Improvements to Chepstow play parks approved by councillors
The council's deputy leader, Chepstow Castle and Larkfield councillor, Paul Griffiths said he welcomed the decision and described Piggy Hill as a 'miserable park'.
The Labour councillor said the Western Avenue play ares is 'very well used' including by younger siblings of those training at the 'very successful' rugby club but said the standard of the park and its equipment has 'been an embarrassment'.
He said he has never known Piggy Hill to be referred to as Bulwark Park but said 'It is a miserable park.'
Cllr Griffiths suggested the rugby club, and St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary, which is opposite, Piggy Hill Park be included in consultations on developing and improving the play areas.
He also suggested the council should consider if other smaller play areas, many on housing estates, around Chepstow 'could be better used for other local amenities.'
Conservative opposition leader, Mitchell Troy and Trellech councillor, Richard John said the funding is 'great news' for those living near the two parks but said: 'Clearly the sum doesn't touch the sides of what is actually needed to bring play areas in Monmouthshire up to a decent standard.'
He said the council should hold an audit of play areas in rural areas as some villages are 'equally as deserving' of improvements to their play areas.
Angela Sandles, the cabinet member responsible, said all the county's play areas were included in an assessment including those that town and community councils and housing associations are responsible for.
But she said the decision to invest in the two play areas was made because they are classified as NEAPs or Neighbourhood Equipped Areas for Play which cater for a wider age group of children.
The council will also use other funding for improvements to the skate park near to Piggy Hill.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
What's stopping Keir Starmer from recognising Palestine as a state?
Sir Keir Starmer is coming under a lot of pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. He's under pressure from 221 MPs – more than a third of all the people who sit in the House of Commons – who collectively signed a letter urging recognition. He's under pressure from Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced left-wing party, which placed alleged UK complicity in the Gaza horror at the centre of its launch, and the significant number of supporters it has attracted. And he's under pressure from top Labour figures, ranging from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to members of his own cabinet, who are pushing him on the matter both publicly and privately. Those calls have grown in the past few days, as images of starving children have been beamed around the world and French President Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise Palestine as a state. But the Prime Minister has remained firm, insisting he will only press forward at the moment when the move would have the maximum impact. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. In a statement released on Thursday night, Starmer said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' The UK is deeply entwined in the history of the region currently occupied by Israel and Palestine. In 1916, the British claimed control of the region called Palestine amid the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the following year, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said the UK would back a 'national home' for the Jewish people in the area. A little over three decades later, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel. The UN admitted Israel as a member in 1949, but not Palestine. It was not until 1988 that Palestinian statehood was recognised by any UN member states, after the Palestinian National Council formally declared independence. Today, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognise Palestine, including the vast majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. The UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the nations that do not. In 2014, MPs in the House of Commons voted to 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. But David Cameron's government responded with a line that remains familiar today – that recognition would wait until it was deemed most appropriate for the peace process. On the face of it, the British government appears to be closer than ever to announcing formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Among the high-profile cabinet members reportedly arguing in favour are Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The UK has also been closely aligning with France on the issue, as part of the E3 group of nations alongside Germany. However, both Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have insisted publicly that the move is only worth making when it would be most effective in the pursuit of peace. On Tuesday, Lammy told the BBC: 'We don't just want to recognise symbolically, we want to recognise as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time.' Labour's election manifesto last year said the party is 'committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' More Trending The letter signed by 221 MPs, organised by Labour's Sarah Champion, said the announcement of recognition should come at a UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday. It said: 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. 'Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Will there be a bank holiday and trophy parade if England win Women's Euro 2025? MORE: Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans MORE: Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Former North Tyneside Mayor Dame Norma Redfearn granted Freedom of Borough
The former three-time mayor of North Tyneside has been granted the council's highest Norma Redfearn was nominated for the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of her "extraordinary leadership" and the "transformative change" brought to the area during her Karen Clark put forward the Labour veteran's nomination, which was unanimously agreed said: "Through her passion, dedication, and tireless efforts, Dame Norma Redfearn has left an indelible mark on North Tyneside." She said the former mayor "really did make North Tyneside a great place to live, work, and visit."The position of mayor is an elected role and is effectively the leader of the Norma announced her decision last year not to seek re-election, marking the beginning of the end of her 12 years in narrowly retained the mayoralty for Labour in May after beating Reform UK by a thin margin. Dame Norma's administration saw the regeneration of large parts of Whitley Bay including the re-opening of the long-disused Spanish City Dome. She also played a key role in regional devolution, which saw the creation of the North East Combined Authority and the North East elected to North Tyneside Council as a councillor for the Riverside ward in 2004, Dame Norma joined the cabinet and was responsible for the children and young people portfolio in was first elected as mayor in 2013, defeating the then Conservative incumbent Linda to her 20-year career in local politics, she spent 30 years as an educator, culminating as the head teacher of West Walker Primary the Conservative opposition supported the nomination, Tory councillor John Johnson lamented that the same honour was not bestowed to her late following clarification from the council's legal officer, it was determined the Freedom of the Borough could not be handed over posthumously, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Sir Bob Geldof shouts 'shut up' on Sky News in passionate plea for Gaza children
The Band Aid organiser accused the Israeli government of 'lying' about there being "no famine caused by Israel". Furious Bob Geldof speaks about starvation in Gaza Sir Bob Geldof has slammed the UK Government for not doing enough in Gaza, saying images of starving children 'enrages' him. The Band Aid organiser accused the Israeli government of 'lying' about there being "no famine caused by Israel". "They're dangling food in front of starving, panicked, exhausted mothers," he said. A furious Sir Bob questioned how a powerful supercomputer could be developed in the UK earlier this month at the same time as babies were being forced to survive on a teaspoon of salt and as much water as possible in Gaza. During a passionate interview with Sky News, he said: "Shut up. What have we become that we can do this miracle and perpetuate this agony?' He was also critical of the UK government, which he said had done "not enough" and suggested recognising Palestinian statehood - as Keir Starmer has been under pressure to do - would not make a "difference" to the humanitarian emergency. He told Labour MPs to stop signing their letters calling for it and said it was a kind of "virtue signalling" at this point, adding: "Enough. Guys, focus on the issue to hand." As reported by the Mirror, the political activist said the absolute priority is stopping starving mothers and infants being used as 'instruments of war'. On the Israel-Hamas conflict, he said: "I'm really not interested in what either of these sides are saying. When you target infants and children, when their wounds are no longer capable of healing, when breastfeeding mothers can no longer do this, then everything goes out the window." When asked if it was "unfair" to criticise Israelis, many of whom were protesting against their PM Benjamin Netanyahu's offensive in Gaza, Sir Bob said they should drive to the border to drop off aid. He said: "What's unfair is what's happening to these babies.... What's unfair is that one hour from the hunger, people are sitting down to their unthreatened dinners to turn on the next Netflix show. "So if Israelis want to protest, get in your cars. This is very bold stuff, I know, sorry about that. Get in your car, stuff your cars full of food and drive through that border and let your own army stop you." The UK is working with the Jordanian authorities to get aid in through airdrops into Gaza. Treasury minister James Murray said: 'We need to be doing everything we possibly can to help.' But he admitted "there are real limits and drawbacks with airdrops when it comes to aid". Elsewhere, the PM has been under pressure to recognise Palestine immediately after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country would do so in September. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. Mr Murray said on Sunday: "As a Government, we're committed to the recognition of Palestine, but we need to work with international partners and we need to use that moment to galvanise change. It needs to be part of a pathway to peace." He added: "140 countries have already recognised Palestine. The suffering is still continuing." Meanwhile Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said pictures of children starving in Gaza have not changed her support for Israel. "War is a difficult situation and what I see when I see Israel is a country that is trying to defend itself, mostly from Iran and a lot of its proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis. I think they are in a very difficult situation. "What worries me is that the length of time that this war has been going on is making it very difficult for the people in the Palestinian territories and also for Israel. We need to bring things to an end."
