Coal tip activist's guarded welcome for £25m

A father who says he worries for the safety of his home every time it rains has welcomed more funding to shore up Wales' disused coal tips in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget.

But Phil Thomas, of Rhondda Cynon Taf, who lives alongside one of hundreds of tips classed as having "the potential to impact public safety" said questions remained over a long-term solution to the problem.

Opposition parties warned the £25m pledged for coal tip safety work in Wales next year was "nowhere near enough".

The Welsh government said Reeves had responded to its calls for the UK government to contribute towards the cost of making tips safe.

Fears over the state of Wales' coal tips surfaced in the wake of a major landslide above Tylorstown in Rhondda Fach during the extreme rainfall brought by Storm Dennis in 2020.

While the Labour-run Welsh and Conservative-led UK governments at the time set up a joint taskforce, there was a stand-off over who should foot the bill for remediation work.

Ministers in Cardiff Bay argued the problems pre-dated devolution and suggested it could cost up to £600m over 10 to 15 years to address issues across Wales.

Assessments revealed a total of 2,573 disused coal tips, with 360 deemed highest risk and requiring regular inspection.

Phil Thomas, who set up the Clear South Wales Coal Tips campaign group, said the £25m announced in the budget was "welcome news and a sign that both governments collectively are taking the matter seriously".

But the father of two from Ynyshir, Rhondda, said "the big question" was "where is the coal tip bill we've been waiting for in Wales for more than four years?".

The Welsh government has pledged to introduce new legislation to the Senedd - which will include setting up an organisation to manage coal tip safety - before the end of this year.

"More than half of the coal tips classed as high risk are in private ownership and as I understand it there's no mechanism to actively enforce their owners to make improvements unless the matter is an emergency situation," Mr Thomas said.

"This money is welcome, but what's it going to be spent on? Is it the publicly-owned coal tips which are the minority?"

Ann Davies, who lives in the shadow of the Tylorstown tip, said the dramatic landslide in 2020 had been "scary".

On the funding announcement she said it was "good to put something in motion but it took far too long to get here".

She added: "This should have been done years ago - did they really learn any lessons from Aberfan?

"It's going to be expensive but it's too risky to leave it."

Plaid Cymru's climate change spokesperson Delyth Jewell said the funding announced was "nowhere near what's needed".

"Westminster has at long last promised money for coal tip safety, but the amount must be increased," she said.

"Coal tips are the legacy of how our communities were exploited - our valleys should never have been saddled with them, let alone have to pay towards making them safe."

Welsh Conservatives' climate change spokesperson Janet Finch-Saunders also said the £25m would "obviously" not be enough.

"Maintenance and safety measures for coal tips in Wales have been devolved," she said.

"The fact that there is a need to collaborate with the UK government on this matter, even though it is not the responsibility of the UK government, proves again how important it is to be part of the union [of the UK]."

Labour Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said that shortly after the 58th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster “it is fitting that we have committed £25m to make coal tips safe".

"It is testament to the new relationship between the UK and Welsh government, based on co-operation, respect and delivery," she added.

A Welsh government spokeswoman said Reeves had "responded to our calls for funding to improve coal tip safety and has provided an additional £25m for 2025-26."

This was "over and above the funding the Welsh government provides every year to support local authorities to maintain and repair coal tips and invests in cutting-edge monitoring", she said.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said the Welsh government had asked for "£91m over three years, with £25m in the first year".

"So it's a very good start and £25m more than the previous government was ever willing to offer us," he said.