This article was written by Councillor John Andrew, deputy mayor, on behalf of the Town Council. You can also write your own articles for Cowbridge Nub News by pressing the 'Nub It' button.

There are 15 Councillors on the Town Council representing Cowbridge, Llanblethian East, Llanblethian West and Aberthin wards.

Much of the work of the councillors is done in the four principal committees: Finance & Governance, Leisure & Amenities, Planning, and Town Hall. These committees meet on the first Monday and Tuesday of each month. Meetings are open to the public.

Matters discussed and actioned in recent meetings include community grant applications, play park preventative maintenance and repairs, fallen trees, Town Hall heating and roofing upgrades, and local planning applications.

The Town Council sets aside some money each year to award grants to local community groups. For more information please contact the Town Clerk.

To ensure the safety of playground equipment, monthly inspections are carried out and any defects rectified. Following the upgrade of the play equipment in Llanblethian the area around the slide has now been improved.

Some trees have recently fallen in the Limes Cemetery. The cause is believed to be honey fungus. The fallen trees were quickly removed but some work remains to be done in the near future.

The gas boiler in the Town Hall failed recently and was unfortunately unrepairable. Before replacing the boiler, investigations were carried out to determine whether a heat pump would be a possibility but in old listed buildings like the Town Hall heat pumps are not yet a viable option. A new gas boiler has now been installed.

In recent heavy rain, serious leaks were experienced in both the Lesser Hall and the Mayor's Parlour despite a number of minor roof repairs carried out over the last few years. A decision was taken to renew the two lower-level roofs and work will start very soon.

Two planning applications discussed recently by the Planning Committee are the proposed new primary school on the Cowbridge Comprehensive School site and proposed dog breeding kennels at Pant Wilkin stables.

The Town Council has registered its opposition to the new primary school in this location at each stage of the consultation process.

The Town Council has objected to the dog breeding kennels at Pant Wilkin stables on planning grounds but also has serious concerns about animal welfare and licensing which have been expressed to the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

Matters discussed at the full council meeting on 15th February included the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the former Cowbridge High School for Girls on Aberthin Road, defibrillators and the Community Payback Scheme.

Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations will be taking place over the weekend of June 2-5, 2022. The Town Council decided to go ahead with the lighting of a beacon on the evening of Thursday, June 5at a location to be decided in Cowbridge. Other events, such as street parties on Sunday, June 5, are being encouraged and the Town Council have invited representatives from Community Groups to a meeting as a forum for generating and coordinating ideas.

The Town Council has installed a defibrillator in the archway of the United Free Church in Westgate. A second defibrillator, funded by Save A Life Cymru, an NHS Wales Health Collaborative, is to be installed near the Cowbridge library.

The Town Council agreed with the police that the Community Payback Scheme, run by the Probation Service, would be an appropriate way of dealing with the perpetrators of antisocial behaviour such as graffiti. The type of work undertaken can include clearing open spaces of rubbish, removing graffiti, gardening projects etc.

If you wish to play a part in taking your community forward why not consider standing for election as a Town Councillor at the election in May.

For more information, contact the Electoral Registration Manager at [email protected]