Natasha Asghar MS has demanded answers after Newport City Council incurred £538,000 in security costs at a Gypsy and Traveller site comprising of just three residential pitches.
The Welsh Conservative politician has written to the Leader of Newport City Council asking why the Ellen Ridge site required security provision potentially including round-the-clock guarding and a dog-handling unit.
The Council’s Revenue Budget Outturn 2025/26 states that the £538,000 expenditure was caused by “ongoing site management issues” but provides no detailed explanation of what happened or how the money was spent.
The additional costs helped push the Council’s Housing Supply and Regulation service £299,000 over budget, despite staffing underspends and additional income elsewhere in the service.
A Council procurement notice published in July 2025 described Ellen Ridge as comprising three residential pitches and sought provision for “up to 24/7 guarding”, perimeter checks, incident response, and liaison with the emergency services.
A subsequent tender sought trained security personnel and a dog-handling unit. It placed an estimated value of £520,000 excluding VAT on a security contract initially expected to run for six months, with possible extensions.
Natasha, who represents Newport and Islwyn in the Senedd, has asked the Labour-run Council four central questions:
- Why was this level of security necessary, and what incidents or risks led to it?
- How was the £538,000 spent, which companies were paid and how were the contracts awarded?
- Why did costs reach this level, and are similarly high costs expected to continue?
- What is the total net cost of Ellen Ridge after income from the three pitches and any external funding are taken into account?
The disclosure comes as businesses and residents continue to raise concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour in central Newport.
Ms Asghar recently launched her Save Newport High Street campaign meeting traders affected by burglary, shoplifting, vandalism, street drinking, drug dealing, and aggressive behaviour.
Some traders have shut up shop for good due to the ongoing problems in the city centre with others saying many don’t feel safe in the area anymore and are calling for action from the police and council.
Official figures for the year ending March 2026 show that Newport had 119.83 recorded crimes per 1,000 people, compared with a Gwent-wide average of 96.36.
Natasha Asghar MS said:
“More than half a million pounds in additional security and alarm costs at a site comprising just three residential pitches is an astonishing sum.
“Newport taxpayers have a right to know exactly why this was necessary, which companies received the money and whether it represented value for money.
“The Council’s own procurement documents refer to security provision of up to 24 hours a day and a dog-handling unit. If serious incidents or threats made those measures necessary, the Council must explain that while protecting the confidentiality of residents.
“This is not about prejudging anybody living at Ellen Ridge. Their safety must come first. It is about transparency and ensuring that public money is being spent properly.
“The scale of this expenditure is particularly striking when businesses in Newport city centre repeatedly tell me that they feel abandoned and are desperate for a more visible and permanent law-and-order presence.
“Operation Krypton and the arrests made by Gwent Police are welcome, but Newport cannot rely on short-term operations. We need sustained visible policing, effective CCTV and firm action by the Council against the behaviour which is driving shoppers and businesses away.
“Labour-run Newport Council must now explain how £538,000 was spent securing Ellen Ridge while also setting out what it is doing to make the city centre safer.
“People paying council tax and business rates expect their money to be managed responsibly. They deserve safe streets, support for victims of crime and complete transparency over extraordinary expenditure of this kind.”
