Philip Thomas of Clear South Wales Coal Tips. I started this group and campaign back at the start of 2021. I did so out of frustration with the lack of progress on the remediation of the coal tip slip near Tylorstown and the lack of information available on the safety of other coal tips. The Welsh Government and Local Authorities were doing things, but very slowly.
We put in EIRs to RCT Council
and Welsh Government (a sort of FOI request for Environmental matters) for all sorts of information. Much of which got ‘declined’. Another campaigner appealed against the Welsh Government’s ‘declined’ request via the ICO to get the list of coal tips published, which happened via the Coal Tips map (https://www.gov.wales/find-disused-coal-tips). Da iawn Elwyn from Aberdare Online (https://www.aberdareonline.co.uk/)
Lots has been achieved and we’re promised a new law will come in 2026. I am really pleased that the Welsh Government will finally enact an abandoned coal tip safety law.
A number of people have campaigned to ensure this happens. The big compromise I see in the new law is the Government will invest public money to improve private land (over 60% of high-risk tips are on private land) without asking for anything in return, e.g. a country park or space for the public. Personally, I think this is a mistake, but that’s the way they’ve done it. The time given to tip owners to make improvements seems generous, too, but enforcement is better than recommendations to the tip owners, which is what we have now.
I didn’t know what to call the group then, but now I think perhaps the group name should be changed to ‘Safeguard Wales’ Coal Tips’.
Any thoughts? https://www.facebook.com/groups/coaltips
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