JOB LOSSES: Factory workers today slammed company plans to cut 291 jobs at a Barry site in south Wales as Dow Chemicals plans to close its siloxanes plant.

Unite Wales said the plan to cut jobs was “outrageous” and would have a “devastating” impact on staff.

About 850 people currently work at the site, which has been producing chemicals since the 1940s. The Welsh government said it would offer support to the workforce.

EDUCATION SUPPORT: Changes to the criteria of the education maintenance allowance in Wales mean that more 16 to 18-year-olds will benefit from the £40 weekly grant, which was ended in England in 2011 and is £30 in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Education Minister Vikki Howells said: “I was delighted to announce the extension of the eligibility range, ensuring more students have access to this support.”

COAL TIP SAFETY: Welsh nationalists criticised delays in legislation to ensure the safety of disused coal tips in Wales.

Ahead of a debate in the Senedd today, Plaid Cymru’s Delyth Jewell said the £25 million given by the Treasury last year won’t begin to cover the work that needs to be done.

“Wales shouldn’t have to pay to clear coal tips from our valleys — they’re a legacy of Westminster’s neglect over decades, and they should be footing the bill,” Ms Jewell said.

UNRECOGNISABLE FUTURE: Future Generations Commission for Wales Derek Walker said the country faced an “unrecognisable future” without urgent action to protect the environment and tackle poverty and ill-health.

The commissioner was speaking today after the Wales Audit Office report was published earlier this week, warning of a failure to achieve system-wide change. The Future Generations Commissioner was created 10 years ago under a law which forces public bodies to consider the long-term effects of all decisions.