12/01/2017 BBC Wales Today

'A strong contribution to the energy supply'.

An independent review backs the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon

project, which could create two thousand jobs.

We have an opportunity now for the UK to use its formidable skills to

start a new global industry. But there remains concern

over the impact it So how much closer tonight

is the ?1 billion project How much less could we be paying

on the severn crossings? We'll have the latest

on new plans which could see In an exclusive interview,

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tells us allowing Wales

to set its own immigration rules If you set up Welsh limits on

immigration or started the same thing for English regions would you

then restrict the movement of those people within the UK?

Network bosses meet frustrated customers and politicians to see how

And snow has fallen in some places but ice could be

We're live with the gritters as they prepare to head out.

The Swansea Bay tidal lagoon should go ahead,

The Hendry Review, commissioned by the UK Government,

says it would make a "strong contribution" to the energy supply

When built, it would generate enough electricity to power 155,000 homes

The price tag for the project is ?1.3 billion.

The company says it would create more than 2,200 manufacturing

But the UK Government still needs to agree to a deal.

Here's our Economics Correspondent, Sarah Dickins.

A designer 's vision which is now more likely to happen. And sing the

energy of the tides. The report from the Hendry review recommends the

Swansea tidal lagoon goes ahead. The man behind it is ecstatic. It was

better than we expected. It was brilliant. It is such a watershed

for us. It said let's start tidal lagoons, let's start with Swansea

and let it on with it now. As the tides ebb and flow so the lagoon

will generate electricity. They would be 16 turbines using the

energy as the tide goes in and out. It would also generate hundreds of

Welsh jobs. We have an opportunity now for the UK to use its formidable

skills to start a new global industry. To do so in a way that

enhances our energy security supply and helps meet our decarbonisation

commitments. Another cost that is around the cost of a pint of milk

per household each year. Tidal lagoon power has promised that half

of the 1.3 "Cost will be spent in Wales. This company and Abergavenny

will be the first on-site, carrying out the civil engineering for the

lagoon. Things like roadways. They expect to have 100 people working on

the site. By this project going ahead it would enable us to keep on

expanding to recruit more local people, to train more local people

for the future. GE at rugby have the contract for the turbines. At first

they would only be assembled in Wales but tidal lagoon power has

already put out to tender to build a new ?22 million turbine

manufacturing plant in Swansea docks. We have invested over the

last few years in new robots and other automated capability to be

able to not only deliver the workload we have today but also to

be able to deliver the workload in the future. The Swansea project is

the first of six in tidal lagoons plans. For in Wales, two in England.

The tidal energy to have a truly transformational effect on our

economy than ever lagoons need to follow, particularly here in Cardiff

and also in Colwyn Bay. That is when the Welsh economy would feel the

difference, not just in terms of jobs but also businesses that would

be expected to be set up here. Charles Hendry has suggested a tidal

lagoon authority, all things which could delay that develop in. Tidal

lagoon power says those delays are not a problem. You have to finish

Swansea. We would want to finish Swansea and now that the fish

studies were accurate, what we said would happen with the silt were

accurate, before you start building Cardiff. The UK Government says it

will respond in due course. The company hopes to start work on site

in spring 2018. As well as securing the necessary

funds and the backing of the UK Government,

the scheme also needs a so-called marine licence

from Natural Resources Wales. After years of discussions there's

still no sign of agreement with serious concerns being raised

about the lagoon's Our environment correspondent

Steffan Messenger now on what's next Swansea Bay is home to play throw of

birds, fish and other wildlife stop so what impact will the lagoon have

on them? The developers say the effect on nature will be negligible.

But fishing groups in particular disagree. The lagoon in Swansea will

affect the rivers, all of which are important sea trout rivers. Natural

Resources Wales agree with this. They have not yet issued a marine

licence. Planning permission for the Swansea Bay lagoon was granted based

on modelling that suggested it would have minimal impact on fish. But

before Christmas Natural Resources Wales revised its predictions

claiming 21% of salmon and 25% of sea trout could be killed each year

as they migrate to and from local rivers. A major adverse impact.

Tidal lagoon power say they don't agree with the figures all the way

they have been worked out. They have submitted new evidence which could

lead to further delay. The irony here is that this is about green

energy and lots of it. If all six lagoons are built and live up to

their promise of delivering around 12% of our relatives that he needs

that could be a significant boost to the UK's efforts to cut carbon

emissions and tackle climate change. That is generally agree to be the

greatest threat to nature conservation. Charles Hendry's

report the first lagoon in Swansea is given the go-ahead. So any effect

on wildlife can be carefully monitored. The review indicates that

both economic league and environmentally in his field this

should go ahead. That is a wake-up call both to the UK Government and

the agency here in Wales. They need to ensure the enable this to happen.

Several environmental charities have given a cautious welcome but they

want assurances they will be enough of a pause between building the

first lagoon and starting work on more. How long a pause are we

talking about? Eight years minimum should be the pause because that is

the timespan of two fish spawning cycles. Less than that we cannot

look at the environmental impact properly. Natural Resources Wales

says it is working closely with the developers and other experts to make

sure it fairly assesses the impact of this world first scheme.

Developing new sources of sustainable energy in a way that

minimises harm to the environment is a goal it says it wholeheartedly

supports. The UK Government is planning to cut

the tolls on the Severn crossings From 2018 when the bridges revert

to public ownership, all cars and small vehicles

will pay three pounds. Tomorrow, a consultation

will also be published into Our political editor

Nick Servini is here. We already knew that the tolls were

going to be halved. In a letter from two UK Government ministers to MPs

it says that will come down to ?3. Particularly big savings for vans

and small vehicles at the moment. Let me point you to a sentence in

the letter which says we want to be clear there is no intention to use

the tolls for any purpose other than to support their operation and

maintenance. It is saying they will be no plan to use the revenue to

bolster the car offers of the Treasury. A few years ago David

Davies the Monmouth MP got some figures pointing to a figure of a

total of just ?1 to support the operation and maintenance. So they

will come down but they will be further political pressure for them

to come down further as well. On the free-flowing charging system we knew

the government was looking at this. It does nudge it along a bit with

the official publication tomorrow. All of which is great news for

motorists and a timely reminder that after decades of tribe is paying for

the costs of these crossings we are approaching a moment when they are

going to be significant changes to the tolls.

An inquest has heard how a father drowned accidentally after getting

into difficulty in the sea with his nine-year-old son.

40-year-old Benny Collins was taken to Morriston Hospital

after being recovered from the water at Three Cliffs Bay

He was the third person to die at the popular

Benny Collins' family arrived at the inquest in Swansea to hear how he

lost his life at the beach. The physio at Morriston Hospital Mr

Collins was described as a loving family man who was also passionate

about sport. It was in July 2015 when Mr Collins had come to this

problem beauty spot with his son Harry. The inquest heard they run

into the sea together holding hands but they were knocked off their feet

by way. Harry was thrown towards the short whilst his dad was dragged

away. When the tide is out here the sea is safe for swimming but when it

comes back in and meets with this dream which runs through the centre

of the beach it becomes treacherous as a rip Curl and is formed which

has enough strength to pull any object or person back out to sea.

The Coast were called on Mr Collins was pulled from the water by a

helicopter. He was taken to Morriston Hospital but efforts to

revive him were in vain. His death was the second within a matter of

weeks. It sparked calls for lifeguards provision there which has

since happened. There has been a different diver death -- a

difference this year with lifeguards there. There is nothing better than

somebody on the scene. The seas can be enjoyed nicely but at times we

need to take that care. Asking senior coroner Colin Phillips

described what happened that day as a tragedy. He told the family he

will consider whether adequate improvements have been made at the

beach since Mr Collins' death. He also said he would continue at a

session with the RNLI about what more can be done.

Drivers are being warned to prepare for icy conditions on the roads

overnight and into the morning with temperatures expected to drop

Snow has fallen in some parts of Wales today

Our reporter Nick Palit is with the gritters

The much anticipated still has not materialised in many parts of Wales

but it is bitterly cold. The roads are very wet and as the temperatures

trot overnight that could freeze over. That is why the critters

behind me in force. I'm going to talk now to Gareth

Richards who runs the operation in Caerphilly. What is the scale of the

task? We have been out since midday today. We've had eight vehicles

working. By tomorrow morning we were love use 180 tonnes of salt. We will

have travelled over 1200 kilometres. And you are out all night as well.

There will be vehicles working throughout the night in readiness

for the morning to try and get the roads treated before the traffic is

back on them in the morning. These lorries cannot go down the side

streets so what can people do to get their cars out in the morning. In

Caerphilly we have over 900 salt bins. If they have any ice on the

pavements or on the carriageway we can use those bins to free the cars

in the morning. In the past when we've had cold weather we've had

problems with running out of grit. What are you doing to make sure that

doesn't happen? We have a contingency among the Welsh

Government has ordered us to keep. We have well over 9000 tonnes ready

for any situation. From a very cold Pontllanfraith back to the studio.

So, ice the concern overnight and stay with us for the latest

Derek will be here with all the details.

Arctic winds. Hail, sleet and snow in places.

A warning of ice as well. I'll have the latest forecast.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has told Wales Today that allowing

the Welsh Government to set its own immigration

rules would be "fraught with difficulties".

Mr Corbyn says the idea, which is backed by some

of his own MPs, would be very difficult to implement.

He's been speaking exclusively to our parliamentary

It's an issue high on voters' priorities but one where his own MPs

Should Britain control immigration from Europe

The First Minister has suggested Jeremy Corbyn's approach,

not ruling out free movement, is very London centric.

It's not about being London centric, it's about the economic relationship

If we want access to the European market there's going to be

The priority has to be making sure that those excellent manufacturing

industries and jobs that are going on in Britain

have somewhere to export and sell their goods to.

If we cut ourselves off from Europe we will have a real problem

Chuka Umunna came up with an interesting suggestion that

a regional policy on immigration allowing perhaps the Welsh

Government to set its own quotas, do you think there is milage in that?

I think it would be very difficult to implement it because if you set

up a Welsh limit on immigration or started the same thing

for English regions, would you then restrict the movement

What would you do if it was a contracting industry,

say a building industry that had a contract to do work

Would you say that the European workers couldn't go and work on it?

I think it's fraught with difficulties.

Last year there were tensions between Jeremy Corbyn and members

12 days into January his Shadow Defence Secretary,

the Llanelli MP Nia Griffith, is absolutely furious that

Mr Corbyn's spokesman used the deployment of UK troops

in Estonia to deter Russian aggression as an escalation

I had a chat with Nia briefly last night and we will have another

I want to see a de-escalation of tensions between Nato and Russia.

I want to see a de-militarisation of the border between them.

We don't want to see increased tensions.

I know Nia has been too meet British troops who have been deployed

We will have a discussion later on today.

It's a big year for Labour in Wales and it hasn't started well.

The party hasn't been this low in the polls since Gordon Brown's

day and there are council elections to fight in May.

Mr Corbyn says we will certainly see him on the campaign trail here.

More needs to be done to make farms more resilient

That's according to the Farmers Union of Wales.

It comes after the latest figures show a drop in income for dairy

farms of more than a half in a year with a warning tonight that things

could get much worse, as Teleri Glyn Jones reports.

Des Jones Farms at Ceredigion. He milks 400 cattle but last year saw

his income fall by almost half because of a drop in milk prices. He

says it's been catastrophic. I wouldn't be the only one who says

dipped into his pension just to keep things going. Which you have to do

in these times. It's something we all do. We are all in the same boat.

Thankfully at the moment the milk price has gone up but we have

already dug a big hole. Des is not the only one who has seen huge drop.

The latest figures show the income for all types of fans have dropped

23% on average in the year up to much and dairy farmers in Wales have

seen a drop of more than a half. It's the great surprise that farming

is vulnerable to fluctuations in the markets. Commodity prices, the

strength of the pound the cost of fuel all an impact on incomes. But

questions are now being raised about how the industry can whether such

storms in the future. The Farmers Union of Wales warned that things

could get modified. Triggering article 50 and coming out of the

European Union, negotiating our trade deals, where do our -- where

is our export market? Those who present significant problems and

issues for the industry. Having a sustainable industry is essential.

But let's have a resilient one. Let's have an industry that can take

those peaks and troughs that can take the knocks down -- the knocks

down -- the not Down's. Incomes do fluctuate year-on-year and Welsh

farmers are adept to managing that change. Des admits things have

improved for him since these figures were gathered. The mud of money get

paid every month has increased but with uncertain times ahead this

industry could still be vulnerable. The future of the utility firm

Dee Valley Water could be More than a hundred shareholders

attended a meeting in Wrexham earlier to vote on a takeover bid

by Severn Trent Water. There were protests from those

who fear jobs would be lost Severn Trent Water says it

will make a significant A court will rule later this month

on whether the deal will go ahead. Seven Trent RA large multinational

company that has the capability and motive to centralise functions,

things like finance and HR and call centre staff. There is no reason for

them to retain those positions here and that could mean a lot of job

losses. Now, weak mobile phone signal can

affect us all but for some people living in rural areas the best

chance of making a call is walking Today, the major phone networks met

customers struggling to get a signal as well as politicians

to try to find a way forward. It's an industry that prides itself

on speed and delivery but not-spots across rural Wales have been hitting

the headlines for years. We've had to go up the hill

to get a reception. Sometimes with an umbrella,

which isn't terribly hospitable. I don't think I should pay

for a monthly contract when I'm not getting a signal or the service

I'm paying for. You have to drive in any

direction out of the village And today the complaints don't

sound any different. I've got absolutely no signal

on my mobile and if it rings it's always a surprise because I have

strayed into an area or I'm What I have to do is quite

often go and get a hotel. If I've got three or four hours

worth of work to do, rather than having the frustration

at home of not having connectivity, I go and pay for a hotel

with the additional costs. They're in Cardiff Bay for a mobile

summit where surprisingly It's a meeting between mobile phone

networks, politicians, regulators and customers that has

taken ten months to arrange. Now there are calls to get

things moving faster. We do need to move quickly

because technology is moving so quickly and some

of the presentations highlighting the importance of mobile

communications in terms of the media or in terms of small

businesses in West Wales, these are things which can't hang

around for the next two years The operators say the geography

of Wales provides its There have already been calls

to relax planning for taller masts. But what about placing

them in national parks? Phone networks say now is the chance

for Wales to lead the way. It's absolutely vital

that the Welsh Government does what it can to make planning reform

quicker and cheaper for mobile networks and to look at the business

rates regime as well. It's absolutely vital as well

that the UK Government backs that up with some of the major nationwide

regulatory reforms we would like to see to enable for instance

sharing to be cheaper or to be able to upgrade our sites more

quickly and cheaply. The Welsh Government say while it's

not a devolved issue it wants to make a difference,

starting next week with For the people living in rural

Wales, they will be hoping talk leads to action so maybe they can do

more of the talking in future. Well, as we've been hearing,

some wintery conditions tonight, Derek has been keeping

across the forecast all day. Today's rain and snow has now

cleared but more snow is expected It could cause a few

pockets of disruption. Strong to gale force winds will make

it feel bitterly cold. Most of the snow today

fell on higher ground, A dusting of snow in Beaufort

near Ebbw Vale this afternoon. But lower down, many places

like Port Talbot just had plain This evening and overnight, showers

will spread across the country. Some of them heavy with

hail, sleet and snow. And with temperatures close

to freezing or below So there is a Met Office warning

in force for both snow and ice. Anywhere could see a dusting of snow

with several centimetres So here's the picture

for 8:00am in the morning. Icy in places too, especially

where there's any lying snow. A few wintry showers

but a lot of places dry. The temperature in Llandudno

4C with a strong wind. So a mixture of sunshine

and wintry showers tomorrow. Hail, sleet and snow

showers but some places Top temperatures only 2C to 5C

but feeling much colder Bitterly cold on Pen y Fan

tomorrow with snow showers. It will feel more like -15C

with gale force winds. Tomorrow night, further

showers and snow in places. Saturday not quite so cold and less

windy but still chilly. A few showers, mostly of rain

with snow on higher ground. Low cloud and hill fog

and turning milder. In the meantime, bitterly cold

tonight and tomorrow You can get the latest on the

weather tomorrow morning plus regular travel updates on Radio

Wales, Radio Cymru and online. Time for a reminder of our top stories.

The Swansea Bay tidal lagoon should go ahead according to an independent

report. The Hendry review says it would make a strong contribution to

the energy supply but the UK Government still needs to agree to a

deal. The UK Government is planning to cut

the tolls on the Severn crossings From 2018 when the bridges revert

to public ownership, all cars and small vehicles

will pay three pounds. Tomorrow, a consultation

will also be published into I'll have our next update

for you at 8:00pm and then again From all of us on the programme,

have a good evening.