22/08/2016 BBC Wales Today


22/08/2016

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Welcome to Wales Today.

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Tonight's top stories - This gifts company used

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the Jobs Growth Wales scheme to employ a young member of staff.

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Now the Welsh Government is to halve the financial support

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it gives to employers.

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And making a profit in Port Talbot - could the reported improvements

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to the steel-makers' balance-sheet help save the industry here?

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Good evening.

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The Welsh Government is halving the amount it gives companies

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for employing young people through its main job creation

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scheme, Jobs Growth Wales, because it says the unemployment

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rate here has fallen so sharply.

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Their opponents say the move makes no sense, after a Summer of warnings

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about the economic effects of Brexit.

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Here's our Political Editor, Nick Servini.

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It has been the most high-profile scheme in recent years,

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set up by the Welsh Government to help create jobs

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after the recession.

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Jobs Growth Wales became a central economic policy and was designed

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to cut youth unemployment.

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But with the overall jobless rate at its lowest in a decade,

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the subsidies being paid to firms to take on 16-24 -year-olds

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have been halved.

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The Skills Minister, Julie James, says it is time for the private

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sector to take its share of the risk, as recruitment

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has improved.

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We are continuing it, we are just not continuing it

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at quite that level.

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So the subsidy derisks something for the private enterprise.

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We are still derisking it a bit, but we are expecting them to come

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halfway to meet on that, as the economy improves

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and expansion plans continue.

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So how do companies feel about meeting the government halfway?

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This woman used to scheme at her gift shop near Caernarfon.

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She doesn't quite share the minister's confidence in

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the strength of her local economy.

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In a rural area like this, there isn't that many

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job opportunities.

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From my point of view, as a rural business owner,

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then definitely having this kind of scheme, you know, is important.

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We want them to stay here and work here.

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If they all go down to Cardiff then they won't be here to work

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for companies like my own.

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The decision by the Welsh Government is in effect a huge show

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of confidence in the ability of the Welsh economy to create

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jobs and interestingly, the skills Minister,

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Julie James, believes the jury is out on whether a Brexit

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will harm the economy.

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It is a noticeably softer tone than some of the warnings we had

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from those campaigning to remain in the referendum.

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So what kind of impact will it have?

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Business groups broadly welcomed Jobs Growth Wales,

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but the data was mixed.

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Between 2012 and 2015, the Welsh Government said nearly

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15,000 jobs were filled.

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An independent report last month said that in the short-term,

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35% of those who took part would have otherwise been out

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of work but over the longer term, it found that there no statistically

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significant differences between the employment rates

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of those who took part and those who did not.

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Opposition parties have accused the government of sneaking

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the decision out in the middle of the summer recess

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and of sending out mixed messages.

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One minute they are saying post-Brexit there are real

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challenges to the economy and yet in the next breath,

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like this announcement today, they are saying that the economy

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is going well, many jobs are being created, so we can cut

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the training budget.

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And importantly, we don't know whether this cut to the training

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budget from 100% of funding of places to 50% is going to keep

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that many within the overall training budget and so there will be

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other opportunities.

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The recruitment of young people is not such a problem now.

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The hope is that it remains that way as Jobs Growth Wales is cutback.

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It's been threatened with closure for months, but now,

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there are reports that Tata Steel's plant in Port Talbot

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is making a profit.

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The company announced its intention to sell the plant earlier this year,

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but the sales process is currently on hold.

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Over 700 jobs have already been cut, but the remaining workers hope

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the improved balance sheet is a significant step towards saving

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the Welsh steel industry.

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Nick Palit reports.

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Earlier this year the Indian industrial giant Tata put

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all its British steel interests up for sale, including the UK's largest

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steelworks in Port Talbot, which employs over 4,000 people.

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Cheap Chinese steel and high energy costs were among the reasons

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cited as to why Tata was haemorrhaging money.

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But now, it seems the loss-making UK operation isn't

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losing so much anymore.

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Unconfirmed reports say they made a profit of ?500 million in June.

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In a statement, Tata said they don't disclose financial results

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beyond normal public reporting.

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But said the management team and employees were continuing

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to work hard to improve the underlying performance

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of the UK business.

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However, sources close to this business have told me that this

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plant made a quarterly profit of ?12 million.

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We heard reports of ?5 million, ?12 million, are those the kind

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of figures you are hearing?

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They are the kind of figures that have been reported

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throughout the works.

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I think the important thing is the fact we have

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seems to turn a corner.

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We are making a profit.

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We are moving in the right direction.

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The fact that we've got rid of 700 plus jobs, that is going to kick in.

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We are still feeling the effects of that.

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It has been a painful time for people.

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We are taking on more responsibility and the workforce are

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stepping up all the time.

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That's one of the major reasons.

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Industry experts say these profits are just not enough to secure

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the long-term future of Port Talbot.

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It's good news, but we still have challenging times ahead, I think.

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The steel industry is extremely volatile and we still don't

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understand the implications of the Brexit decision.

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That has consequences for the industry, not just

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in the UK, but across Europe.

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The sale of Tata Steel's Welsh operations is currently on hold.

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They have entered negotiations with a German firm over a merger.

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The local MP says the workforce have done everything asked of them.

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There's been some real improvements in efficiency.

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Real improvements, breaking all production records,

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and so every single steelworker in that plant should be given

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themselves a pat on the back today.

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They are helping to turn the business around.

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Of course, there's still room for improvement, of course,

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the five million a month, if that is the correct figure,

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is not where you'd want to be in the long term.

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Despite the move into profit, there is still uncertainty

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for workers in Port Talbot, but they are confident

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that their hard work is beginning to pay dividends.

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A 23-year-old man has appeared in court charged

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with the murder of his girlfriend in Cardiff last week.

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Jordan Matthews was arrested

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after police were called to the house he shared

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with Xixi Bi on Ely Road in Llandaff on Friday morning.

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Ms Bi's family, who live in China, have been told of her death.

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Also in Cardiff, a 22-year-old woman has died after the BMW

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she was driving crashed into a block of flats in the early

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hours of this morning.

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The passenger, a 21-year-old man, is in hospital with serious

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injuries after the collision in the Adamsdown area of the city.

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Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

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Fewer people are dying of heart disease and are being treated more

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quickly and effectively according to a Welsh Government report.

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The annual report into the condition shows the number of deaths have

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fallen by a quarter since 2005, to just under 9,000,

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thanks to a drop in smoking and binge drinking.

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The British Heart Foundation has welcomed the progress,

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but says we can't afford to be complacent.

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Coronary heart disease is Wales' single biggest killer.

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We still need to have more research into

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treatments, translating into better services for people.

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Welsh athletes may have won a record 10 medals

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at the Olympics in Rio, but tonight, there are claims that

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medal success masks a rowing crisis in sports at a grassroots level.

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One Labour AM says limited public money should be spent

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on getting more people active, not on investments that

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win medals for a few.

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Tomos Dafydd has this report.

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They are the Welsh sporting stars who broke records in Rio de Janeiro.

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Ten medals for Team GB, more than ever before.

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Each and every athlete that has got those medals has worked extremely

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hard over periods of time.

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Their commitment has been outstanding.

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And the delivery of their performances when it really matters

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in this cauldron is a testament to themselves as individuals.

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Each of Britain's 67 medals cost the equivalent of ?4 million

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but tonight, claims that medal success masks a growing crisis

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in sport at a grassroots level.

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While millions of pounds is spent on athletes,

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there are concerns that cuts to council budgets have brought

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local clubs to the brink.

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It is terrific we are top of the league table for medals

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but we are also top of the league table for childhood

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obesity in Europe.

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A quarter of all Welsh adults are obese.

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Our whole approach is to tackle that through sport.

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And sport is not going to reach people who currently take no

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physical activity at all.

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Your party is in charge, the Welsh Labour government cut

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the budget to local authorities by 2%.

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This is a bit rich, isn't it?

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We are in a period of austerity.

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The funding coming down from Westminster to Wales

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has been cut.

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The cuts have been passed on to local councils and they have

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got little choice but to make cuts where they can.

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They are on top of the world.

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There were not any Welsh athletes in Team GB 's gold-medal winning

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hockey team but these teenagers, Wales' under 16 and under 18 sides,

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could change that by Tokyo in 2020.

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Sport Wales says it invests ?24 million per year in community

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sports, three times that invested in elite sport.

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I think there is a very fine balance.

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You have two investing talented athletes, you have to give them

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the support and the funding in order for them to be successful

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and they were then consequently inspire future generations

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because they won't necessarily get the uptake and excitement

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if they can't see their heroes doing it successfully and doing it well,

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doing it at the top of their game.

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Big claims are often made about how Olympic success can change

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people's lifestyles.

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The debate over how best to spend money will only

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intensify, as budgets are squeezed even further.

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In football news, Leon Britton will stay with Swansea City

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until the summer of 2018 after agreeing a one-year

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extension to his contract.

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The midfielder has played 514 games for the club since first joining

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on loan 14 years ago.

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Time now for the weather forecast with Derek.

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We have had a real taste of autumn recently.

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Strong to gale force winds, around two inches of rain

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in parts of Snowdonia.

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But some will return tomorrow, with plenty of hazy sunshine

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and some toasty temperatures.

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Tonight, drizzly rain will spread northwards again but by

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the end of the night, much of the country will be dry.

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And a warm night.

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Some low cloud, mist and even a few fog patches.

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Now, tomorrow morning, any low cloud, mist and fog

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will soon disappear, leaving the whole country dry.

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Brighter than today, with hazy sunshine.

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Perhaps a bit more cloud in the far north and west.

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Across the rest of the UK, a warm front over Ireland

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and Scotland will produce cloud and outbreaks of rain

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through the day.

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Further south though, it is a different story.

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Fine and bright, plenty of sunshine.

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Hazy in the North.

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And a big contrast in temperature.

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Only 17 in Belfast, a hot and humid 29, 30 Celsius in London.

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And it will certainly feel more like summer,

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compared to today across Wales.

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Fine, bright, lots of hazy sunshine and some toasty temperatures.

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26 Celsius in Cardiff and Monmouth.

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That is 79 Fahrenheit, around 21 Celsius on Anglesey.

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Alfresco weather tomorrow evening.

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Overnight, a week, cold front will bring some cloud.

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But very little, if any rain.

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On Wednesday, dry, more cloud around.

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Some sunshine though in the South and it should brighten up

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in the north and west.

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Some sunshine in the afternoon.

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On Thursday, the forecast is a bit more tricky.

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A few showers breaking out.

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Some thundery rain developing.

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That will clear away overnight.

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Tomorrow, the warmest day of the week in Wales.

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They risk of thundery showers on Thursday.

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Finer and fresh on Friday.

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Enjoy the nice weather tomorrow, if you can.

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That's Wales Today.

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We'll be back with more in Breakfast from around 6:30 tomorrow morning.

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Until then, from all of us on the late team, good night.

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