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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Apologies had been received from Cllr Carter and Sarah McGill.
Cllr Calum Davies declared a personal interest in items 5 and 6 as he works for a Developer.
The minutes of the meeting held on 2 July 2025 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson. The minutes of the joint meeting of the Policy Review and Performance and Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committees were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
The Chairperson advised Committee that this was pre-decision scrutiny of two important elements of the organisation’s performance framework. The Council’s first external Panel Performance Assessment undertaken in July this year, alongside the internally assessed Annual Well-being Report for 2024/25. Members were advised that whilst this was a good opportunity for the committee to reassure itself of alignment between external and internal views of the Council’s performance, the Chairperson wished to ensure that Members had an opportunity to focus separately on each report; the Panel Performance Assessment first, followed by the Annual Well-being Report. The Chairperson welcomed Cllr Huw Thomas, Leader of Cardiff Council; Cllr Chris Weaver, Cabinet Member, Finance, Modernisation & Performance; Paul Orders, Chief Executive; Chris Lee, Corporate Director, Resources; Gareth Newell, Head of Performance & Partnerships; and Dylan Owen, Operational Manager, Policy & Improvement. Panel Performance Assessment The Leader was invited to make an opening statement after which the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. The Committee welcomed the very positive findings of the Council’s first independent PPA, describing it as an excellent endorsement of a well-governed, ambitious council respected by its partners. Members noted the three improvement recommendations and commented as follows; The Committee acknowledged the recommendation to rebalance scrutiny activity, shifting from a strong focus on pre-decision scrutiny to more thematic reviews, and embedding diversity in scrutiny work. Members clarified that this stems from concerns about limited thematic scrutiny and explored whether structural changes are needed. Members welcomed the Chief Executive’s view that current scrutiny is robust and that the recommendation is about achieving better balance. Members considered that the upcoming scrutiny review should aim to strengthen policy-focused scrutiny, with timely access to relevant documents and broader thematic opportunities. Members emphasised the need for collaborative engagement across all Members, especially in light of declining participation in Scrutiny Committees and some longstanding vacancies on committees. To improve scrutiny programming, Members considered that early identification of potential delays in Cabinet reports, would allow reserve thematic topics to be scheduled and maintain effective scrutiny agendas. Members supported the recommendation to refresh the Council’s economic narrative, aligning it more closely with the Fairer Greener Cardiff goals. With major developments expected in the next two years, Members agreed that now is an appropriate time to renew the Economic Development Strategy. The Committee highlighted the importance of improving workforce diversity, particularly at senior levels. While progress has been made, Members stressed the need for better alignment between the Workforce Strategy and the Medium-Term Financial Plan to support succession planning and diversity. Members acknowledged the current strength of leadership and internal progression but sought assurance that future appointments will maintain high standards. Succession planning was identified as essential to ensure readiness for leadership opportunities and continued organisational strength. Annual Well-being Report 2024/25 Members were advised that this item enabled the committee to consider the self-assessed report that summarises the Council’s end-of-year performance and looks forward to the challenges ahead. The Committee’s key role wass to consider whether the Council had processes in place to effectively monitor performance, and whether it had assessed its performance over the past year accurately. The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members were concerned that sickness absence rates had remained higher than expected. It was noted that the ongoing Workforce Strategy review and changes to senior management, particularly the appointment of the new Director of Frontline Services, would focus on improving this issue. Members noted that Managers had reportedly been well-supported and trained to handle sickness absence, and the issue had been regularly discussed at senior management level. Members asked for more detail about the Council’s work with Keep Wales Tidy, as mentioned in the Annual Well-being Report. Members were advised that the Council relies on this partnership to engage communities. While Cardiff performs well in recycling rates, some residents have not followed the new system. The Council has collected a lot of data on cleanliness and welcomed new insights to better understand and address poor behaviour. Keep Wales Tidy had helped identify the sources of litter to improve prevention. Behaviour change remains a challenge and may have contributed to the decline in street cleanliness. However, aligning bin collection and street cleaning days has had a positive impact. The Committee looked into why visits to the Hubs webpage had fallen. It was explained that the site had been offline for five weeks due to maintenance, and a new cookie policy had allowed users to opt out of data sharing, which may also have affected traffic. Members asked whether the Council’s ranking in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index would change following a recent Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act. Members were advised that the Council was awaiting updated guidance and expected changes to the criteria and its ranking. Members were disappointed by the slow progress in getting more employers to commit to the Real Living Wage. It was noted that the Council had played a key role through its Living Wage Steering Committee, but momentum has slowed. A pre-Christmas campaign was planned, using model employers to encourage others, acknowledging that more could be done to promote fair pay. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were advised that this item enabled them to scrutinise the Council’s strategy, preparations and timetable for delivering the Budget in 2026/27, informed by the latest monitoring report for this budget year, the Month 4 report. For this item, the Chairperson welcomed Cllr Chris Weaver, Cabinet Member, Finance, Modernisation & Performance; Chris Lee, Corporate Director, Resources and Ian Allwood, Head of Finance The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after which Members were provided with a presentation from Officers. The Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. The Committee welcomed the reduced budget gap and overspend reported at Month 4 compared to the previous year. They appreciated the planned efficiency savings for the autumn and expressed confidence in the timely access to grant funding and capital for planned schemes. Members commended the successful handling of increased employer National Insurance contributions, which followed prudent financial advice. They also noted the hope for an earlier announcement of the Council’s financial settlement, possibly in November. Members observed that only four service directorates were forecasting a balanced budget. They acknowledged that budget monitoring reports provided essential oversight and helped prompt corrective actions to manage overspending. These reports were considered vital for achieving a balanced budget by year-end. Members discussed the Welsh Government’s decision to phase out private sector provision of children’s residential care. While the authority supported this move and anticipated improvements, it was too early to identify any financial savings. Concerns were raised about the adequacy of grant funding to support the change, and officers had been in close contact with Welsh Government. The Committee agreed that the authority must avoid further financial strain in this area due to external decisions and noted that the contingency budget remained intact. The Committee explored the goal of placing children in residential care closer to home, ideally within Cardiff or nearby areas. The Council had adapted its model in response to Welsh Government’s agenda, but despite collaboration with housing and other authorities, the complexity of matching children to suitable homes amid rising demand had created significant pressures. Given financial and demographic challenges, Members sought reassurance that the Council would maintain a preventative approach to service planning. They noted that aligning budget setting with the Corporate Plan refresh was key to preserving preventative services. They also acknowledged that core services were central to the Council’s change programme, and that links between this programme and the Medium-Term Financial Plan would be strengthened following a Performance Panel recommendation. The Committee reflected on the Council’s recent media message indicating that delivering all current services would be challenging in the coming years. They viewed this as a significant shift. While many uncertainties and risks remained, they noted the Council’s positive stance, commitment to efficiency, and willingness to accelerate change when appropriate, in consultation with the public. Members agreed that Children’s Services budgets had historically been difficult to manage but appreciated the improved communication and data sharing between Finance and service areas. Contingency budgets were seen as crucial for managing risks in this area. Members asked about the impact of the proposed zonal parking scheme on civil parking enforcement income and were advised that any initial increase in income would likely be offset by the cost of additional signage. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were advised that this item presented them with an opportunity for pre-decision scrutiny of the Council’s Annual Property Plan for 2025/26. The Cabinet report attached at Appendix A sought approval for the Annual Property Plan, the implementation plan that sits behind the Council’s approved five-year Corporate Property Strategy. For this item, the Chairperson welcomed Councillor Russell Goodway, Cabinet Member for Investment and Development; Donna Jones, Assistant Director County Estates; Giles Parker, Head of Property; Matt Seymour, Asset Manager. The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after which Members were provided with a presentation from Officers. The Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. The Committee believed the APP target for legal compliance should have been set at 100% instead of 80%. Officers explained that 80% was a minimum, but the Council always aimed for full compliance and addressed any issues found during inspections. Members were informed that the target of 230 council homes for 2025–26 referred to approvals, not completed builds. They requested confirmation on this. Members asked about the future of the Lansdown Road Primary School building. They noted that Cabinet had been discussing long-term plans and a decision was expected soon. Ward councillors welcomed confirmation that the Cabinet Member for Housing would meet with them before any public announcement. Members asked for more details about the intended use of Clive Lodge, a six-bedroom property. As no information was available at the time, they requested that any updates be included in the response to Chairs letter following Committee. Discussing Leasehold Management/Oversight, it was confirmed that there is monitoring of the condition of community buildings under leasehold arrangements. If maintenance was poor, the Council could intervene, carry out repairs, and reclaim control if needed, though it preferred to work with the leaseholders. Discussing Community Leases / Sports Pitch Strategy, the Committee noted that leasehold arrangements were preferred over Community Asset Transfers due to past issues with due diligence. Members raised concerns that the Sports Pitch Strategy, might conflict with wellbeing goals and other projects. They appreciated the offer to raise these concerns and sought reassurance that the strategy would not limit public access to recreational spaces. The Committee discussed converting commercial properties into housing. Officers supported this approach due to the housing crisis, though they acknowledged the need to preserve land for employment. While housing demand was high, Members stressed the importance of keeping space available for inward investment and job creation. Members were updated on major projects including the Red Dragon Centre and Cardiff Peninsula, as well as discussions with a U.S.-based sports and leisure company. Officers noted that planning delays were averaging 96 weeks and were a major barrier to progress. The Committee noted that lease arrangements for St David’s Hall had been completed, transferring responsibility and liability to the leaseholder. This resulted in savings for the Council. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were remined that a list of potential items for the committee’s work programme had been circulated over the summer. Members had been invited to provide feedback, and several responses had been received. A traffic light system has been adopted to prioritise items: • Red: Confirmed and scheduled. • Amber: Flexible and may be rescheduled. • Green: Lower priority, to be slotted in where possible. Some Members had suggested more thematic scrutiny, which aligns with topics raised in the PPA. These will be considered for inclusion when gaps arise in the programme, particularly due to slippage in pre-decision scrutiny dates. Members noted that the work programme remains flexible and open to updates as new items emerge. Members were asked for any further ideas: Members noted that Education and Social Services consume significant portions of the budget and suggested deeper scrutiny into school deficits and challenges in children’s services. Whilst the Chairperson acknowledged the importance of the issues raised, he cautioned against overlapping with other scrutiny committees, noting that CYP had conducted a school deficit inquiry in June and that PRAP works best when relevant topics are integrated naturally into existing agendas. The Chairperson advised that October meetings were already fully booked, however future opportunities would be explored, such as the Month 6 financial report in November. Officers had confirmed that finance officers will include a “what’s changed” section in the Month 6 report, comparing it to Month 4. This would improve clarity and help track financial trends. This had been committee’s suggestion and has had a positive impact on reporting practices. Members were encouraged to contribute any further ideas via email to the Chair or scrutiny officers.
None received
4.30pm on Wednesday 9 October 2025.
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.
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