Coal, Climate Change and Community: The Case of Ffos-y-Fran
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18 | <strong>Coal</strong>, <strong>Climate</strong> <strong>Change</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Community</strong><br />
on local communities would be permitted in middle<br />
class communities across the border. Alyson feels that<br />
many people think: ‘Wales is the crap end <strong>of</strong> the UK, <strong>and</strong><br />
Merthyr is the crap end <strong>of</strong> Wales’ – where local people are<br />
expected to be grateful for any job <strong>and</strong> just accept what<br />
she describes as ‘the crumbs’. <strong>The</strong>se negative perceptions<br />
<strong>of</strong> the area, they argue, has led to a general feeling held by<br />
many locals that the mine operators are untouchable <strong>and</strong><br />
not accountable for the harm to local residents.<br />
Recent events at <strong>Ffos</strong>-y-<strong>Fran</strong> would have only<br />
further embedded these feelings. When planning<br />
permission expired in September 2022, many residents<br />
hoped this would mark the end <strong>of</strong> mining <strong>and</strong> the start<br />
<strong>of</strong> the restoration work. Instead, the operators caused<br />
further outrage by continuing to mine at the site. Just<br />
days before the expiration <strong>of</strong> permission, the mine<br />
owner had applied for an extension to continue mining<br />
operations for an additional nine months. Once again,<br />
residents pushed for action to be taken. For eight<br />
months, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council <strong>and</strong><br />
the Welsh Government took no enforcement action.<br />
It was not until April 2023 that Merthyr Tydfil County<br />
Borough Council finally rejected the application, later<br />
putting in place an enforcement notice against the<br />
mine operator. Despite this, mining at <strong>Ffos</strong>-y-<strong>Fran</strong><br />
opencast has not stopped, with the ongoing daily<br />
environmental impact <strong>of</strong> mining estimated to produce<br />
the equivalent to c.4,000 tonnes <strong>of</strong> CO2 every day.<br />
In August 2023, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd<br />
announced plans to finally cease mining operations on<br />
30 November. Meanwhile extraction continues, with no<br />
certainty about where the pr<strong>of</strong>its are going. <strong>The</strong> power<br />
to put an immediate end to this lies with both the local<br />
council <strong>and</strong> the Welsh Government, who have the<br />
powers to issue a ‘stop’ notice. <strong>The</strong>y have not yet done so.<br />
It is precisely these inactions that has led the<br />
environmental group <strong>Coal</strong> Action Network to file for<br />
a Judicial Review against both Merthyr Tydfil County<br />
Borough Council <strong>and</strong> the Welsh Government. With<br />
support from the Good Law Project, they accuse<br />
both parties <strong>of</strong> failing in their duties to protect local<br />
residents – <strong>and</strong> potentially breaking the law – by<br />
putting <strong>of</strong>f an enforcement decision to stop the illegal<br />
extraction <strong>of</strong> coal at <strong>Ffos</strong>-y-<strong>Fran</strong>, actions they argue<br />
equate to ‘maladministration’.<br />
While the end <strong>of</strong> mining at <strong>Ffos</strong>-y-<strong>Fran</strong> may<br />
potentially be in sight, significant challenges remain.<br />
<strong>The</strong> operator has confirmed mass redundancies for all<br />
180 workers, <strong>and</strong> there appears to be a significant lack<br />
<strong>of</strong> forecasting <strong>and</strong> preparation to protect these workers.<br />
Local campaigner Chris Austin argues this is a dereliction<br />
<strong>of</strong> duty from the mine operator who had an agreed<br />
‘obligation’ to provide support packages to workers.<br />
‘Nothing has been put in place for them at all. <strong>The</strong>y’re<br />
just using them as pawns to try <strong>and</strong> leverage planning<br />
consent or to leverage whatever political argument that<br />
they’re trying to get… So they failed them. <strong>The</strong> local<br />
authorities failed them. <strong>The</strong> Welsh Government has failed<br />
them’. <strong>The</strong> Welsh Government has confirmed they are in<br />
talks with trade unions <strong>and</strong> the mine owner regarding<br />
the workers’ futures. With restoration works said to take<br />
two to three years to complete, there will be a future for<br />
workers at the site but a clear package <strong>of</strong> support <strong>and</strong> just<br />
transition is evidently required.<br />
<strong>The</strong> longer term challenge now facing both the Welsh<br />
Government <strong>and</strong> Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council<br />
lies in the daunting costs <strong>of</strong> filling the gaping opencast <strong>and</strong><br />
securing the local environment. To ensure the necessary<br />
reclamation funds were set aside, an escrow account was<br />
held by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council <strong>and</strong> the