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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to approve the Well-being Plan.
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to: (i) confirm that the decision to agree the Pay Policy Statement constitutes agreement to implement the cost of living pay increases determined by the relevant negotiating body effective from 1st April 2023, as accounted for in the Budget set and agreed by Council on 9th March 2023. (ii) determine that any additional financial implications arising from the national pay agreements determined after this date that cannot be met within the Council’s Revenue Budget will be referred to Council for consideration and decision. approve the attached Pay Policy Statement (2023/24) Appendix 1.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Approve the audited Statement of Accounts 2021/22 – The Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority (Appendix 1). 2. Approve the Annual Governance Statement 2021/22 (Appendix 2) 3. Note the Audit of Accounts Reports (ISA 260) from Audit Wales on the Statement of Accounts of Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority for the year ending 31 March 2022 (Appendices 3 and 4). 4. Approve the Cardiff Port Health Authority Annual Return 2021/22 (Appendix 5) 5. Note the final Letters of Representation for Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority included within Appendices 3 and 4. 6. Note that the following documents will be signed following the conclusion of the meeting: · Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Council – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources · Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Corporate Director Resources · Annual Return of Cardiff Port Health Authority – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources · Annual Governance Statement – Leader of the Council and Chief Executive · Audit Certificate for the Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority – Appointed Auditor, Audit Wales. · Letter of Representation for Cardiff Council - Lord Mayor and Chief Executive. Letter of Representation for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Lord Mayor and Chief Executive.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Approve the recommended amendments to the Local Resolution Protocol, as shown in Appendix A; and Noted that corresponding amendments will be made to the Local Resolution Hearings Procedure (as shown in Appendix B), by the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Standards and Ethics Committee Chairperson, under the delegated authority granted by the Standards and Ethics Committee.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Accept an Executive Delegation from Vale of Glamorgan Council to carry out their Procurement Functions, subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the Delegation Agreement referred to in 2 below. 2. Delegate authority to the Corporate Director Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Modernisation to conclude a Delegation Agreement in a form to the satisfaction of the Council and complete all arrangements to carry out the delegated procurement functions. Subject to the conclusion of the proposed Delegation agreement in 2 above, agree that the day-to-day responsibility for carrying out the delegated procurement functions is to sit with the Operational Manager, Commissioning and Procurement.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: Receive and consider nominations for the positions of The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor elect for the 2023 – 2024 Civic year.
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to approve the revised Local Pension Board Terms of Reference. as set out in Appendix 1; and authorise the Monitoring Officer to update the Constitution accordingly.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: • note the delegated authority granted previously by Council to the Director of Governance & Legal Services and Monitoring Officer to seek nominations from political groups for the establishment of a politically balanced Member Appointment Panel to undertake interviews for the two positions; and approve the appointment of the Independent Non-Executive Director of Cardiff Bus, as named in the Amendment Sheet provided at the meeting, for a term of 3 years, subject to the receipt of satisfactory references.
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to receive a nomination and appoint to the vacancy on the Committee, in accordance with the Party Group wishes as set out in Table A and on the Amendment Sheet.
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED that in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Authority Governor Panel, the Council approved the new appointments of Local Authority governors to the school governing bodies as set out in Appendix 1, each for a term of 4 years from the date of the appointment.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Berman, Carr, Ebrahim and Proctor. Councillors Brown-Reckless and Latif will be late in attending the meeting.
The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct: Councillor Item Nature of Interest Cllr Reid Jones Item 17 (Q’s 3 & 14) personal & Prejudicial Interest – Director and Trustee, Cartref Care Homes Cllr Jackie Jones Item 15 Personal Interest – Trustee of Domestic Abuse Charity Cllr Caro Wild Item 8 Personal Interest – Partner works employed by Cardiff Council Cllr Joel Williams Item 17 (Q’s 3 & 14) Personal & Prejudicial Interest – Director and Chair of Trustees, Cartref Care Homes Cllr Calum Davies Item 20 Personal Interest – Non-Executive Director, Cardiff Bus Cllr Peter Littlechild Item 16 Personal Interest – 3rd Sector employee involved with homelessness Cllr Dan Naughton Item 8 Personal Interest – Family Member employed by Cardiff Council Cllr Jane Henshaw Item 8 Personal Interest – Family Members employed by Cardiff Council Cllr Joe Carter Item 8 Personal Interest – Family Member employed by Cardiff Council Cllr Chris Lay Item 20 Personal Interest – Non-Executive Director, Cardiff Bus (Chair) Cllr Owen Jones Item 20 Personal Interest – Non-Executive Director, Cardiff Bus Cllr Joel Williams Item 8 Personal Interest – Family Member employed by Council Cllr Garry Hunt Item 20 Personal Interest – Non-Executive Director, Cardiff Bus Cllr Rhys Taylor Item 20 Personal Interest – Non-Executive Director, Cardiff Bus Cllr Helen Gunter Item 8 Personal Interest – Family Member employed by Council Cllr Mark Palmer Item 8 Personal Interest – Family Member employed by Council
The minutes of the Council meeting held on the 9 March 2023 were approved as a correct and signed by the Lord Mayor.
There were no public questions.
The following petitions were received: Presented by No. of Relevant Signatures Nature of Petition Cllr Sean Driscoll 52 Calling on the Council not to turn Matthew Walk field into a ‘one cut grassland area’ Cllr Jon Shimmin 170 Calling on the Council to reconsider the proposed traffic measures at the junction of Ninian, Penylan, Marlborough and Welfield Roads
One of the greatest honours of our capital city is to bestow the Freedom of the City on an outstanding individual or organisation. Last Saturday the 25th March 2023 HMS Cambria was awarded this high acclaim and Members and the public watched history in the making as our proud Royal Navy men and women, full time and reservists marched through the City. The Republic of Irelands Finance Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Irish Consulate General Denise McQuade were welcomed to the Mansion House and City Hall as part of the St Patricks Day Celebrations. Members will know that Cardiff Docks was built back in the 1830’s with the help of hundreds of Irish people, many of whom settled in the Newtown area of Cardiff – now better known as the area around Tyndall St. It was lovely to be invited to open the Wales Kendo competition at Western Leisure Centre when Mr Honda, a high-ranking expert in the sport also brought 9 students across from Japan to challenge some our Welsh and British Kendo clubs. Our Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan primary schools’ Showcase event took place St David’s Hall and demonstrates the fantastic singing and musical talent we have here in our schools. Two more Citizenship Ceremonies have taken place here in City Hall in the last 2 weeks, with over 70 people receiving their British Citizenship certificate. Various schools have been visited across Cardiff; Tredegarville, Hywel Dda, Thornhill and Pentyrch. Our Guide Dogs Cymru appeal is going well and a huge thank you to all our runners in last weekend’s Cardiff Bay 10k and especially to Cllr Helen Lloyd-Jones who completed the course in a full dog suit. Not only did Helen, Adrian Burke and others raise hundreds of pounds for this worthy cause, but also brought many smiles to runners and spectators. It was a pleasure to be a guest at the Child of Wales awards last week. Some of the stories of bravery and courage of these young people are an absolute joy and honour to witness and celebrate. Well done to all the winners and also to those nominated. A grateful thanks to all the Ramadan Iftar events I have attended and spoken at in recent weeks. These events, along with others in the calendar, such as Easter, Passover, Diwali, Mother Language Day etc, all remind us what a wonderful, diverse and multi-cultural city we are all proud to represent.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to approve the Well-being Plan.
To enable the Cabinet to approve Cardiff’s Local Well-being Plan (attached at Appendix 1) for consideration by Council on 30 March 2023, noting that publication will be subject to approval by all statutory members of the Cardiff Public Services Board. RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to approve the Well-being Plan.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to: (i) confirm that the decision to agree the Pay Policy Statement constitutes agreement to implement the cost of living pay increases determined by the relevant negotiating body effective from 1st April 2023, as accounted for in the Budget set and agreed by Council on 9th March 2023. (ii) determine that any additional financial implications arising from the national pay agreements determined after this date that cannot be met within the Council’s Revenue Budget will be referred to Council for consideration and decision. approve the attached Pay Policy Statement (2023/24) Appendix 1.
(The Chief Officers affected by the decision in the report declared an prejudicial interest and left the meeting during discussion of this item) To ask Cabinet to review the Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24 and recommend to Council for approval in accordance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011. Councillor Joel Williams proposed a reference back. Councillor Robson seconded the reference back. The Lord Mayor called for a vote on the reference back. The vote on the reference back was LOST. The Lord Mayor called for a vote on the recommendations in the report. The vote was CARRIED. RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to: (i) confirm that the decision to agree the Pay Policy Statement constitutes agreement to implement the cost of living pay increases determined by the relevant negotiating body effective from 1st April 2023, as accounted for in the Budget set and agreed by Council on 9th March 2023. (ii) determine that any additional financial implications arising from the national pay agreements determined after this date that cannot be met within the Council’s Revenue Budget will be referred to Council for consideration and decision. approve the attached Pay Policy Statement (2023/24) Appendix 1.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Approve the audited Statement of Accounts 2021/22 – The Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority (Appendix 1). 2. Approve the Annual Governance Statement 2021/22 (Appendix 2) 3. Note the Audit of Accounts Reports (ISA 260) from Audit Wales on the Statement of Accounts of Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority for the year ending 31 March 2022 (Appendices 3 and 4). 4. Approve the Cardiff Port Health Authority Annual Return 2021/22 (Appendix 5) 5. Note the final Letters of Representation for Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority included within Appendices 3 and 4. 6. Note that the following documents will be signed following the conclusion of the meeting: · Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Council – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources · Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Corporate Director Resources · Annual Return of Cardiff Port Health Authority – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources · Annual Governance Statement – Leader of the Council and Chief Executive · Audit Certificate for the Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority – Appointed Auditor, Audit Wales. · Letter of Representation for Cardiff Council - Lord Mayor and Chief Executive. Letter of Representation for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Lord Mayor and Chief Executive.
The Statement of Accounts for 2021/22 were presented in order to meet the requirement of the Accounts and Audit (Wales) Regulations 2014 (as amended). This provides that the Statement of Accounts be approved by a relevant committee or by the Council meeting as a corporate body. The report also includes the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) which is required to be approved by Council. The International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 260 requires the Appointed Auditor to report to those charged with governance, on the key matters arising from the audit examination of the Statement of Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022. It should be noted that the audited Statement of Accounts of Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund for the financial year 2021/22 was approved by Council at its meeting in November 2022. RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Approve the audited Statement of Accounts 2021/22 – The Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority (Appendix 1). 2. Approve the Annual Governance Statement 2021/22 (Appendix 2) 3. Note the Audit of Accounts Reports (ISA 260) from Audit Wales on the Statement of Accounts of Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority for the year ending 31 March 2022 (Appendices 3 and 4). 4. Approve the Cardiff Port Health Authority Annual Return 2021/22 (Appendix 5) 5. Note the final Letters of Representation for Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority included within Appendices 3 and 4. 6. Note that the following documents will be signed following the conclusion of the meeting: · Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Council – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources · Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Corporate Director Resources · Annual Return of Cardiff Port Health Authority – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources · Annual Governance Statement – Leader of the Council and Chief Executive · Audit Certificate for the Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority – Appointed Auditor, Audit Wales. · Letter of Representation for Cardiff Council - Lord Mayor and Chief Executive. Letter of Representation for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Lord Mayor and Chief Executive.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Approve the recommended amendments to the Local Resolution Protocol, as shown in Appendix A; and Noted that corresponding amendments will be made to the Local Resolution Hearings Procedure (as shown in Appendix B), by the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Standards and Ethics Committee Chairperson, under the delegated authority granted by the Standards and Ethics Committee.
To enable Council to consider proposed amendments to the Local Resolution Protocol and Procedure recommended by the Standards and Ethics Committee. RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Approve the recommended amendments to the Local Resolution Protocol, as shown in Appendix A; and Noted that corresponding amendments will be made to the Local Resolution Hearings Procedure (as shown in Appendix B), by the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Standards and Ethics Committee Chairperson, under the delegated authority granted by the Standards and Ethics Committee.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Accept an Executive Delegation from Vale of Glamorgan Council to carry out their Procurement Functions, subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the Delegation Agreement referred to in 2 below. 2. Delegate authority to the Corporate Director Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Modernisation to conclude a Delegation Agreement in a form to the satisfaction of the Council and complete all arrangements to carry out the delegated procurement functions. Subject to the conclusion of the proposed Delegation agreement in 2 above, agree that the day-to-day responsibility for carrying out the delegated procurement functions is to sit with the Operational Manager, Commissioning and Procurement.
To authorise acceptance of an Executive Delegation from Vale of Glamorgan Council to deliver their Procurement Function. RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: 1. Accept an Executive Delegation from Vale of Glamorgan Council to carry out their Procurement Functions, subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the Delegation Agreement referred to in 2 below. 2. Delegate authority to the Corporate Director Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Modernisation to conclude a Delegation Agreement in a form to the satisfaction of the Council and complete all arrangements to carry out the delegated procurement functions. Subject to the conclusion of the proposed Delegation agreement in 2 above, agree that the day-to-day responsibility for carrying out the delegated procurement functions is to sit with the Operational Manager, Commissioning and Procurement.
Part of an issue followed across 2 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: Receive and consider nominations for the positions of The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor elect for the 2023 – 2024 Civic year.
The Lord Mayor invited the Leader of the Council Councillor Huw Thomas to propose the appointment for the Lord Mayor Elect. The Lord Mayor invited the Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor Adrian Robson to second the appointment. It was confirmed that Councillor Bablin Molik was the Lord Mayor Elect for the Municipal Year 2023/24. The Lord Mayor invited the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Joseph Carter to propose the appointment for the Deputy Lord Mayor Elect. The Lord Mayor invited the Leader of Plaid Cymru, Green Party, Common Ground Councillor Gibson to second the appointment. The Lord Mayor confirmed that Councillor Jane Henshaw was the Deputy Lord Mayor Elect for the Municipal Year 2023/24. RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: Receive and consider nominations for the positions of The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor elect for the 2023 – 2024 Civic year.
Part of an issue followed across 2 meetings
Leader’s Statement The Leader responded to questions in relation to: · MIPIM 2023 · Interceltic Business Forum · #CitiesWithUkrain · Welsh Refugee Council · St David’s Day Celebration · Cardiff Parkway Finance, Modernisation & Performance Statement Councillor Chris Weaver responded to questions in relation to; · BOBi (Chatbot) Housing & Communities Statement Councillor Lynda Thorne responded to questions in relation to: · Housing Solutions & Prevention Team · Increased Demand for Homelessness Services Investment & Development Statement Councillor Goodway responded to questions in relation to: · International Delegations · Shared Prosperity Fund · Indoor Arena Social Services Statementv Councillor Mackie responded to questions in relation to Adults Services. · E-bikes for Care Workers · Social Care Week Councillor Lister responded to questions in relation to Children’s Services. · Cardiff Youth Justice Services · Childcare Offer Flying Start Tackling Poverty, Equality & Public health Statement Councillor Sangani responded to questions in relation to Public Health & Equality. · Stonewall Workplace Equality 2023 · Bowel Cancer Awareness Month Councillor Bradbury responded to questions in relation to Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People. · Youth Services Transport & Strategic Planning Statement Councillor De’Ath responded to questions in relation to: · Smart Corridors · School Bike Fleet Project · Independent Travel Training · Real Time Information in Bus Shelters · Cycle Lanes Deputy Leader & Education Statement Councillor Merry responded questions in relation to: · Cardiff Virtual School for Looked After Children · Cardiff Commitment · Period Poverty Climate Change Statement Councillor Wild responded to questions in relation to: · Electric Vehicle Charging · Cardiff and Vale College Apprenticeship Awards 2023 · Recycling Figures · Off Street Parking Culture, Parks & Events Statement Councillor Burke responded to questions in relation to: · Verbal update on - · HRH King Charles III Coronation Celebrations · Coed Caerdydd One Cut Mowing Regimes
The Lord Mayor noted that a Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Joel Williams and seconded by Councillor Brown-Reckless had been received for consideration. One Amendment had been received from the Liberal Democrat Group. The Lord Mayor invited Councillor Williams to propose the motion as follows: The Council asks the Cabinet to consider: Cardiff Council has statutory powers to take enforcement action against developers who breach planning conditions. A small number of both small and large developers fail to comply with their conditions of planning and some flagrantly breach their conditions of planning. Cardiff Council is failing to take enforcement action against these persist breaches. This Motion calls on Cardiff Council, in discharging its statutory responsibilities as Local Planning Authority, to ensure robust action is taken against developers who persistently breach their conditions of planning, including the use of prohibition orders, preventing developers from continuing with their developments until they comply with their conditions of planning. The Motion was formally seconded by Councillor Brown-Reckless. An amendment to the motion had been received from the Liberal Democrat Group. The Lord Mayor called upon Councillor Carter to move the amendment as follows: “The motion further calls on Cardiff Council to bring forward, as part of the Replacement Local Development Plan, proposals to improve the delivery of s106 agreements and proposals for a Community Infrastructure Levy to ensure that developers contribute financially to community facilities and resources. The Amended Motion would read: Cardiff Council has statutory powers to take enforcement action against developers who breach planning conditions. A small number of both small and large developers fail to comply with their conditions of planning and some flagrantly breach their conditions of planning. Cardiff Council is failing to take enforcement action against these persist breaches. This Motion calls on Cardiff Council, in discharging its statutory responsibilities as Local Planning Authority, to ensure robust action is taken against developers who persistently breach their conditions of planning, including the use of prohibition orders, preventing developers from continuing with their developments until they comply with their conditions of planning. The motion further calls on Cardiff Council to bring forward, as part of the Replacement Local Development Plan, proposals to improve the delivery of s106 agreements and proposals for a Community Infrastructure Levy to ensure that developers contribute financially to community facilities and resources”. The amendment was formally seconded by Councillor Shimmin. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the motion and amendment. The Lord Mayor invited Councillor Williams to respond to the issues raised during the debate. Councillor Williams responded to the issues raised and confirmed the Amendment was accepted. The Lord Mayor called for a Vote on the Substantive Motion as amended moved by Councillor Williams and seconded by Councillor Brown-Reckless. The Vote on the Substantive Motion was LOST.
The Lord Mayor noted that a Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Jackie Jones and seconded by Councillor Stubbs had been received for consideration. Two Amendments had been received from the Liberal Democrat Group and Conservative Group. The Lord Mayor invited Councillor Jackie Jones to propose the motion as follows: This Council notes that: Gender equality is one of the cornerstones of our society. It, alongside other equality duties, ensures all our citizens in Cardiff are well served by the Council. In order to tackle these inequalities in Cardiff, the programmes, policies and spotlights need refreshing and added emphasis. The race equality taskforce, its conclusions and action plan are such examples. The public sector gender equality duty is another. These all intersect to create a Cardiff we can all be proud of and we want to live in. The CEDAW (United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination) was signed and ratified under Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government. It provides a list of rights and freedoms for women and girls in the UK, including for women and girls in Cardiff. A culture change is needed for these rights to be fully achieved. To progress the rights for women and girls the Cardiff Labour Manifesto promised to make Cardiff a city for CEDAW within two years of the election. CEDAW provides a framework, actions and principles Cardiff Council can take that align and support the goals of the VAWDASV (Wales) Act 2015, the Welsh Government Programme of Government, the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015, the socio-economic duty, Cardiff Child-friendly City, anti-racist city. Violence against women and girls is pervasive and has been held by the UN Secretary-General to be the most wide-spread human rights violation today. One woman in every three days is killed by her partner or former partner. The ONS figures for Cardiff, the Ask Cardiff Survey 2021 and Welsh Women’s Aid research all highlight that women felt much less safe than men in a variety of settings, including walking on the streets, especially after dark, whether in their neighbourhood or in the city centre, that sexual harassment was a major concern and that girls were being targeted by men for exploitation. To change the culture of sexism and misogyny Cardiff Council needs to take effective actions. The Tory caused cost-of-living crises has again highlighted that women are negatively impacted differently to men as their relative economic and social power is less than most males. For example, according to the 2021 ONS figures, despite there being more women than men living in Cardiff (all ages), fewer women are in employment, women are paid less, more women are (unpaid) caregivers and run fewer companies or SMEs. The disparities are growing. This also intersects with disability, race, age and sexual orientation and identity. For example, the Race Equality Taskforce survey result asked for greater diversity in the public sector. The Locked-Out Report 2021 described how disabled people ‘had less access to public services and social support’. The draft Violence against Women Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence strategy is due in Cabinet in May. The Council resolves: To provide advice and information through the community Hubs and Libraries across Cardiff to help women and girls to access all benefits to which they are entitled, including a booklet of rights. To create a programme of activities, informed by women and girls, to empower and engage women and girls, including a ‘Rights Fest’, ‘Equalities Champions’ and social impactful projects in Cardiff. To ensure there are more Safe Spaces throughout Cardiff, involving women and girls in their creation. To deliver a strong VAWDASV strategy and outcomes to increase the safety of all women and girls in Cardiff. To ensure the Cardiff VAWDASV strategy reflects CEDAW and provides clear ambition and deliverables towards ending all forms of violence against women and girls. To review our programme of equalities/inclusion training to ensure the principles of CEDAW are highlighted and mainstreamed in and delivered through such training for Council staff and officers, including front-line staff. To put in place measures that ensure the Council’s workforce is measurably more representative and inclusive of the communities we serve. This includes strengthening and celebrating the work of our equalities network. To ensure the principles of CEDAW are embedded in all decision-making, with equality impact assessments brought to scrutiny committees, thus fulfilling the public sector duty on gender. To live by example: to continue to place accountability for abuse on those who cause harm, by challenging and changing the culture of sexism and misogyny, through activities and interventions that address harmful behaviours and promote the elimination of discrimination against women to people of all genders. To declare Cardiff a ‘City for CEDAW’. To call on the Cabinet to bring forward a report with concrete timetabled proposals to achieve the issues raised in this motion. The Motion was formally seconded by Councillor Stubbs. The first amendment to the motion had been received from the Labour Group. The Lord Mayor called upon Councillor Molik to move the first amendment as follows: Add section above the final paragraph of the motion: To call on the Cabinet to bring forward to embed gender-sensitive urban planning in planning policy and urban design as part of the forthcoming Replacement Local Development Plan. The Amended Motion would read: This Council notes that: Gender equality is one of the cornerstones of our society. It, alongside other equality duties, ensures all our citizens in Cardiff are well served by the Council. In order to tackle these inequalities in Cardiff, the programmes, policies and spotlights need refreshing and added emphasis. The race equality taskforce, its conclusions and action plan are such examples. The public sector gender equality duty is another. These all intersect to create a Cardiff we can all be proud of and we want to live in. The CEDAW (United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination) was signed and ratified under Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government. It provides a list of rights and freedoms for women and girls in the UK, including for women and girls in Cardiff. A culture change is needed for these rights to be fully achieved. To progress the rights for women and girls the Cardiff Labour Manifesto promised to make Cardiff a city for CEDAW within two years of the election. CEDAW provides a framework, actions and principles Cardiff Council can take that align and support the goals of the VAWDASV (Wales) Act 2015, the Welsh Government Programme of Government, the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015, the socio-economic duty, Cardiff Child-friendly City, anti-racist city. Violence against women and girls is pervasive and has been held by the UN Secretary-General to be the most wide-spread human rights violation today. One woman in every three days is killed by her partner or former partner. The ONS figures for Cardiff, the Ask Cardiff Survey 2021 and Welsh Women’s Aid research all highlight that women felt much less safe than men in a variety of settings, including walking on the streets, especially after dark, whether in their neighbourhood or in the city centre, that sexual harassment was a major concern and that girls were being targeted by men for exploitation. To change the culture of sexism and misogyny Cardiff Council needs to take effective actions. The Tory caused cost-of-living crises has again highlighted that women are negatively impacted differently to men as their relative economic and social power is less than most males. For example, according to the 2021 ONS figures, despite there being more women than men living in Cardiff (all ages), fewer women are in employment, women are paid less, more women are (unpaid) caregivers and run fewer companies or SMEs. The disparities are growing. This also intersects with disability, race, age and sexual orientation and identity. For example, the Race Equality Taskforce survey result asked for greater diversity in the public sector. The Locked-Out Report 2021 described how disabled people ‘had less access to public services and social support’. The draft Violence against Women Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence strategy is due in Cabinet in May. The Council resolves: To provide advice and information through the community Hubs and Libraries across Cardiff to help women and girls to access all benefits to which they are entitled, including a booklet of rights. To create a programme of activities, informed by women and girls, to empower and engage women and girls, including a ‘Rights Fest’, ‘Equalities Champions’ and social impactful projects in Cardiff. To ensure there are more Safe Spaces throughout Cardiff, involving women and girls in their creation. To deliver a strong VAWDASV strategy and outcomes to increase the safety of all women and girls in Cardiff. To ensure the Cardiff VAWDASV strategy reflects CEDAW and provides clear ambition and deliverables towards ending all forms of violence against women and girls. To review our programme of equalities/inclusion training to ensure the principles of CEDAW are highlighted and mainstreamed in and delivered through such training for Council staff and officers, including front-line staff. To put in place measures that ensure the Council’s workforce is measurably more representative and inclusive of the communities we serve. This includes strengthening and celebrating the work of our equalities network. To ensure the principles of CEDAW are embedded in all decision-making, with equality impact assessments brought to scrutiny committees, thus fulfilling the public sector duty on gender. To live by example: to continue to place accountability for abuse on those who cause harm, by challenging and changing the culture of sexism and misogyny, through activities and interventions that address harmful behaviours and promote the elimination of discrimination against women to people of all genders. To declare Cardiff a ‘City for CEDAW’. To call on the Cabinet to bring forward to embed gender-sensitive urban planning in planning policy and urban design as part of the forthcoming Replacement Local Development Plan. To call on the Cabinet to bring forward a report with concrete timetabled proposals to achieve the issues raised in this motion. The amendment was formally seconded by Councillor Taylor The second amendment to the motion had been received from the Conservative Group. The Lord Mayor called upon Councillor Cowan to move the second amendment Delete all and replace with: This Council notes that: All our citizens in Cardiff should be well served by the Council. Violence against anyone is unacceptable. This Council resolves: To provide advice and information through the Community Hubs and Libraries across Cardiff to help everyone to access all benefits to which they are entitled, including a booklet of rights. To ensure that more Safe Spaces throughout Cardiff for anyone feeling intimidated. To live by example; to continue to place accountability for abuse on those who cause harm, by challenging cultures, through activities and interventions that address harmful behaviours and promote the elimination of discrimination against women and men. The Amended Motion would read: This Council notes that: All our citizens in Cardiff should be well served by the Council. Violence against anyone is unacceptable. This Council resolves: To provide advice and information through the Community Hubs and Libraries across Cardiff to help everyone to access all benefits to which they are entitled, including a booklet of rights. To ensure that more Safe Spaces throughout Cardiff for anyone feeling intimidated The second amendment was formally seconded by Councillor Williams The Lord Mayor invited debate on the motion and amendments. The Lord Mayor invited Councillor Jackie Jones to respond to the issues raised during the debate. Councillor Jackie Jones responded to the issues raised and confirmed the First Amendment was accepted. The second Amendment was not accepted. The Lord Mayor called for a Vote on the second Amendment as moved by Councillor Cowan and seconded by Councillor Williams. The Vote on the Second Amendment was LOST. The Lord Mayor called for a vote on the Substantive Motion as amended moved by Councillor Jackie Jones and seconded by Councillor Stubbs. The Vote on the Substantive Motion was CARRIED.
The Lord Mayor noted that a Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Taylor and seconded by Councillor Carter had been received for consideration. Two Amendments had been received from the Conservative Group and the Labour Group. The Lord Mayor invited Councillor Taylor to propose the motion as follows. This council notes that: · homelessness is devastating, dangerous and isolating. · the average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 46 for men and 42 for women. · people sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence. More than one in three people sleeping rough have been deliberately hit or kicked or experienced some other form of violence whilst homeless. · people experiencing homelessness are over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population. · LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately affected by youth homelessness. 24% of the youth homelessness population across the UK identified as LGBT. · Newcastle Council has committed to plans to end homelessness in their local areas, looking at supply, prevention, re-housing, the private rented sector, and welfare support. This council believes that homelessness isn’t inevitable and can be ended, and calls on the administration to establish a Homelessness Task Force tasked with developing a plan to end homelessness in Cardiff that includes: · Ending the use of hostile architecture in the built environment · Setting out engagement with South Wales Police to end all use of the Vagrancy Act and related anti-homelessness measures · Improving temporary accommodation, including for vulnerable groups such as LGB and trans people · Increasing the overall share of social housing in the city · Setting out options relating to increasing council tax premiums on empty and second homes to 300% to support housing and homelessness activity. The Motion was formally seconded by Councillor Carter. The first amendment to the motion had been received from the Conservative Group. The Lord Mayor called upon Councillor Davies to move the first amendment as follows: Remove “Setting out engagement with South Wales Police to end all use of the Vagrancy Act and related anti-homelessness measures”. Remove “Setting out options relating to increasing council tax premiums on empty and second homes to 300% to support housing and homelessness activity”. Adding, separate to the bullet point calls, “The Council recognises the important work officers undertake in aiming to reduce homelessness in the city, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.” The Amended Motion would read: This council notes that: · homelessness is devastating, dangerous and isolating. · the average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 46 for men and 42 for women. · people sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence. More than one in three people sleeping rough have been deliberately hit or kicked or experienced some other form of violence whilst homeless. · people experiencing homelessness are over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population. · LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately affected by youth homelessness. 24% of the youth homelessness population across the UK identified as LGBT. · Newcastle Council has committed to plans to end homelessness in their local areas, looking at supply, prevention, re-housing, the private rented sector, and welfare support. This council believes that homelessness isn’t inevitable and can be ended, and calls on the administration to establish a Homelessness Task Force tasked with developing a plan to end homelessness in Cardiff that includes: · Ending the use of hostile architecture in the built environment · Improving temporary accommodation, including for vulnerable groups such as LGB and trans people · Increasing the overall share of social housing in the city The Council recognises the important work officers undertake in aiming to reduce homelessness in the city, especially during the coronavirus pandemic The first amendment was formally seconded by Councillor Littlechild The second amendment to the motion had been received from the Labour Group. The Lord Mayor called upon Councillor Thorne to move the amendment as follows: Insert prior to ‘this council notes’ - ‘Recognising the important distinction between homelessness and rough sleeping’ Bullet point 2 - delete ‘homelessness’ and replace with ‘rough sleeping’ Bullet point 6 - insert at the end ‘and notes further that rough sleeping rates in Cardiff are broadly similar to that city, albeit rates in the North East have actually increased over the last 2 years. Insert after ‘This council believes that homelessness isn’t inevitable and can be ended ‘but that that requires a fundamental change of approach at UK Government level. This Council therefore condemns the freezes to the Local Housing Allowance introduced by the Coalition Government 2010-15, and continued under the subsequent Conservative Government, which have seen homelessness levels soar above pre-2010 levels. This Council further calls on the UK Government to raise the Local Housing Allowance back to the Median level of market rents · The Council welcomes the establishment in 2019 of a Homeless and Vulnerable Person Board, bringing together public sector partners and a range of 3rd sector organisations working on Task and Finish Groups to tackle homelessness, and notes that the Council’s Cardiff’s Housing Support Programme Strategy 2022-2026 was developed with extensive engagement with external holders on our approach to preventing homelessness and notes the achievements of the Board in reducing the number rough sleepers from the peak in December 2018/September 2019 of 87 to 30 by March 2020, the lowest level for six years. Delete ‘and calls on the administration to establish a Homelessness Task Force tasked with developing a plan to end homelessness in Cardiff that includes:’ Insert ‘ The Council further: Bullet point 7 - delete ‘Ending the use of hostile architecture in the built environment’ and replace with ‘Welcomes the long-standing Council policy not to use hostile architecture within the Council controlled public-realm, whilst recognising that businesses have a reasonable expectation that entrances to premises are accessible to customers and staff. Bullet point 8 - delete ‘Setting out engagement with South Wales Police to end all use of the Vagrancy Act and related anti-homelessness measures and replace with ‘Welcomes the work of the Street Based Lifestyles Group which includes partner organisations including South Wales Police, which ensures an appropriate balance is set in the approach to supporting communities disproportionately impacted by Street Based Lifestyles whilst taking the complex needs of vulnerable individuals into account’ Bullet point 9 – delete and replace with ‘Endorses the administration’s work currently underway in improving and expanding temporary accommodation, whilst recognising that there is a nationwide surge in demand for temporary accommodation’ Bullet point 10 – delete and replace with ‘Endorses the administration's approach to increasing the overall share of social housing in the city, both through the award winning Council-homes building programme, and the support provided to RSLs in expanding their build programme in the city. The Council believes it is imperative for social housing to be constructed widely in every part of the city, not just in areas of historically high demand’ Bullet point 11 – delete and replace with ‘Welcomes the decision to increase council tax premiums on empty and second homes, and requests Cabinet give consideration to the option increasing premiums further in due course% to support housing and homelessness activity. The Amended Motion would read: Recognising the important distinction between homelessness and rough sleeping, this council notes that: • homelessness is devastating, dangerous and isolating. • the average age of death for people experiencing rough sleeping is 46 for men and 42 for women. • people sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence. More than one in three people sleeping rough have been deliberately hit or kicked or experienced some other form of violence whilst homeless. • people experiencing homelessness are over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population. • LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately affected by youth homelessness. 24% of the youth homelessness across the UK identified as LGBT. • Newcastle Council has committed to plans to end homelessness in their local areas, looking at supply, prevention, re-housing, the private rented sector, and welfare support, and notes further that rough sleeping rates in Cardiff are broadly similar to that city, albeit rates in the North East have actually increased over the last 2 years. This council believes that homelessness isn’t inevitable and can be ended, but that that requires a fundamental change of approach at UK Government level. This Council therefore condemns the freezes to the Local Housing Allowance introduced by the Coalition Government 2010-15, and continued under the subsequent Conservative Government, which have seen homelessness levels soar above pre-2010 levels. This Council further calls on the UK Government to raise the Local Housing Allowance back to the Median level of market rents • The Council welcomes the establishment in 2019of a Homeless and Vulnerable Person Board, bringing together public sector partners and a range of 3rd sector organisations working on Task and Finish Groups to tackle homelessness, and notes that the Council’s Cardiff’s Housing Support Programme Strategy 2022-2026 was developed with extensive engagement with external holders on our approach to preventing homelessness and notes the achievements of the Board in reducing the number rough sleepers fromthe peak in December 2018 /September 2019 of 87 to 30 by March 2020, the lowest level for six years. The Council further: • Welcomes the long-standing Council policy not to use hostile architecture within the Council controlled public-realm, whilst recognising that businesses have a reasonable expectation that entrances to premises are accessible to customers and staff. • Welcomes the work of the Street Based Lifestyles Group which includes partner organisations including South Wales Police, which ensures an appropriate balance is set in the approach to supporting communities disproportionately impacted by Street Based Lifestyles whilst taking the complex needs of vulnerable individuals into account • Endorses the administration’s work currently underway in Improving and expanding temporary accommodation, whilst recognising that there is a nationwide surge in demand for temporary accommodation • Endorses the administration's approach to increasing the overall share of social housing in the city, both through the award winning Council-homes building programme, and the support provided to RSLs in expanding their build programme in the city. The Council believes it is imperative for social housing to be constructed widely in every part of the city, not just in areas of historically high demand • Welcomes the decision to increase council tax premiums on empty and second homes, and requests Cabinet give consideration to the option increasing premiums further in due course% to support housing and homelessness activity. The second amendment was formally seconded by Councillor Ferguson-Thorne. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the motion and amendments. The Lord Mayor invited Councillor Taylor to respond to the issues raised during the debate. Councillor Taylor responded to the issues raised and confirmed none of the Amendments were accepted. The Lord Mayor called for a Vote on the first Amendment as moved by Councillor Davies and seconded by Councillor Littlechild. The Vote on the first amendment was LOST. The Lord Mayor called for a Vote on the second Amendment as moved by Councillor Thorne and seconded by Councillor Ferguson-Thorne. The Vote on the second amendment was CARRIED. The Lord Mayor invited Councillor Thorne as proposer of the second amendment to respond before the vote was taken on the Substantive Motion as amended. Councillor Thorne responded. The Lord Mayor called for a vote on the Substantive Motion as amended by Councillor Thorne and seconded by Councillor Ferguson-Thorne. The Vote on the Substantive Motion was CARRIED.
(Councillor Reid-Jones & Williams left the Chamber during of Questions 3 and 14 in accordance with their personal & prejudicial interests declared) Councillor Reid-Jones to Councillor Wild What are the Council’s current key priorities in order to reach the Welsh Government’s 70% recycling target? Reply – Cllr Wild As you’ll know, we recently agreed the new recycling strategy for Cardiff, Cleaner and Greener, and the strategy included our priority actions to do with segregated recycling; new rules; we’ve just heard about earlier on the trade service; more opportunities to recycle at different places, like in Hubs, and expand the kind of things we can all recycle; and increase the opportunities for reuse and repair. That strategy is now into action, change is underway with good results and recycling rates improving. Supplementary question – Cllr Reid-Jones I know from the recent Environmental Scrutiny Committee that we are currently running at a 58% recycled rate. Of the extra uplift we need in order to achieve the Welsh Government's target of 70%, I understand only 1.6% is predicted to come from the new shift to segregated recycling. Is it worth all the cost to the Council and inconvenience to our residents of switching to segregated recycling for such an improvement, or shouldn't we first concentrate on improving recycling in our 50,000 flats and HMOs, for which I understand there is still no firm plan? Reply – Cllr Wild Those 1.6’s, the 2%, all those things and trade waste, are going to add up; the behaviour change is a big thing. It's not entirely fair to say that we're not focusing on flats, there's a lot going on there with glasses, lots of different things. I think the issue, though, is it can't be a one size fits all; most flats are very different, different kind of set-ups, so we can't have a one size fits all. But I agree with you, we've probably got to do more there, we’re learning from what they're doing in Bristol, what they’re doing in Swansea; because I think there are some big percentages to be made there as well. But thanks for your question on it and continue to talk to you about it. Councillor Taylor to Councillor Burke What mechanisms are in place for the Council to engage with grassroots clubs in development of new sporting facilities? Reply – Cllr Burke I believe there are approximately 400 sports clubs in Cardiff and the majority of these have direct contact with officers in Parks, Sport and the Harbour Authority through historical relationships and facility bookings. We have a joint venture agreement with Sport, Development and Cardiff Met University and Sport Cardiff Team have dedicated sports offices assisting clubs with their development needs, be it coaching education, equipment, facility, advice, inclusion, grants and governance. The Council also has a strong relationship with national governing bodies for sport who have facility strategies and club facility improvement funds. We liaise with these bodies on behalf of them and the clubs on proposals and plans for new and improved developments in Cardiff. In addition, we've launched our physical activity and sport strategy in 2022 with clubs and places to play being a priority. The governance board that oversees implementation of the strategy involves key partners and is chaired by the Leader of the Council, with oversight from the Cardiff public services board. Supplementary question – Cllr Taylor Thank you for the response and clearly that engagement partnership working is really clear. What concerns me is the fallout we've seen in the last week with regards to Maindy Flyers. We've been told, since the beginning of that project, that Maindy Flyers were wholeheartedly on board and that other users of Maindy Velodrome were also on board; so I’m keen to understand what's happened, or what's happened for us now to have a vote from those members against the plans, and what's going to happen now to reconcile that difference and to work with Maindy Flyers to get that right in the Bay, notwithstanding the opposition to demolition in Maindy Park. Reply – Cllr Burke For my part, I think some of the issues are within the organisations themselves; so obviously the conversations, and you've cited the Maindy Flyers specifically, were before my tenure as Cabinet Member; and from my understanding, there was a point in time when the board was behind the plans, and I think through conversation with their membership then that position has changed. So for me I think that's a conversation that they need to have internally, and we as a Council are very on board with working with them. I believe as part of the project around Maindy, and again I don’t particularly want to go into specifics because we deal with so many different organisations and bodies across this; we’re keen to maintain contact and dialogue with organisations and if their position changes and we need to take that information on board, but fundamentally we have overarching strategies and plans that are already in train, and I'd like to hope that we can bring people with us and get them to join our vision, but I appreciate that's not always possible. Cllr Hunt to Cllr Mackie I was concerned to learn that Cartref Care homes is to close its care homes in Cardiff, including one on Station Road in my ward. Many of the residents affected have been there for a significant amount of time and are vulnerable. This news will raise considerable distress and alarm for those residents and their families. Could you advise what engagement the Council had with Cartref in the run-up to this announcement, and what the Council can now do to support those affected individuals? Reply – Cllr Mackie I was saddened to hear of the proposed closure of the care homes operated by the charity Cartref. They first raised concerns about their financial circumstances at a meeting with the Council officers in December last year. At the time the homes had a considerable number of vacancies. Officers explained that the current demand was for dementia and nursing placements, rather than general residential care, and encouraged Cartref to consider how they could refocus their services to meet that demand. The Council was advised subsequently that Cartref had commissioned a review by external consultants. However, the board of trustees has recently taken the decision to commence a 45-day period of consultation on proposals to close its care homes in Llanishen and in Cyncoed. This was communicated to the Council on the 20th of March. Officers are working with Cartref, the residents and their families to manage the safe closure of the homes. The needs of all residents will be assessed, and support will be provided to help them choose an alternative home that best meets their requirements. Fortunately, there are a number of vacancies across the city, so identifying alternative placements should not be an issue; but it will, of course, be a great disruption to the individuals at the ages they are, having to leave one home to go to another. Supplementary – Cllr Hunt I obviously echo those sentiments about the residents. Because Cartref was not only a home for people, it was a place of employment for a large number of local people in the in the area who had experience and expertise in providing care, and presumably their situation will be a difficult one as well. I wonder if you had any comments that you were able to make as regards them? Reply – Cllr Mackie The Council has received details of the numbers of staff impacted by the closure of the homes and this totals 109, including the account managers, care workers and ancillary staff. It's understood the some of the staff wish to retire, but others will be actively seeking similar employment elsewhere, which is positive as we wouldn't wish to lose all the experience and expertise that they have from the Cardiff social care sector. Officers will link staff with other care providers that are actively recruiting staff, so that they can explore any opportunities available. There may also be opportunities for some staff to move to the same accommodation as the Cartref residents, which would be really good if that happens, as the new homes may require additional staff. In addition, officers have linked in with the Cardiff Nursing and Residential Home Association. Committee members were keen to help support the Cartref manager to identify alternative employment for staff using the communication channels that they have in place with their members. Officers and the care sector will work together to support these much-needed workers into alternative employment. Cllr Cowan to Cllr Wild What value does the Cabinet Member place on consultation with residents on changes to waste collections? Reply – Cllr Wild When we have significant policy changes we’ll undertake statutory consultation, and we’ll usually go above these requirements to try and get ideas and involve people, and this was certainly the case for the recent recycling strategy. We undertook loads of consultation with over 3,000 people, we then took further in-depth consultation with those who took part in the first trials to see how it was working for them, and we got loads of good ideas, we got lots of valid concerns, and actually lots of support from people who share our vision for a cleaner, green city. And I think if you look at what value we place, what value I place, you only need to look at the quality and care that went into this work, the in-depth way that Cabinet, this Council, senior management, Scrutiny, pored over the findings in coming to agree this strategy, and how it continues to shape it. Supplementary – Cllr Cowan I have received considerable feedback myself from residents from across the city to taking part in the pilot. A number of residents have been very unhappy and indeed upset, that their constructive views they fed in didn't result in any change to the new trial. Residents are also very concerned that the next step will be three-weekly bin bag collections. As the Cabinet Member can you categorically rule this out during this administration? Reply – Cllr Wild In terms of three-weekly, I've explained to you a number of times, of course we can't categorically rule it out, and in fact it's in our policy as one of the options that may well be needed, so we've talked about a number of times. I think it's really interesting, we've got a really good democratic system here and you who of course came to Scrutiny had the chance to express a lot of those views from your residents, and I know Scrutiny really valued, because you’d really reached out to see what people had to say about it, and changes have been made both, and I'm sure a lot of that is down to some of the work that you did with your residents; we're now looking at smaller sacks for people, we've got a lot of good, practical ideas about how we can keep paper dry and we're working on that with the suppliers; we've had an amazing idea, trying to make sure that we have some tactile labelling on to help people with visual impairments. All of that came from what is a really good democratic process and I hope that you can feed that back to residents so they feel valued in that. And of course there'll be some people with some frustrations and bits they don't like and not all of those things are going to create change, but I'm really pleased with the work that's gone on here; we’ve got a really good strategy, and as we've already discussed, it’s coming back with really good results, with a lot of people saying they're happy with it. In fact Scrutiny Committee this week said fundamentally, they looked at it in detail and thought were on the right track. Cllr Shimmin to Cllr Merry Given that Cardiff High School was vastly oversubscribed again, resulting in friendship groups being split up and undue stress to families in this city, why won’t this administration build the extension to Cardiff High School that they promised years ago? Reply – Cllr Merry The expansion of Cardiff High School is within Cardiff's £284 million Band B 21st Century Schools Programme, which started in April 2019. Due to the scale and number of proposed projects in the Band B programme, the delivery of the schemes is undertaken in batches over the time span of the programme. Proposals for replacing Fitzalan, Cantonian and Willows High School were brought forward as a priority, as mandated by the Welsh Government, based on their building condition. More recently, proposals for Cathays High School have been brought forward which will expand mainstream places by two-and-a-half forms of entry and provide an increased number of specialist places for pupils with Additional Learning Needs, and it should be stressed that the school is operating now 8 FE. This will help ensure that Cardiff has sufficient local places for learners, promoting secondary schools serving each community through the peak intakes and the low intakes that will follow. The proposal specific to Cardiff High School as a Band B project will require the Council to undertake a full statutory consultation in accordance with the requirements of the School Organisational Code. This would be undertaken with all relevant stakeholders who may be affected by proposals including parents and local residents. Supplementary – Cllr Shimmin The demand is there for Cardiff High School right now and the Cathays High School redevelopment is years off and facing further delays, so why not build the Cardiff High extension now, which will relieve the pressure quicker than the Cardiff High School redevelopment as well as providing capacity for the future? Reply – Cllr Merry Firstly, if I refer you back to my reply, the priority of the schemes was partly decided by the condition of buildings, and I have to say that the condition that the previous administration left Willows High School, Cantonian High School and Fitzalan High School, was absolutely disgraceful. Now, in terms of Cathays High School, that has been able to actually already be expanded to eight forms of entry, which makes the delivery of the new school all the more imperative; but if we had prioritised Cardiff High, there could not have been an expansion in those places until the building works were completed, and builds are not easy and simple. And just to underline the need for Cathays High School is, there is currently, as I understand it, following the first round of offers, no other high school places available for the north of the city. Oversubscription within the catchment area is not unique to Cardiff High School, and I really wish that the Liberal Democrats had an education policy based on more than which children could get into Cardiff High. Cllr Hunt to Cllr Merry Residents have been informed that demolition contractors will be on site at HMRC, Ty Glas Road from last Monday, and are undertaking remedial works preparing the site for demolition. Could you explain the measures that will be taken to ensure the safe removal of the main ex-HMRC buildings? Reply – Cllr Merry I can confirm that site set up at Ty Glas commenced on Monday of this week, 27th of March; however, demolition work will not proceed until planning conditions have been fully discharged. Documents have been submitted to the Council's Planning Service and are currently being reviewed by statutory consultees. This process is expected to be completed on Wednesday, the 12th of April; and subject to pre-commencement conditions being discharged, the project will then begin and is expected to take 12 months to be completed. The demolition will be undertaken in accordance with an agreed methodology which has been reviewed by the Planning Service and shared regulatory services as part of the discharge of conditions. Relevant notification will also be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive in line with legislative requirements. Traffic movements for the site will be minimised as much as possible and align with new weight restrictions to Ty Glas. Noise will be restricted to agreed hours of work and will be monitored throughout the duration of the project. Cllr Robson to Cllr De’ath What action will the Council undertake to ensure that railway stations on the Coryton Line are not at risk of closure? Reply – Cllr De’ath First, let me assure you there are no plans to close any of the stations you have mentioned. I know you've raised things with me like better signage and that kind of thing, and we can certainly talk to Transport for Wales about that. But wouldn't you agree with me, that the issue with these particular stations, that the problem they have, is there's only two trains an hour, and that makes it less attractive to use, especially for short journeys, you have to wait up to half an hour for a 20-minute train ride? So we're working strategically with TfW to try and find the funding to take that up to four and extend Coryton down to Radyr, and I think that's the solution to secure a long-term viable future for those stations. Supplementary – Cllr Robson I would agree that four trains an hour would make sense on a line like that, and in essence, it would be a proper Metro rather the heavy rail it is. I'd love to see that and the Coryton loop finished. In the short term, and I appreciate it is, I do understand that Transport for Wales have a lot of responsibility on this; but you may have seen a report that the numbers at Whitchurch Station particularly are down to, I think it’s 26 passengers a day. It's come down during the pandemic and it hasn't gone back up to roughly three times that which it was before the pandemic. So therefore I think the Council on all stations on the line could perhaps do a bit of publicity; as you say, better signage, where it’s the Council's responsibility to do that, to encourage people back onto that line and to really tie in with our green agenda, that we want to push people out of cars and onto that line, particularly. It's a great little suburb serving a great line, and it will likely serve the new Velindre Hospital assuming that's built, with the Coryton station. Reply – Cllr De’ath I absolutely agree Adrian, we’re having conversations with TfW to see what we can do to make it more visible and try and get people back on; it's a difficult situation, we appreciate. Cllr Carter to Cllr De’ath How do the proposed Cardiff Bus fare increases align with the Cabinet’s commitment to introduce £1 standard fares? Reply – Cllr De’ath We’re very much still committed to £1 bus fares, but Cardiff Bus, they’re caught between a rock and a hard place; we've got record inflation, a driver shortage, passenger numbers still haven’t returned to anywhere near where they were before the pandemic, and they're doing their best to protect services. So it’s a difficult decision that they’ve made, their fares haven't risen at all since 2019, they’re doing their best to get through a very, very difficult economic period, and I certainly empathy and support their choices. Supplementary – Cllr Carter Cardiff Bus are in a very difficult position as far as the law and their financial situation, I think we all recognise that. But my supplementary question is, we knew all that when that commitment was made just last year, that you would introduce these £1 pound fares; so with all this in mind and the crisis that Cardiff Bus faces, how do you envisage delivering that promise? Reply – Cllr De’ath It is indeed a good question, Cllr Carter, it's something we’re absolutely committed to and I will be outlining in the very near future how we will be making it a reality. Cllr Robinson to Cllr Burke I’d like to thank Cllr Burke for her recent visit to Grangemoor Park in Grangetown to see for herself the potential of the recently reopened park. Will the Cabinet Member commit to specifically consulting the young people of Grangetown on the improvements they would like to see to the space in line with their brilliant new plan 'A Grangetown to Grow Up in’? And how much is the Council willing to invest in the park to ensure that we can all be proud of this vital green space? Reply – Cllr Burke I'm happy to commit to consulting with young people in Grangetown to support their aspirations of making it a great place to grow up in. As you'll be aware, I've arranged a meeting with all local ward members to discuss the scope of the consultation exercise and I'm confident that we can make progress. The consultation exercise will be important in generating ideas from the local community that can inform the potential improvements to Grangemoor Park which would then need to be prioritised and costed. Recycling and Neighbourhood Services who manage the former landfill site would then assist in providing or accessing funding for the agreed plans to improve the park. Cllr Davies to Cllr Thorne What action is the Council taking to clean up the defacement of its properties? Reply – Cllr Thorne Our Graffiti Service was originally set up to remove any graffiti on Council homes and Council estates. This was expanded to include any Council-owned properties. Any graffiti that is obscene, racist or threatening is removed within 48 hours and all other graffiti is removed within 10 working days of the time it's reported. Supplementary – Cllr Davies Thank you for talking about threatening graffiti there because I'm afraid to inform you that the scourge of Yes Cymru stickers has reached Radyr and Morganstown. I understand that the Council is not responsible for moving the politically divisive graffiti from private property, but it is very often local authority-owned street signs. Now given the need to make our city look nice and welcoming, the last thing the Council should be doing is leaving the seditious messaging which advocates the destruction of the British nation up on signage blighting our public spaces, never mind allowing this vandalism of public property to go unpunished. I would get rid of them myself but I am a little on the short side for a lot of the signs. Maybe Cllr De’Ath could give me a hand. So I would like to know what this unionist party that is running the Council is going to do about it. Reply – Cllr Thorne I just would like to ask have you reported this issue to the graffiti team, because if it’s not been reported, then clearly then they can't be aware of all the graffiti on every sign, road sign or building across the city, so if you'd like to e-mail me with the details I will try and get it sorted. Cllr Taylor to Cllr Ce’Ath What discussions has the Cabinet Member had with Welsh Government about the resilience of bus services in Cardiff? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I have had a variety of discussions with Welsh government on bus service resilience in the early months of becoming Cabinet Member for Transport. Discussions were around franchising and our response to the Welsh Government's white paper. But in more recent months obviously there’s BES and its continuation, expressing our concerns, as has the Leader. In terms of officers, officers speak with Welsh Government and Cardiff Bus on a weekly basis. Supplementary – Cllr Taylor Disappointed that Adventure Travel have decided to withdraw the C8 service that runs through the Gabalfa ward. As local members we had no notification of the application, we had no opportunity to input, we found about the service being withdrawn on Twitter; and what's more frustrating is that, if it turns out that the Council supported the withdrawal of that service, but there was no opportunity for us as members to input something, there’s a question about the process and whether or not you have influence over that process. But the substantive supplementary is whether or not you join colleagues, Labour leaders in Swansea and RCT, in calling on Welsh Government to maintain BES in the medium term until a long-term replacement is found, so we can save those community bus services that are currently under threat. Reply – Cllr De’Ath It's a really difficult situation because it's hard for us to get a coherent picture of what's happening all over the city, particularly as they reduce the time notice period companies have to give before they withdraw services. We're doing our best and I have said we're going to try and update members as much as we can the changes that affect their ward. We’re not always going to be able to do that, but I appreciate your concerns. The letter you refer to has been signed, I think, by all councils, including Swansea, on behalf of all councils, so that’s something we already strongly support in spirit and in the letter. Cllr Green to Cllr Wild A pioneering partnership between Exmouth Leisure Centre and the start-up “Deep Green” uses heat capture from data centres to heat its swimming pool. This will cut both energy bills and reliance on carbon-intensive fossil fuel boilers. Given the challenges posed by the current energy crisis, will the Cabinet Member for Climate Change commit to working with GLL to explore similar opportunities in Cardiff? Reply – Cllr Wild I read about this really smart idea and especially smart because of the heat exchange idea where the data centres could be cooled at the same time as the pool is heated. Along with Cllr Burke, we've made sure officers are aware and exploring whether this is something that can be considered. In the meantime, we have also initiated, with funding through a financial resilience mechanism, to put solar PV panels on the rooftops of all of our leisure centres and this is an improvement that will help reduce costs over time and improve the carbon footprint of our leisure centres. Supplementary – Cllr Green So, in addition to heat in energy intensive facilities like swimming pools, it does seem like there might be some potential for this technology to provide heating, for example, to blocks of flats and a wide range of other facilities. And of course, this isn't just exciting in itself, but it also has significant potential in achieving our One Planet Cardiff climate goals. So will the Cabinet Member also commit to working with Deep Green and colleagues across housing and other cabinet portfolios to explore how to harness this technology, to lower bills for the local authority and householders, by helping us achieve our ambitious climate goals? Reply – Cllr Wild I will, I think it's a good idea. There's a number of different organisations speaking to us about a lot of these kind of things, and I'll definitely speak to colleagues about it and my colleague Cllr Thorne, who's just also told me the correct pronunciation of photovoltaics, so I know that she'll be ready to work on this as well, and our housing team, in fact I know they are already are, as you'll know, across our Council housing stock. But thank you for bringing it to our attention and we will be taking those things forward. Cllr Robson to Cllr Huw Thomas Following WLGA's comments that cuts to bus services could be "devastating" for groups relying on public transport, what action can the Council take to ensure that bus services in Cardiff are protected and enhanced as part of the administration's Stronger, Fairer, Greener strategy? Reply – Cllr Huw Thomas The Council has actually been intensely engaged with Welsh Government over the last three years on funding for the bus industry. I had conversations with the Minister, Ken Skates, very early on in the pandemic, because I could see what implications this would have for bus travel over the long term. In part, on the back of those conversations, the Bus Emergency Scheme came into being and throughout that period dialogues been very effective between Cardiff Bus, between myself and Cllr Lay, for example, and at the official level between the company and the Council, and indeed with other operators about the challenges they are facing, and so we were actually able to lobby quite intensively ahead of the announcement of the extension of the BES funding for next three months. Now that's not as long as we would have liked, and so those engagements are continuing, and those comments from the WLGA is one public example of that effort continuing. As Cllr De’Ath has said a minute ago, it is an emerging picture as to what the final funding position will be. Where there is an opportunity the Council will, of course, step into the breach; but I think it's really important for us all to recognise in this Chamber, that within the current funding framework the Council is simply not going to be able to step into the breach to continue the level services that are currently being supported by the Bus Emergency Scheme. Supplementary – Cllr Robson I appreciate the honest assessment of where we are with this, and my question was about enhancing bus services, but it actually looks as though, unfortunately, we're going to be facing a reduction if some settlement of some sort can't be agreed. I think my question, Lord Mayor, is that the Leader keeps the Council informed proactively, not that he wouldn’t, but in real detail, because it affects every single ward in the city, on this, and the Cabinet Member keeps us informed as well. Reply – Cllr Huw Thomas That's absolutely fair enough, and I hope the Cllr will appreciate that we've always sort to do so and use the usual channel arrangements and privy Council arrangements to particularly brief opposition leaders on particularly pertinent points and will continue to do so. Like I said, the dialogue is ongoing with Welsh Government. I think there is an opportunity for the extension of the BES scheme; what form and the extent of that we remain to see. So it is a live issue and a live concern. Cllr Cowan to Cllr Burke Will the Cabinet Member provide a breakdown in spend over the past 12 months in each Cardiff park? Reply – Cllr Burke Currently, the Council managers 527 individually named parks and green spaces in the city and for this reason, and from a revenue perspective, cost centres are held in and spending is recorded on a functional basis. There are eight functions that include grounds maintenance, arboriculture, plant production and playgrounds. Separate cost centres are held for Bute Park and Flat Holm Island to record expenditure and income, and this is a condition of Heritage Lottery Fund grants. Capital expenditure is mainly recorded at scheme level which relates to a site; however, some projects can span over a number of different funding streams. If there's a specific ask that you're looking to get to, I'd be happy to sit down and get to the bottom of it, but with such a broad question I can't provide the answer that you're looking for. Cllr Hopkins to Cllr Burke Do the future plans involving the Roath Park dam include measures to improve water quality in Roath Park Lake and to what extent does the project involve collaboration with Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water? Reply – Cllr Burke The proposals to be considered by the Council are not directly aimed at improving water quality within the lake, but are based on compliance with the Reservoirs Act 1975 and ensuring that a one in 10,000-year flood event can pass safely. NRW and Welsh Water are stakeholders of the project and NRW are a tier 2 category stakeholder along with other regulatory bodies, so it's important to note that in addition to their advisory and support role, they also have enforcement powers under the Reservoir Act 1975. Welsh Water themselves fall under the tier 3 stakeholder category as utilities provider. Any measures that can be taken to secure improvements in water quality which may be required will be considered as the project progresses and in liaison with relevant stakeholders. Supplementary – Cllr Hopkins You will know that we've raised concerns about water quality and algal blooms in the lake on numerous occasions in the past. At a recent community meeting in Cyncoed involving Natural Resources Wales, NRW were clear that the water quality is adversely affected by misconnections and ingress of grey water, including sewage from domestic and other premises, into the Llanishen Brook and Nant Fawr stream, that of course feed into the lake. So could you give an assurance that improving water quality in collaboration with NRW in particular, will be an integral part of the future work on the dam, otherwise this could be an opportunity that would be lost? Reply – Cllr Burke I don't know if I can give that assurance for this specific scheme; I think it would fit into the wider work that Welsh Water are looking to do. Certainly I've spoken to Welsh Water recently about the need to have a look at the quality of water in the city obviously because it's something that my residents feel very passionately about. So just to be clear, specifically for this project, I think it would be a by-product of work that would be done in the wider system. Cllr Gunter on behalf of Cllr Dilwar Ali to Cllr De’Ath During recent site visits to Llandaff North, Cllr Ali showed the Cabinet Member several areas of worn road and pavement. Could he please update on whether any repair work is planned on Station Road, as Cllr Ali feels this area is a priority? Reply – Cllr De’Ath It was great to visit Llandaff North with Dilwar and look at his gullies. I know he’s been doing some great work with Cllr Burke around highways; they were out with the drainage team during the recent floods minimising flood risks, helping people during the recent frost; so really impressive, diligent local members. I have some good news for Cllr Ali, we have two nights of work scheduled in for Station Road in the first week of May. Cllr Gunter on behalf of Cllr Dilwar Ali to Cllr Thorne Can the Cabinet Member update us on whether contractors have been appointed for the BISF Homes Hard to Heat scheme in Llandaff North and Rumney? Reply – Cllr Thorne As you'll be aware, the Cabinet agreed last week to take forward a scheme to install external wall insulation to the remaining British Iron and Steel Federation homes in Cardiff. These properties have steel frames and non-traditional construction that make them hard to heat, leading to higher energy costs and increased fuel poverty for residents. We've been seeking funding for this scheme for some considerable time and a draft approval from Welsh Government was finally received in January this year. The funding will allow for the improvements to be made to both Council and private properties in the Llandaff North and Rumney areas. Of course, we now need to go through a proper procurement process. We plan to use our framework arrangements to ensure that work can be achieved as quickly as possible. It's anticipated that tenders will be issued in May and that the contractors will be appointed in June with work expected to commence shortly after that. I'm sure you'll agree with me that this is a very welcome news that will not only improve energy efficiency of 252 homes, but will also address fuel poverty and improve the appearances of the estates considerably. Cllr Gunter to Cllr Merry I was pleased to see St Mary the Virgin Primary School were one of the schools taking part in the Lego tournament at the Principality Stadium. Can you tell me what benefits events like this bring to schools in Cardiff? Reply – Cllr Merry The Lego tournament offered Cardiff schools a chance to participate in an authentic learning experience to develop science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects within the curriculum. It allowed learners to develop their coding and engineering skills to solve the challenges. They also develop team-working skills, communication skills and the ability to problem solve and innovate. These are skills central to realising the purposes of the new curriculum for Wales, whilst empowering our pupils to become successful members of society. It enabled interaction with city partners from industry who were able to share their knowledge and experience with the children to broaden minds in providing sites to the skills needed in workplaces of the future. It also successfully promoted the values of the Cardiff Commitment programme. And I'm going to add another one here; it was fun and they really enjoyed themselves. In fact, one of the pupils said it was the best day ever. Quite a few of them had never been in the rugby stadium so you can imagine standing there with the pitch in the background. Although I have to say when Gareth Anscombe appeared to present a prize most of them didn't know who he was, and they said, hands up if you know who it is, and they sat there, no-one knew. But we were very grateful to all of them and actually it was an amazing day. Cllr Hopkins on behalf of Cllr Molik to Cllr Mackie With an ageing population, is it right for care homes to close in Cardiff? Reply – Cllr Mackie I just want to make it clear that the Council doesn't run any care homes in Cardiff. However, I wouldn't want to see any care homes close, particularly with all the related distress that causes for residents and staff. The Council's Ageing Well strategy sets out our approach to supporting older people in Cardiff. We aim to support people to remain independent for as long as possible. Where care is needed, this can normally be provided in the individual's own home. It is very clear in both our strategy and in our recent market stability report, that further demand for residential care will be for nursing care or care for those with significant levels of dementia. Care homes that offer general residential care are being encouraged to adapt their services to meet the high-level care requirements. The Council would expect the owners and managers of private care homes to adapt their model accordingly to meet current and future demands if they are to be sustainable, and Council officers will be happy to advise and support any such change. Supplementary – Cllr Hopkins on behalf of Cllr Molik Can I thank Cllr Mackie for that answer and for the very detailed response you gave to Cllr Hunt’s question which was related to this earlier. Cllr Molik would nevertheless like to ask whether the homes on Lake Road East and Station Road can be utilised in the integrated locality-based health and care system as stated in the Wellbeing Plan earlier. Reply – Cllr Mackie It would be lovely if we could do that. Unfortunately they are private homes and, as far as I'm aware, the directors and trustees want the building sold, that is my understanding. Cllr Moultrie to Cllr Merry With the Period Dignity in Schools and Communities Grant being provided to local authorities by the Welsh Government to enable schools to provide free period products to those who need them, how is the Council working with schools to ensure that free period products are available to students when needed? Reply – Cllr Merry The Education Service has been working with all Cardiff maintained schools since 2018-19 to provide a range of period products in line with the Welsh Government's Period Dignity Grant. In recent years this has included 100% eco-friendly products, including reusable options in secondary schools such as period pants, reusable pads and menstrual cups. Period dignity guidance has been created for schools, learners, parents, carers and governors, to encourage schools to provide these free products in the most dignified way possible, and I hope those of you who are school governors have taken the chance to read the guidance sent out recently. In addition to providing period products, the Education Service has provided schools with dispensers for toilets and grants to purchase spare clothing. Secondary schools are also offered education workshops on providing period dignity workshops for learners, and further work is being carried out to map where period products can be accessed outside of school and a period dignity accreditation scheme is also being developed; and while it goes slightly beyond the question, I'd like to thank Cllr Thorne for the work done in our hubs, for example, the recent surgery, there were posts behind the door explaining how you could easily get products from the library, and that is just as important is within schools too.
Part of an issue followed across 11 meetings
There was no Urgent Business.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to approve the revised Local Pension Board Terms of Reference. as set out in Appendix 1; and authorise the Monitoring Officer to update the Constitution accordingly.
To approve amendments to the Local Pension Board (LPB) Terms of Reference, in particular to clarify that current Board members are eligible for re-appointment irrespective of whether they have previously been Board members. RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to approve the revised Local Pension Board Terms of Reference. as set out in Appendix 1; and authorise the Monitoring Officer to update the Constitution accordingly.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: • note the delegated authority granted previously by Council to the Director of Governance & Legal Services and Monitoring Officer to seek nominations from political groups for the establishment of a politically balanced Member Appointment Panel to undertake interviews for the two positions; and approve the appointment of the Independent Non-Executive Director of Cardiff Bus, as named in the Amendment Sheet provided at the meeting, for a term of 3 years, subject to the receipt of satisfactory references.
To consider the appointment of two Independent Non-Executive Directors of Cardiff Bus. RESOLVED: Council AGREED to: • note the delegated authority granted previously by Council to the Director of Governance & Legal Services and Monitoring Officer to seek nominations from political groups for the establishment of a politically balanced Member Appointment Panel to undertake interviews for the two positions; and approve the appointment of the Independent Non-Executive Director of Cardiff Bus, as named in the Amendment Sheet provided at the meeting, for a term of 3 years, subject to the receipt of satisfactory references.
Part of an issue followed across 3 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to receive a nomination and appoint to the vacancy on the Committee, in accordance with the Party Group wishes as set out in Table A and on the Amendment Sheet.
To receive nominations and make appointments to current committee vacancies as set out in the report and in accordance with the approved allocation of seats and political group wishes. RESOLVED: The Council AGREED to receive a nomination and appoint to the vacancy on the Committee, in accordance with the Party Group wishes as set out in Table A and on the Amendment Sheet.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: The Council AGREED that in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Authority Governor Panel, the Council approved the new appointments of Local Authority governors to the school governing bodies as set out in Appendix 1, each for a term of 4 years from the date of the appointment.
To appoint Local Authority Governors to fill vacancies. RESOLVED: The Council AGREED that in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Authority Governor Panel, the Council approved the new appointments of Local Authority governors to the school governing bodies as set out in Appendix 1, each for a term of 4 years from the date of the appointment.
The Written Questions and Responses received were published and in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 17(f) are published as a record in the minutes of the meeting.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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