More Welsh devolution means more control of taxes, which if it is done right can have an impact on our environment – so now’s the chance to influence how it is done.

From April 2018, Wales will have responsibility for two devolved taxes and Finance and Government Business Minister Jane Hutt is asking people across Wales to engage in a conversation and share their views on the shape of future Welsh tax arrangements.

This is important for Welsh construction as one of the new taxes has an impact on waste – specifically landfill.

Stamp Duty Land Tax and Landfill Tax will be devolved to Wales from April 2018.  They will be replaced by two new taxes - Land Transaction Tax (LTT) and Landfill Disposals Tax (LDT).

Views are being encouraged on the vision and values of the soon-to-be established Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA), which will collect and manage Welsh Taxes and on a Taxpayers’ Charter for Wales. The Minister has launched her ‘Welsh Taxes: A Conversation’ engagement programme invited views on the soon-to-be established Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) and on a Taxpayers’ Charter for Wales.  

You can take part in an Welsh Revenue Authority and Taxpayers’ Charter survey and respond to the Minister’s invitation by completing this and sharing your views on the Welsh Revenue Authority and Taxpayers’ Charter. You can find out more here Welsh Taxes: A Conversation – Taxes, Taxpayers and the Welsh Revenue Authority 

If you choose you can follow discussions via @WelshTreasury and join in the #WelshTax conversation on Twitter.

Wales is leading the way in Green Growth according to the latest updates from the Natural Resources Minister, find out more and click the links for further details.

Last week the Welsh Government, in collaboration with The Climate Group, held the International Green Growth Forum in Cardiff. The Forum brought together state and regional governments and Welsh business leaders to discuss best practice and how they can work together to become more innovative, efficient and sustainable.   

Wales has a strengthening global reputation for green growth, and both the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport and the Minister for Natural Resources addressed delegates. High profile speakers throughout the day included representatives from the California, Catalonia and Quebec governments as well as representatives from global companies like Philips, BT and Nestle.   

Jonathan Taylor, Vice President of the European Investment Bank spoke at the Forum alongside Sir David King the UK Government’s Permanent Special Representative for Climate Change. The event follows the first states and regions members' meeting of 2016 which took place at the SWALEC Stadium on 2nd March.

'Green growth is key to transforming the way we do business' Jane Hutt AM, Minister for Finance and Government Business.

The TrustMark is a sure fire way to win work as a reputable tradesperson – find out how.

TrustMark is a not for profit organisation and UK Government endorsed scheme, supported by industry and consumer protection organisations for all trades in and around the home.

Welsh Government is partnering with TrustMark on its 10th anniversary to help promote the quality and best practice of the standard with both Welsh tradespeople and consumers in Wales.

You can register to attend a free breakfast briefing and hear more from the team on the many benefits of joining TrustMark on the Business Wales website.

22nd March 2016 – The Village Hotel, Cardiff  CF14 7EF

23rd March 2016 – Faenol Fawr Hotel, St Asaph, Denbighshire  LL18 5UN

The use of the Welsh language at the event is welcomed.

Have you entered the awards? Have you bought your table yet? Have you considered becoming a CEW Awards sponsor? It is the biggest night of the year – now’s the time to plan how you will be involved. 

Leap year day was the final day for entries to the CEW Awards and, thanks to some great shout outs on BBC Radio 2 by Sara Cox and support from Jason Mohammad in Wales on his morning show, we have received over 100 completed forms – including a big spike on the actual Monday, 29th February.

So, a few weeks on and the hard work begins for the judges is already underway – wading through hundreds of forms. They will go through the award entries, putting together ‘long-lists’ and then receiving presentations from entrants in May and at that point we will prepare a short list in anticipation of the big night itself.

The CEW Awards 2016 are being held on Friday 15^th July at the Celtic Manor Resort and are all set to be the biggest night of the Welsh construction year. The evening is always a great celebration of best practice and Welsh talent – but it cannot happen without the support of our sponsors and the participation of delegates and the award entrants.

So, now the entry deadline has passed it is time to consider the opportunity of being a sponsor at the CEW Awards dinner itself. There are a range of options available – all of which give you and your organisation the chance to showcase your own projects, services and promote your own people. You can have exhibition space, banners, support specific awards or talk to us about a bespoke package just for you.

The CEW Awards dinner is the biggest night of the year for construction in Wales – if you want to be noticed, or you want to remind stakeholders what your organisation does for the industry in Wales then talk to Sue Selkirk about becoming a CEW Awards 2016 sponsor.

Our annual Engineering Showcase exhibiting student work from a wide range of specialist disciplines in engineering is being held on Wednesday 20th April 2016.

The Showcase will be open from 12pm-4pm on Wednesday 20 April 2016. Registration will take place in the Conference Centre, Treforest Campus. A summary of the afternoon is detailed below and a programme leaflet is also available for download.

Ben Taylor, Assistant Chief Executive of Renishaw plc, will deliver a keynote address as part of the Showcase. Ben will share his experiences of the profession and his keynote "The value of engineering to our communities" will focus on the contributions engineers make beyond the profession.

The Concrete Society (Wales Region) Concrete Training Day

Tuesday 19th April 2016

The annual Concrete Society Concrete Training Day provides an introduction to the concrete supply process from basic materials to site practice.

The Training Day offers an extremely cost effective opportunity to provide basic training and meet the CPD needs of many individuals and staff. Our past Concrete Training Days have proved to be enormously popular and of particular interest and benefit to graduates, recent entrants to the industry and in particular to support personnel wishing to gain an insight into the whole concrete supply chain.

The Training Day is a full day event comprising two half-day sessions. This year the technical presentations and practical demonstrations will take place at The Heronston Hotel and ESG Laboratory in Bridgend. The topics include:

Binders Aggregates Admixtures New Standards BS8500 and EN206 Batching and Mixing Transport, Placing, Compaction and Finishing Fresh and Hardened Concrete Testing

Places are likely to be limited to 25 by the available laboratory space and to enable the maximum participation by delegates.  Places will be assigned on a first come basis – an invoice will be issued on receipt of booking form and pre-payment will be required. Unfortunately we will not be able to refund if places are not taken up. (Delegate names may be changed at any time at no cost). A detailed programme and location plan will be provided subsequent to booking.  A buffet lunch is included in the course fee.

Download: 2016 Concrete Training Day Flyer 
Download: Concrete Society Technical Event A465 Section Visit 20th April 2016 
Download: A465 Visit 20th April 2016 Reply Form