Speculation that Monmouthshire could share a ‘metro mayor’ with a Powys, Herefordshire and Shropshire was dismissed by the local authority.

The suggestion came in an article on the Mail Online website which produced a map showing the border counties as part of a shake up of local government.

MCC was quick to dismiss the speculation saying the reforms were for England only.

Many locals were taking trips to the palace after being named in King Charles’ New Year Honours list including old Monmothorian and former Rolls Royce chief Warren East who was honoured with a knighthood “for services to the Economy and Net Zero.

Dr Rowena Christmas from Trellech, chair of The Royal College of GPs in Wales, was made an MBE ‘for services to General Practice’.

Monmouth was hit with a unexpected closure of a popular pub The Castle Inn after owners said it was because of the 75 per cent increase in rent.

This came as a shock to locals after seeing the Queen’s Head and the former Conservative Club both close, leaving the town with just eight pubs.

A well-known school set out more staff redundancies after the new Government VAT charges and other pressures pushed the costs up by “25 per cent”.

Haberdashers’ Monmouth School’s headteacher at the time, Simon Dorman, said: “The government’s budget statement's budget statement in October 2024 announced a series of measures which cumulatively have a significant impact on our school budget.”

At the end of the month there was a backlash against proposals to move the library into the Shire Hall after there was an emergency meeting called by the Friends of Monmouth Library.

Monlife- a branch of the county council that delivers youth and outdoor education, set out a survey, asking residents to ‘share their thoughts’ on the return of the library and community learning services to the Shire Hall.

The reactions locally ranged from “shocked” to “incandescent with rage”.

The campaign to overturn the proposal to move Monmouth’s library from the Rolls Hall to the Shire Hall gathered pace

Supporters included the MP Catherine Fookes, Senedd Member for Monmouthshire Peter Fox, county and town councillors, including the Mayor of Monmouth all backed keeping the library where it was.

A Friends of Monmouth library meeting was held on Monday, February 3 and heard from Sam Lawman-Foster, a former pupil of Monmouth Comprehensive School who spoke on how the library is used by many pupils for learning.

A three-day music festival which could cater for 45,000 people was billed as Wales’s biggest and first emission-free festival was mooted for Monmouth.

Monmouth Town Council’s People and Places Committee heard from James Kenny, the figure behind the event about his plans for creating “an entire village” to ensure the event went on later in the year.

A soldier with family in Monmouth and who spent parts of has childhood here, was hailed a hero after he was killed on the frontline fighting as a volunteer in Ukraine.

Alexander Garms-Rizzi who was former British Army sniper was killed by a Russian drone after acting as a decoy to divert fire from comrades.

Both his commander and fellow troops were described his courage and bravery, saying he was one of the most fearless on the frontline.

At the end of February, calls were made for a speedy resolution to the A40 works. A Monmouth resident who is part of the A40 Safety Group was given access to all past records on the A40 carriageway.

Andy Smith told the Beacon that from the time of the construction in 1960s, it was known that the area was prone to large landslips and that the “carriageways were built over the unstable rubble of past slips.”

To begin the spring a popular gambling arcade was put up for sale. The Grade II listed building at 2-4 Monnow Street went on the market for £225,000.

Showman Henry Danter who said he had owned the premises for over 30 years, was awarded a gaming license for ‘Carousel in the former DS Music Shop but the 79-year old still needed planning permission for a change of use to the building.

He said the square was “appalling,” and “going downhill fast”.

During the month of March, a cartoonist from Monmouthshire set out on her dream trip to go backpacking across America which had turned into a nightmare when she couldn’t return home after being caught up in the immigration crackdown in the US and spent 11 days in a detention centre in Washington.

Becky Burke who is from Portskewett was detained in the US/ Canadian border after her Canadian entry visa was declared void.

Monmouthshire saw new placemaking plans to breathe new life into the town after Monmouthshire County Council was developing a ‘place making plan’ for the town, working alongside the town council.

The key areas which were identified were Monnow Street and Church Street, along with more areas. A new visitor experience at The Shire Hall and an improved “integration” for the former slaughterhouse arches and the castle.

The plans for Monnow Street suggested installing secure cycle stands, seats, benches and bins, creating six loading bays, retaining disabled and short stay parking spaces.

To round off March, Monmouth was alerted of some progress on a bridge which was used by many pedestrians so they could gain access to area around the town. It was revealed that £1 million was secured for work to be set out on Inglis Bridge.

The funding had been secured by the MoD to reinstate pedestrian access over the Inglis Bridge. This followed the discussion between Catherine Fookes MP for Monmouthshire, the Ministry of Defence, Monmouthshire County Council and the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for Wales.

The bridge was closed off to vehicles in 2018 by the MoD but still remained a vital link for pedestrians and cyclists to gain access to as one of their routes across the town.

Monmouth saw one iconic name disappear of the high street to be rebranded and renamed.

WH Smith had a sale of 480 retail shops to Modella Capital, the owner of Hobbycraft, in a deal worth around £76 million. The brand has been trading since 1792 has been renamed as TG Jones.

While the Monmouth store was to be rebranded the iconic WH Smith brand will remain for its businesses operating in railway stations and airports, as well as hospitals.

HMS Monmouth was towed out of Portsmouth on its last voyage to be scrapped in Turkey. This followed the news of another blow to the town’s 359-year association with the Navy, with the new submarine originally named ‘Agincourt of Monmouth’ renamed as Archiles.

A local couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary after originally meeting outside Monmouth Cinema. Rita and Reg Marshall were married at the Baptist church in Coleford on April 2 1955.

Mrs Marshall said: “We’re very, very happy-we've got good friends, good neighbours and lovely wardens in the flats where we live.”

“She looks after me well,” added Mr Marshall in an interview with the Beacons.

Monmouth was vibrantly, lit up as the former Mayor David Evans and MP for Monmouthshire Catherine Fookes welcomed a colourful mural project.

Local artist, Paul Shepherd transformed the Wyesham underpass to be a positive space in the community. The inspiration from the designs were thought of by pupils at Monmouth Comprehensive School and The Attik.

The project was funded by Wye Valley National Landscapes sustainability fund and Monmouth Town Council.

An upgraded Raglan Golf Club reopened severn years after closing its doors suddenly following a dispute over the lease between the then club directors and landowners. There was great excitement locally when it finally reopened with new owners an extensive refurbishment.

Laura Anne Jones MS praised the work completed. “It is fantastic to see Raglan Golf Club back and better than ever.”

To kickstart May the A40 rockfall works were delayed until winter as it was revealed that engineers who were planning to install steel mesh and bolts on the A40 rockfall slope between Monmouth and Ganarew won’t be able to meet the summer deadline.

Monmouth came together to pay its respects to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE day. The commemorations began at 9.30am with the flag raising ceremony at the castle and was attended by the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers, Cllr David Evans, RSM WO2 Tom Sherratt and Gerry Bright (RBL) along with others.

The official commemorations were organised by Monmouth Town Council with the support of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers and the Royal Navy Association.

Cllr David Evans reminded the town of the poignant moment 80 years ago when victory in Europe was announced.

“In what we know as VE Day, today we mark the 80th anniversary of that peace, peace that was won by immense sacrifice by so many.”

A Monmouth resident saw dispute over sewage repair costs with Welsh Water. A Monmouth businessman who owns property in Priory Street says that Welsh Water has refused to pay for repairing a sewage leak into the river.

Churchhill AI Temimi said the sewage waste from his properties in Priory Street and St Mary’s Priory Church had been seeping into the river for a number of years.

A Monmouth pharmacist and businessman who owns the D R Rosser Ltd was suspended from practise for three months after a misconduct hearing by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

He was found to be impaired to practise after a panel heard the had admitted to historic drug use and alleged inappropriate behaviour towards a junior colleague.

After a tragedy occurred on Raglan slip road in the summer, calls were renewed for a meeting with Ken Skates MS, Cabinet Secretary for Transport to inspect the Raglan junctions with officers from operations and the Strategic Road Network Operations.

This was following the death of a motorcyclist on the Raglan slip road northbound.

Councillor, Lisa Dymock was criticised for high street parking after she admitted parking her car on a pedestrian street.

It was claimed in January that drivers have been parking “where and when they want” in Chepstow while Monmouthshire County Council admitted it has struggled to enforce a parking restriction on the High Street.

A Catbrook woman was honoured with a Medal of the Order of the British Empire in the Kings Birthday Honours List 2025 for Services to Tourism in Wales.

Fiona was one of the first students of tourism in the UK and has spent a lifetime in the industry.

“I’m absolutely amazed and deeply humbled to receive this award.

“It has been an immense pleasure and privilege to offer my time within Wales, where we chose to make our home and set up our business,” said Fiona.

A seagull made a name for himself after repeatedly swooping down on the workers at Paul Jarrold Tyres as they went about their work on the premises. The bird was targeting fitters as they walked across the yard and had also aimed at young children and babies.

Plans to develop 270 houses on the Dixton Road in Monmouth received a serious setback when a citizen project revealed that it has detected 12 species of bats using the site. The bats which were detected on the site are rare and endangered Greater Horseshoe Bats from the nearby roost at Newtown Court accompanied by other species.

80-year-old Wendy Harris was set to abseil down the face of St Mary’s Church to raise money for the Severn Area Rescue Association. Wendy last participated in abseiling some years ago when she abseiled down a multi-storey car park in Newport and always wanted to take part in challenge.

“Feel the fear and do it anyway,” she told the Beacon in an interview.