The rentcharge is an amount of money every house is required to pay (there are a small number of houses in the village built before 1998 in Bron Afon exempt from this). The current rentcharge is just under £100 per year (payable every April) and this will increase by a small amount every five years (this will happen next in 2025). Further information about how this is calculated is provided with your payment demand each year.

Due to the village being created in a special way, each house is required to pay the rentcharge, to contribute to the upkeep of the village. This rentcharge is similar to that paid by persons living in a block of flats, or in a gated community, for example. Payment of the rentcharge is mandatory, it is not optional, and every house is legally obliged to pay it. This will have been clearly explained to you by the professional you instructed when you purchased your property. It is extremely unlikely you would not know of this, but if you feel you are in this position, it is something you should take up with the professional you paid to undertake the legal work for you, when you purchased a property in the village. It is the house owner who is liable for this charge. If you rent a property in the village you should speak to your landlord to confirm the terms of your tenancy agreement regarding the charge.

If you don't own the freehold for the land your property is situated on you will be required to pay Ground Rent annually (some may call this the 'leasehold' and it shouldn't be confused with the rentcharge). The Ground Rent fee varies depending on the land your house occupies. The rentcharge is administered by CLC Chartered Surveyors and the Ground Rent is administered by Rees Richards & Partners. Contact details for both are found below.

Yes! A Gift Aid form is supplied every year with the rentcharge demand. If you pay tax, this will normally be of no cost to you, and the Trust may claim extra funds from HMRC for the benefit of the village. You can download a Gift Aid form to send to us here.

The rentcharge is mostly used to maintain the village. Examples of this include, cutting of grass, maintenance of trees in and around the village, lighting around the village hall area, village hall maintenance, etc. Tircoed Village Trust is a registered charity, and as such, all annual financial accounts are available publicly by visiting Companies House. Tircoed Village Trust Registered Company Number 03091199. Charity Commission Number 1048708.

This is to maintain the land owned by the Trust. The Council is responsible for the maintenance of street lighting and roads, but communal areas such as the village square, hall, pond and other areas within and around the village are managed by the Trust on behalf of the village.

Not paying the annual rentcharge means there is additional cost required in administration requiring the payment of outstanding debts, in addition to loss of interest of amounts banked. If you feel the village is a lovely place to live (and a lot of people think so) and enjoy the benefits from village upkeep, facilities and events, please ensure you pay outstanding monies promptly. Currently, the Trust is owed a considerable sum by some residents who have elected not to pay. This is money that cannot benefit the village as outlined above. In addition to the the legal ramifications of not paying, a resident choosing not to pay this money, is expecting everyone else in the village to shoulder the cost of tree and grass maintenance, and running of the village hall, etc.

All collection of rentcharge monies and accounts are handled by CLC Chartered Surveyors. You will receive a statement every year (usually around April) outlining any monies owed and detailing several methods of payment. Their contact details are given below.

With the amount of money involved and responsibility required to run the village, a Trust was appointed in order to manage this. The trustees are directors of this Trust, which is a not-for-profit charitable organisation. The trustees do not earn money for the time and effort they donate towards the running and betterment of the village.

Current trustees are listed below. Previous trustees may be found by visiting the Companies House website (links are available from this site). Our current trustees are, in alphabetical order (year joined):

Helen Llewellyn (2024)
Kirsty Pittard (2024)
Simon Rees (2024)

If you feel you can contribute to the successful running of the village by becoming a trustee, and wish to find out more about what this entails, please contact us and we'll be happy to advise. It would be helpful to provide information on what skills and experience you will bring with you, and what issues, improvements or areas of responsibility you would like to assume.

An effective trustee should be able to draw on a diverse range of skills, knowledge, qualities and experience, including:

* 'Hard’ skills such as legal or financial knowledge
* 'Soft’ skills such as team working or negotiation
* Knowledge of the community and the services our organisation provides

Trustees act collectively to fulfil their duties. All trustees should be able to demonstrate they meet certain key qualities, including:

* Be committed to the purpose, objectives and values of the organisation
* Be constructive about other trustees’ opinions in discussions
* Be able to act reasonably and responsibly when undertaking such duties and performing tasks
* Be able to maintain confidentiality on sensitive and confidential information
* Be supportive of the values (and ethics) of the organisation
* Understand the importance and purpose of meetings, and be committed to preparing for them adequately and attending them regularly
* Be able to analyse information and, when necessary, challenge constructively
* Be able to make collective decisions and stand by them

We welcome applications from all persons in the community who would like to get involved and applications are considered based on what each individual can bring to the team.

You can register your interest by getting in touch via the Contact section below.

You can find all the contact details you need by visiting the Contact section below.

The trustees held public meetings regularly in the past, but there was very little interest and attendance. If there is ever a need to hold a public meeting, the trustees will be more than happy to organise one. Information regarding Trust activities is available on request and a good deal of information is already publicly available as outlined above.

Please contact the trustees. You may be required to complete a simple application form regarding your idea, which will ask about potential costs, who would be responsible, etc. The trustees will be happy to review every request submitted.

Yes, you can view this information by visiting here.

Welcome to Tircoed FOREST Village! A huge attraction of moving to, and living in, the village is that it is nestled in a beautiful forest. Whilst being surrounded by lush green forestry is an attraction, it is understood some trees may grow large, and cause a concern to some. The following aims to help you direct any such issue correctly. If there are branches, fruit, seeds, nuts, etc. overhanging your property, please remember you are legally permitted to trim anything overhanging and return trimmings onto the land the tree grows from. Is the tree rooted on a neighbour's land? If so, please speak to them directly as you would do in any other part of the UK. If the tree is rooted in Natural Resources Wales (formerly known as Forestry Commission) land (these trees form the perimeter around our village) please contact them for advice. Is the tree on the approach road into the village (the half mile road toward the mini-roundabout)? If so, you need to contact the Council. If the tree is rooted in any other area please contact CLC Chartered Surveyors for advice. All contact details are provided below.

Some residents may feel that as they pay a rentcharge annually, all trees maintained by the Trust can be removed or trimmed on request, and tree surgeons can attend as and when required. It is appreciated trees in our village continually grow and, for example, may block light in some cases; but it should be understood the Trust cannot allocate all the money collected via the annual rentcharge just for tree cutting. Such work is very expensive and a programme of activity is continually managed which prioritises those most at risk. It is not possible to satisfy every request as high risk and emergency work takes precedent over crowning and trimming. Sometimes, for example, larger trees cannot be removed, as nearby smaller trees will then have no protection meaning they too will fall or die which then requires additional work at extra expense. Please be assured all trees on Trust land are managed by professional surveyors who utilise independent third-party professional arborists and all requests and issues brought forward to them are reviewed and prioritised accordingly.

Please remember, most of the village is still unadopted. When the Council fully adopt the village all enquiries should be directed there. The approach road to the village is the responsibility of the Council already. All other roads are currently under ownership of the developers (Bovis or Persimmon depending on where you are in the village). Contact details are given below.

The lake (pontoon, pond) should come under ownership of Welsh Water, but due to circumstances regarding village adoption, the upkeep has to be undertaken by the Trust. The lake has been successfully managed by the Trust for the best part of 20 years, and will continue to do so, unless advised that ownership may be transferred.

Swansea Council is responsible for this. If you find a bin which is close to full, or overflowing, please contact them using the details given below.

Swansea Council is responsible for this. If you wish to request a bin, report a damaged bin, or request one be refilled, please contact them using the details given below.

Any persons wishing to use the hall are charged a small fee to contribute toward the running costs (cleaning, wear and tear, etc.). If you are a resident of the village (proof may be required) you are entitled to a reduced fee or no fee at all. All hall enquiries should be directed to the contact details found below.

GUIDANCE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Usage is limited during the pandemic, and activities require additional authorisation during lockdown. Strict adherence to pandemic policy is required including the use of masks, sanitising, distancing, and recording of your visit. Further guidance can be provided when enquiring.

Radio Tircoed is one of the many attractions that makes our village unique. It is a volunteer-run radio station operated for the benefit of our community and its staff also give up their time to support our village events. You can find more information about Radio Tircoed by visiting their website.

The trustees usually organise two events a year, namely, the Summer Fete and Christmas Fete. The Summer Fete is usually always held on the Saturday of August bank holiday weekend, and residents enjoy many activities and live acts throughout the day and evening. The Christmas Fete is usually always held on a Monday evening in December with villagers enjoying mince pies and mulled wine as children visit Father Christmas in his grotto. There are also coffee mornings, baby and toddler groups, craft fairs and clubs throughout the year. For up-to-date news on events and activities in the village, please visit the Tircoed Forest Village Community Page on Facebook.

If you would like to propose or organise an event, or support our annual fetes, please contact the trustees using the contact details below.