win 43 seats and Reform would take 34.

Although this is just one scenario, it demonstrates how a small vote share increase can have a huge impact on projected seats in this new electoral system.

Labour has continued the trend of polling in third place, at 12%, which would again yield 12 seats but not for Welsh leader Eluned Morgan.

The Welsh Conservatives have seen a modest increase in their vote share at 9% placing them in fourth, which would translate into four seats.

The Green Party has dropped into fifth place at 8%, which would only net them two seats in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf and Caerdydd Penarth.

However Labour, the Conservatives and the Greens are all polling with a level of vote share that, with just a few percentage points difference either way, would have a huge impact on the number of seats won within constituencies and then across Wales.

The drop in the number of Green seats could be completely reversed if just a few thousand more votes go their way across the constituencies they are most competitive in - but not currently projected to pick up the sixth seat.

The Welsh Lib Dems have held at 6%, which in this scenario would elect leader Jane Dodds in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd.

Alongside voting intentions, more than four in ten (43%) respondents think that Plaid Cymru will end up leading the next Welsh Government.

This is by far the most popular opinion. By comparison, only 15% think that Reform UK will lead the next Welsh Government.

The poll also found people in Wales would prefer the next government to be formed by a single party (44%) instead of a coalition of multiple parties (32%).

When asked “If you had to say, what is the single biggest factor influencing your vote in the upcoming Senedd Election?” the most popular answers were “Stopping Reform” and “Immigration”.

When looking at Westminster voting intentions, Plaid Cymru continues to lead with an increase in support for them and Reform, whilst support has lowered for the Greens and Labour.

Dr Jac Larner, from Cardiff University’s Welsh Governance Centre said: “What this final poll tells us is that the broad shape of Thursday’s result is now fairly clear, even if precise seat totals remain uncertain.

“Plaid Cymru go into election day on 33 per cent with Reform on 29, whereas the previous YouGov poll had the two parties tied at 29 per cent each.

“Plaid appear to have opened a small gap in the final days but this still remains an incredibly close race. It also highlights how relatively small changes in vote share can have outsized impacts in terms of seat allocation.

“That four-point lead is translating into a projected 43 seats against Reform’s 34. Add Labour’s projected 12 seats, the Greens’ two and the Liberal Democrats’ one, and the arithmetic for a progressive majority government - requiring 49 of 96 seats - looks considerably more comfortable than many anticipated. Again however, even tiny changes that are too small for polls to detect could mean the eventual result is very different.

“That picture is broadly consistent with where the polling consensus has settled across multiple firms in recent weeks, with Plaid in the low-to-mid thirties, Reform in the high twenties, and Labour anchored in low double figures.

“The more significant story for Thursday is therefore not the headline vote shares but what happens in the room afterwards and on that question, the 43 per cent of voters who expect Plaid to lead the next government may well be right.”

• Tune in to ITV Wales’ political programme Sharp End at 10:45pm tonight on ITV1 Wales to get the latest political reaction to the poll results, or catch up on YouTube.

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Plaid Cymru top poll so is their ‘two horse race’ tactic paying off?

With just two days to go until the Senedd Election, ITV Wales’ latest poll suggests a key aspect of Plaid Cymru’s messaging may be paying off - despite critics accusing them of misleading voters.

I’m Guto Llewelyn, a Producer on Sharp End here at ITV Cymru Wales. For weeks the party has labelled this contest a “two horse race” between themselves and Reform UK, claiming they are the only party capable of preventing Wales from turning light blue.

This has seriously annoyed many of their opponents. On last week’s Sharp End, Labour candidate Chris Carter accused Plaid Cymru of being “disingenuous” and “misleading,” pointing out that this is not a first past the post system so there is less scope for tactical voting.

But Rhun ap Iorwerth’s party have stuck to their guns on this tactic and repeatedly referred to themselves as the only force capable of beating Reform UK. And with a recent ITV Wales poll suggesting 49% of people definitely don’t want a Reform UK government - significantly more than any other party - you can see why they’ve tried to frame this election in such a way.

The latest ITV Wales poll suggests it may be having an impact as Plaid seems to have tempted some voters away from the other left-wing parties.

In the latest poll, Plaid Cymru are up 4%, while Labour are down 1% and the Greens are down 2%.

Could that strong anti-Reform UK sentiment among left of centre voters push people towards Plaid Cymru in the final days of the campaign?

This approach worked very well for the party in October’s high-profile Caerphilly by-election. Plaid Cymru won by nearly 4,000 votes, ahead of Reform UK while all other parties were pushed to the margins.

However there has always been doubt over whether this tactic could work in a Wales-wide context with a new proportional voting system and six Senedd members elected for each constituency.

This polling indicates it may still be having an impact, despite this election lacking the all-or-nothing jeopardy of a traditional first past the post election.

Obviously we’ll have to wait a few days to find out for sure if this tactic has been effective, but this poll could trigger a few anxieties within Labour and Green circles as the clock ticks down to 7 May.

Labour, the dominant force in Welsh politics for more than a century, have really struggled to shift the dial in their favour despite a tenacious campaign from First Minister Eluned Morgan, and have failed to get more than 13% in any of ITV Wales’s polls since the turn of the year. The latest poll once again indicates a struggle to claw back voters who’ve deserted them recently.

Meanwhile the Greens are down on 8% in the latest poll, following a tough few days for the party on a UK-wide level and find themselves below the Conservatives for the first time in months. This represents their worst showing in an ITV Wales poll since September after experiencing a rapid rise following the election of Zack Polanski as leader of the England and Wales Green Party.

And what does it mean for Reform UK? Well, they’re still on 29%, equalling their best ever performance in any of our polls. Despite Plaid Cymru’s late poll boost, a Reform UK win remains within the margin of error so they still have reasons to be hopeful heading into polling day.

This will be our final poll before the election and tracking the various trends has given us a fascinating indication of how the public mood has shifted, then solidified in many ways, as the election nears.

Assessing all of the polling together, it’s clear this election will feel very different to all other devolved elections. The final result could be very tight and many MSs will be elected on the finest of margins, and the drama is bound to extend far beyond this week.

ITV is one of Britain’s most trusted providers of news. You can access our expert analysis, correspondents and content on platforms beyond ITV1.

Our streaming platform ITVX has all Welsh and UK news programmes, plus original content and a regularly updated bulletin

Visit our website or download the news app on Apple or Android

We’re on social media platforms: Instagram; Facebook; X (Twitter); and YouTube.

All our journalists work to the Ofcom code

What’s coming up:

• Thursday, 7 May: Wales goes to the polls to vote in the new Welsh Government between 7am and 10pm.

• Friday, 8 May: ITV Cymru Wales will bring you the election results live from 2 - 6pm on ITV1 and on YouTube.

• Friday, 8 - Thursday, 11 May: New Senedd Members take their oaths in ceremonies in the Senedd in Cardiff, Llandudno or online.

• Monday, 25 May: Spring Bank Holiday.

• Thursday, 28 May: Deadline for the first meeting of the Seventh Senedd.

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Will you be voting in the Senedd Election?

This year’s Senedd Election is set to be historic for Wales. However, voter turnout in these elections has never been above 50%. ITV Wales Journalist Ella Lloyd spoke to people in Maesteg about whether they will be voting on 7 May.