Jistcourt troubles spark Powys council house project fears

The future of Powys's first council house development in 40 years is in doubt amid troubles at the building firm hired for the project.

Port Talbot-based Jistcourt said on Friday it was going into administration with 47 of its 66 jobs being lost.

Powys council officers say they will move "very swiftly" to secure a site in Newtown where 26 flats are to be built.

Administrators say the firm's directors are working with clients to bring "live projects" to a "workable conclusion".

On Monday, councillors heard that £695,000 had been spent so far on the £3.5m scheme.

However, a source told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that none of this money had gone to Jistcourt.

Nina Davies, head of housing and community development, told members that the council had not yet been officially notified that Jistcourt had gone into administration.

But she confirmed that her team was preparing for the worst.

"Officers are putting together options," Ms Davies said. "If and when we receive notification we will be moving very swiftly."

Powys County Council aims to build 250 new homes by 2023.

A report to Monday's meeting said the Newtown project on a former bowling green was supposed to be completed by September 2020.

Councillor Elwyn Vaughan, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, called for a full report, asking if due diligence had been carried out on the company.

He said he was concerned that the day after a turf-cutting ceremony in May, Jistcourt told the council its bank could not provide a "performance bond" guaranteeing the project would be completed if the contractor failed, due to the company "exceeding their limit".

"Surely such confirmation should have provided sufficient warning that all was not well at the company," Councillor Vaughan said.

Three school building projects in Powys were already in limbo following the collapse in March of construction firm Dawnus.

Calls for Labour to Go Further on War on Plastic

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Welsh Labour to be more ambitious in its war on plastic and introduce a bottle deposit scheme in Wales. While welcoming the long-delayed plans to ban single-use carrier bags and plastic drinking straws in Wales, the Welsh Liberal Democrats said there was more to be done. Under legislation introduced today, single-use carrier bags, plastic drinking straws, plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers and cotton buds would all be banned under the proposed new law. Research from Wrap Cymru estimates that 400,000 tonnes of plastic waste are generated in Wales each year, with 67 per cent of that waste being packaging. Another report by the Marine Conservation Society found that there were 29 drinks containers for every 100 meters of beach in Wales. A Deposit Return Scheme, also known as a bottle deposit scheme, encourages people to recycle drinks containers such as plastic or glass bottles. People pay a small deposit f...

Wales Hosepipe Ban – Criticism of Welsh Water Over Large Bonuses While Infrastructure Creaks

Following the news that people in some areas of Wales could face a hosepipe ban this summer, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised Welsh Water for paying large bonuses to its bosses while infrastructure creaks. Data from Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, showed that 169.9 megalitres/day were being wasted through leakage in Welsh Water’s network during 2020-21. The company also failed to meet its Per capita consumption (PCC) targets which are designed to push for less water to be taken from the environment. The Welsh Liberal Democrats say that their analysis of Company House data shows that executives at Dŵr Cymru were paid £2.6 million in 2020 and 2021 including £931,000 in bonuses, benefits and inc entives. Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said: " We cannot control the hot and dry weather, but we can control wastage through outdated or poorly-maintained infrastructure. “Welsh Water brands itself as “no...

Ed Davey pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen in Parliament

Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, paid tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament. The deep mourning across the country now – just like the celebrations of her Jubilee a few months ago – comes not from a sense of duty, but from genuine and heartfelt affection, love and admiration of Her Majesty. It's not because we were her subjects, but because she was truly our Queen. What she meant to us is perhaps best summed up by a phrase on so many people’s lips over the last twenty-four hours: “I can’t imagine our country without her.” For almost everyone in the country, she has been there our whole lives. At times of national grief and national jubilation, she has never not been there for us. So it is hard to accept that she is gone. And hard to see how we go on without her. But we will. Our great United Kingdom has a great future – because The Queen’s spirit of strength, grace and resolve lives on in her people. One of the great...

Welsh Liberal blogs

Search This Blog