Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Today we are announcing the recommencement of the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips Task Force, a joint forum between the Welsh Government, the UK Government, and key delivery partners.
The Task Force demonstrates the Welsh and UK Government’s joint commitment to ensuring the safety of communities living in the shadow of Wales’s mining legacy sites and our determination to further develop our approach to our mining legacy. It will bring together stakeholders to support the delivery of objectives set by the Deputy First Minister of Wales and the Secretary of State for Wales in respect of the safety of disused mine and quarry tips.
Following the landslides at Tylorstown in 2020 and Cwmtillery during Storm Bert in 2024, coal tip safety has rightly remained a priority for this government. These incidents caused significant disruption and distress for affected communities, and reaffirmed the need for long term, strategic action.
We have made substantial progress since 2020, by investing in our communities and through the Mining Remediation Authority, Natural Resources Wales, and our local authority partners, funding a programme of mapping and risk assessment, and delivering regular inspection and maintenance activities. Crucially, we have also introduced landmark legislation - the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act 2025. This legislation provides a modern regulatory framework for the assessment, registration, monitoring, and management of disused tips, while also establishing the Disused Tips Authority for Wales – the body which will take responsibility to ensuring tip safety from April 2027.
The Task Force will play a central role in supporting the implementation of the Act and in overseeing delivery of the joint Welsh and UK Government investment - now totalling more than £230m committed to making coal tips safe. It will provide a coordinated, intergovernmental forum to:
- Identify gaps in policy and legislation and develop a strategic approach to addressing long term challenges arising from the mining legacy;
- Monitor delivery and support the continued development of the joint programme of work to ensure coal tip safety;
- Support the implementation the new regulatory regime and establishment of the Disused Tips Authority for Wales;
- Share information, expertise, and evidence to promote best practice in tip safety management.
As we recommence this important work, both governments reaffirm our shared commitment to safeguarding communities, improving public safety, and ensuring Wales’s mining legacy is managed responsibly for future generations.
We look forward to working together through the Task Force to deliver these objectives.