News | Page 21

The Quarterly Economic Survey from the South Wales Chamber of Commerce has revealed a very positive trend in the region’s economy, with a jaw-dropping 75% of businesses being extremely optimistic about their profit margins over the next year.

Drives maker Control Techniques is set to bolster the local economy by creating 40 new jobs, as a part of developing a new engineering and design centre at its site in Newtown, a news report reveals.

The UK Trade & Investment and the Automotive Council, together with Welsh authorities, have joined up in order to create the Welsh Automotive Investment Organisation (AIO), whose main purpose will be to attract inward investment and increase opportunities in the automotive industry’s supply chain, including areas such as the Welsh Government’s Ebbw Vale enterprise zone.

New technology is essential to their growth plans three-quarters of small and medium-sized businesses in Wales have said, a news report reveals.

Councillors in Wrexham are expected to approve plans for creating a “Super Prison” in the area, and will start drawing up a short list of locations where it could be sited in the county, a recent report revealed. The project is heavily endorsed by the North Wales Leadership Board, made up of the six local authorities, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the North Wales Police, the Fire and Rescue Authority and the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The Post Office in Colwyn has just moved location and, beside operating a much more modern environment, it will also have longer opening hours, which is always good news for consumers. Following a serious overhaul across the entire Post Office network in Wales, the post office will have a mixture of open plan and traditional screened counter positions, making it a lot easier for customers to access the variety of products and services provides.

Colleagues working benefits offices in Wales will go on strike following a national ballot over job losses and salaries.

During a recent evidence hearing before the National Assembly’s Children and Young People Committee, Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has admitted that Wales continues to face a recruitment problem for neonatal services. In fact, the committee members described the lack of specialized neonatologists as “stark”, with 26 based in South Wales but just 1.5 in North Wales.

A former nurse for the Swansea NHS Trust has just gone on trial for allegedly working two jobs at the same time, thus posing a risk for her patients’ safety. Beside the aforementioned position, Denise Davies, aged 55, was also employed as an agency nurse at Trostre steelworks. The court heard that between the two jobs, she would have been working 19 hours a day, four days a week.

A site at Magor in Monmouthshire which employs 800 people will be shedding 150 supermarket staff. This is because shopping giant Tesco is reorganising its distribution system in the UK with the closure of three centres.

The future of a Welshpool factory is under review after a buy-out by a business rival. The Powys car parts company employs almost 150 people. Denso Manufacturing has taken over Shimizu Industry UK (SI-UK) which makes parts for the likes of Caterpillar in Welshpool.

A fire crew from Johnstown and three from Wrexham were called to Wrexham Maelor Hospital on Friday after staff raised the alarm. A small conflagration was reported in a room off the unoccupied outpatient ward at the hospital at 23:39 GMT.