The Council has secured £13.7 million funding from Welsh Government for its continuing work to inspect, maintain, and deliver targeted works at coal tip sites across Rhondda Cynon Taf. The funding covers the next financial year (2026/27) and will be coordinated by our dedicated Coal Tips Safety Team. Welsh Government confirmed the allocation this week, as part of its wider Coal Tip Safety Grant funding across Wales. Rhondda Cynon Taf received £11.4 million for the current financial year (2025/26), and the new funding will ensure our significant work activities are continued for the 12 months ahead.
As an example of the work that is being undertaken, 295 local tip inspections were completed in the nine months up to September 2025, while this routine activity does not include inspections and safety checks that are undertaken around sustained periods of heavy rainfall. In addition, the Council’s Coal Tips Safety Team has received and reviewed 120 inspection reports that were commissioned by Welsh Government from the Mining Remediation Authority. On top of this, the Coal Tips Safety Grant funding is also enabling the Council to deliver an important works programme for local tips. Minor maintenance can include vegetation clearance, clearing out and repairing drainage channels, repairing pipes and culverts, reinstating drains, and scour repairs.
Recent examples include maintenance work at Tunnel Tip in Cwmbach (from August 2025), clearance and drainage works at Clydach Vale Countryside Park (September 2025), investigations at Gilfach Goch Tip (October 2025), maintenance work at Craig y Duffryn Tip in Mountain Ash (November 2025), drainage and vegetation work at Lady Windsor Colliery in Ynysybwl (January 2026), watercourse channel works at Cwm Colliery Tip in Llantwit Fardre (January 2026), maintenance work at Cefnpennar Tip (January 2026), and maintenance work at Lewis Merthyr Colliery in Trehafod (February 2026).
There are also specific ongoing repairs of a larger nature at key sites – including the Tylorstown Landslip remediation programme, repairs at the Wattstown National Tip, track formalisation at Cefnpennar Tip, and repairs to the riverbank at a location near Pentwyn Sports Ground in Penrhiwceiber. In addition, the Council has recently secured £4.8 million funding from Welsh Government for a major, future scheme at the Graig Ddu Tip in Dinas.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Investment, said:
We continue to welcome Welsh Government’s important support that is helping Local Authorities to inspect and maintain former coal mining sites within our communities – and to carry out targeted works where they are needed. Our Coal Tips Safety Team within the Council is a dedicated group of officers that monitors local sites and coordinates our activities across the County Borough – and residents can be reassured that this work is ongoing day-in, day-out.
The new Coal Tips Safety Grant allocation of £13.7 million follows the current year’s budget of £11.4 million – and this significant funding emphasises the Council and Welsh Government’s shared priority to ensure former coal tip sites are as safe as possible. This funding will be used for routine inspections, safety checks in bad weather, minor maintenance work, and larger repairs at key locations. Once of those sites, Graig Ddu Tip in Dinas, recently secured £4.8 million funding from Welsh Government for the design and delivery of a scheme to stabilise the ground conditions and carry out structural repairs.
Officers are now further developing our work programme with the newly-allocated funding for 2026/27, and the Council will continue to keep residents up-to-date with our notable work activities over the year ahead – particularly where visible schemes are being brought forward within local communities.
Posted on 16/03/2026