AUTUMN 2025 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 4
NEWS
‘Substantial progress’ seen in Cwmtillery one
year since landslip
The Deputy First Minister, Huw
Irranca-Davies, has returned
to Cwmtillery, one year since a
signi昀椀cant landslip at a disused
coal tip during Storm Bert in
November 2024.
Accompanied by representatives
from Blaenau Gwent County
Borough Council and the Mining
Remediation Authority, he
saw 昀椀rst-hand the progress
made on crucial infrastructure
improvements.
This includes the installation
of new drainage works and
slope repro昀椀ling – to help
stabilise and reduce the risk of
future landslides and erosion –
thanks to £610,000 of Welsh
Government support through the
Coal Tip Safety Grant Scheme.
The Deputy First Minister, who
has responsibility for Climate
Change, said:
“The scenes from Cwmtillery
last year will always stay with
me, and I know the impact is still
felt by the community today.
“I’ll forever remain grateful
to the emergency services and
our local partners for their swift
response which made sure
residents were taken to safety
during what was undoubtedly a
terrifying experience.
“Returning to Cwmtillery
twelve months on, I’m pleased
to see the substantial progress
made to support this community
and make the site safer.
“We remain absolutely
dedicated to protecting people
and ensuring communities living
in the shadow of former tips are
safe, both now and in the future.”
Combined Welsh and UK
Government investment in
coal tip safety totals more than
£220m to date.
World-class dental training hub opens in
Barking, East London
Barking and Dagenham
Council, in partnership with
Queen Mary University of
London, has announced a £4.1
million investment to establish
a cutting-edge academic
dental centre in central
Barking.
The project will help train 130
new dental students per year
and provide NHS dental care to
over 5,000 patients annually,
at a time when nearly 3,500
NHS dentist positions in the UK
are vacant and one in eight UK
dentists are within 昀椀ve years of
retirement.
Within this part of East
London, the effects of this
national shortage have been
huge. Shockingly, 65% of 3-5
year olds and almost 80% of 1834 year olds currently have no
access to NHS dental services,
and two in 昀椀ve children have
tooth decay. With signi昀椀cant
evidence to show clear links
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between oral health and general
health – particularly around
obesity, smoking, cardiovascular
disease and diabetes – the deal
has the potential to transform
lives in one of the country’s most
deprived areas.
Funded through the
council’s Strategic Community
Infrastructure Levy funding
programme, the partnership
will see two 昀氀oors of Maritime
House in Barking town centre
transformed into a national-level
dental training centre and anchor
institution, expected to open its
doors to students and patients in
September 2026.
Queen Mary’s Institute of
Dentistry, ranked number
one in London and 15th in
the world, is leading the
initiative. Undergraduate and
postgraduate students at the
University, who come from
the London and around the
world, will deliver care through
a community-based outreach
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model, expanding access to
primary dental services and
tackling complex oral health
needs.
The initiative supports the
Government’s 10 Year Health
Plan for England and the
priorities of the North East
London Integrated Care Board
(NEL ICB), to tackle entrenched
health inequalities. It also forms
part of the council’s commitment
to investing in the health of its
rapidly expanding community
and to regenerating Barking
town centre.
The centre will also have
an economic impact locally
by creating around 44 local
jobs, from apprenticeships to
roles in reception, sterilisation,
security, cleaning, and dental
nursing. It will also open up new
opportunities for learning and
research, helping to build longterm skills and knowledge in
Barking and Dagenham.
This new hub is part of a
wider, long-term partnership
between the council and
Queen Mary. Last month, the
two organisations signed a
landmark 10-year Memorandum
of Understanding through the
University’s SHAPE Institute,
creating the UK’s 昀椀rst societal
partnership between a local
authority and a Russell Group
university focused on tackling
health inequalities aimed
at developing research-led,
community-driven solutions
to improve wellbeing across
the borough. The collaboration
also supports Barking and
Dagenham’s inclusion in the
NHS’s National Neighbourhood
Health Programme, one of
just 43 areas selected to
pioneer new models of care
rooted in prevention and local
engagement.
