HOW much will it cost and what preparations are being made to deal with future wildfires, Blaenau Gwent council chiefs have been asked.

During the prolonged dry and hot spell of weather in July and August, it seemed at times that the whole country was ablaze.

And Blaenau Gwent was an area of Wales that suffered, with major fires causing issues, especially in the north of the county borough near Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, the wildfire issue was brought up for discussion by Cllr Sonia Behr (The Green Party – Nantyglo).

Cllr Behr asked: “Following the recent wildfires, residents have expressed concerns about the lack of firebreaks, unmanaged undergrowth, branches overhanging their homes and an absence of publicly available evacuation plans.

“Will the council confirm what preparations have been made ahead of next summer to protect communities, especially where housing directly adjoins moorland, woodland and other areas of heightened risk of wildfire, particularly in populations where one in three households has no car?”

Deputy leader Cllr Tommy Smith (Labour – Sirhowy) answered the question and said: “The wildfires this summer were very serious and the leader and I, along with other councillors, had a very stressful August with fires breaking out and, in some cases, reigniting around our communities.

“We’ve also seen this becoming a much wider issue, with serious wildfires across parts of the UK and in countries throughout Europe and beyond.

“It is clear we need to learn locally and make sure we are as prepared as possible for future periods of prolonged and hot weather.”

Cllr Smith went on to thank everyone who had been involved in the efforts to deal with the wildfires.

He added that council staff were fully involved in the multi-agency response and a “formal debrief” is now taking place to look at what “worked, what needs to improve and what preventative action we may need ahead of next summer.”

This work, Cllr Smith explained, would include looking at how the council works with landowners to lessen the risk of fire, and how the council “warns, informs communities and supports vulnerable residents, particularly in areas where evacuation may be more difficult.”

Cllr Smith stressed: “The priority is very clear, to protect homes where we can and above all protect lives.”

Cllr Behr asked how all this work would be resourced.

Cllr Behr said: “Because residents are told when they express concerns that there are no resources, what has been set aside in the budget to cover this?”

Cllr Smith said that details on the resources needed for the future would be understood following the debriefing sessions.

Cllr Derrick Bevan (Labour – Cwm) believed that other parts of the county borough would benefit from the example set in his ward, where a “task force” had been set up which also included the other Cwm councillor, George Humphreys (non-aligned).

“We have made contingency plans after the flooding and fires and other areas could take a leaf from our book,” said Cllr Bevan.

The council then moved on to the next item.