Changelog

Anti-social behaviour is the thing residents and councillors here raise most often about the town centre, so there is now a page showing what has actually been reported to South Wales Police around it — every incident, month by month, straight from the police service's own open data. It is a record of reports, not a verdict on the town, and the page says so. It also says two things it would be easy to leave out: that anti-social behaviour is not the biggest number in that data — violent crime and shoplifting are each recorded more often — and that the police publish monthly and in arrears, so the newest month available is about two months old. It answers what has been reported here over months. It cannot answer whether it is safe out there tonight, and does not pretend to. The reporting routes are on the page because reporting is what puts an area on the police and the council's list: 999 while it is happening, 101 or the force's online form afterwards, the council where a tenancy is involved, and Crimestoppers if you would rather not give your name.

The town page now opens with a colored-pencil banner of the ironmasters' mansion on its wooded rise above the park lake, the Brecon Beacons behind at the head of the Taff valley.

Four tools to start. A council tax calculator — Merthyr has the highest average bill in Wales — showing the split between the county borough council and South Wales Police, with the extra Welsh band I. Who to Call, gathering the numbers people actually need, including the NHS dentist portal and Prince Charles Hospital. An air quality check with a dust reading for the dry, windy days people ask about. And Community Picks for the best Bike Park Wales trail, Taff Trail walk and Sunday lunch. Bin-day lookups and the Cardiff train line are on the list next.