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The Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee met on 21 April 2026. The main item was a short scrutiny of allotments, where members of the Cardiff Allotment Holder Association raised problems with invoices, plot terminations and the Orkastrate system, and Parks officers outlined planned changes. The Committee agreed that the Chairperson should write to the Cabinet Member with its observations and recommendations.
No apologies were received.
Cllr Green declared a personal interest as he is on the Allotment waiting list.
The minutes of the meetings held on 24 February 2026 and 17 March 2026 were both agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson. The Chairperson welcomed Cllr Pocknell to her first meeting of the Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee and reminded members of the importance of remaining apolitical during scrutiny meetings, particularly during the pre-election period.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: 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 introduced this item and reminded Members that this short scrutiny was a follow on from the previous session held in January 2026. Between then and now committee had held a series of visits to five allotment sites across Cardiff, with the appendices to the report including a summary of the main findings of its scrutiny to date including site visits and site submissions. The Chairperson and committee members placed on record their thanks to all the allotmenteers they had met on these visits and for sharing their views and experiences. The item was split into two parts, with members of Cardiff Allotment Holder Association (CAHA) present to begin and the Cabinet Member and Officers to follow. For this item the Chairperson welcomed Tracey Woodberry, CAHA Chair, Pengam Pavilion; Julian Goss, CAHA Secretary, Colchester Avenue; Sue Harrison, CAHA Treasurer, Lon y Deri; Phil Graham, CAHA Member, Forest Farm; Dawid Wawrzyniak, CAHA Member, Leckwith Droves; and John Hughes, CAHA Member, Cowbridge Road. Julian Goss provided an additional statement on behalf of CAHA outlining the issues faced at Cardiff’s allotments. This included: • The need for up-to-date, timely and accurate reports on plot lettings, vacant plots, plot terminations and waiting lists. • Limitations with the Orkastrate software system used by site representatives to manage allotment sites. • Unexplained fluctuations in the grant funding that locally managed sites receive from the local authority. • Plot holders not being invoiced or invoiced incorrectly. • A lack of overall accountability and communication from the Council. • Too much pressure on volunteers, noting that four committee members had resigned in the previous 12-months, three of which because of the workload involved. The Chairperson invited questions and comments from committee members. Members were advised that plot holders were billed annually on 1st February but that invoices were received sporadically. Site reps were unaware if and when invoices would be sent out. Committee heard that some plot holders feel they do not need to pay for their plots as they are not being sent a bill, whereas others are concerned they may lose their plot having not received an invoice. Committee was informed that some plot holders were in their second year of having not received an invoice and that the issue appeared to lie with two Council departments, Finance and Parks, failing to communicate effectively with each other. Invoices were not available digitally and were received by paper copy only. Members were informed that site reps were working hard to produce applications for vacant plots and sending these to the Allotments officer, but that the communication from the Council was inconsistent. The CAHA representatives asked for assistance, stating they were not receiving replies to emails, not receiving up-to-date information on plot holders and waiting lists and were therefore being prevented from doing the job to the desired level. Regarding extensive waiting lists for an allotment, the Association confirmed it had not taken a formal position on people holding multiple plots as the position varied between sites. Those requesting another plot must follow the application process and join at the bottom of the waiting list so as not to deprive somebody already waiting for a plot. Furthermore, if an applicant did not look after their original plot properly, then site reps would likely try to prevent them from obtaining any additional plots. Members were advised that although many people held two plots, it was uncommon for allotmenteers to hold more than that. The site reps stated if they had sight of holders who were refusing to pay their invoices, they put pressure on them to improve and, if needed, ask the Council to look at terminating their contract. This helps with reletting plots and ultimately reduces waiting list times. However, site reps are not provided with up-to-date information on terminations and are not informed when a new tenancy agreement has been processed. The Association raised that locally managed sites received no policies, structure or role descriptions from the Council and this restricted their ability to carry out their roles. They highlighted that a digital system would take pressure off the Parks Department and were positive that proposed changes to the Orkastrate system following discussions with Parks Officers would allow for a new, more effective digital way of working. With Members keen to follow up to ensure the matters discussed would be implemented correctly and to receive feedback, the Principal Scrutiny Officer advised that following the evidence from the CAHA representatives, that Cllr Burke and Parks Officers would discuss the work taking place which may answer some of the points raised. As a culmination of this scrutiny, committee would consider key findings and representations and agree those recommendations as part of a report that would later come back to committee. As part of the scrutiny process, committee would monitor the implementation of those recommendations to allow that feedback loop on progress made based on the recommendations committee collectively agrees on. Members were informed that some volunteers worked 35-40 hours a week on site and were constantly having to follow up unanswered emails with the Parks Department. When asked of any prompt actions the Council could implement, the site reps explained the termination process was inefficient and people needed to be moved on quicker, with some plots waiting to be terminated for over 12-months, resulting in them falling into a poor state. The Chairperson asked whether any sites had signed up for time credits for their volunteer work. One site had done previously but did not find them worthwhile, while the other Association Members either did not claim time credits or were unaware of such a scheme. They explained that they were reimbursed a small amount but that some sites had experienced delays in receiving these payments from the Council. Committee was informed that 34 separate issues were highlighted with the Orkastrate system and that the tablet, being read only, was limited in the information it provided and that the information available was frequently inaccurate. The site reps explained that the management of the system had now changed in a more positive way, with the Council bringing a project manager on board to try and improve the software in discussion with the CAHA members. They raised further possible improvements, including real-time information and using Orkastrate to undertake tasks rather than it being read-only. Site representatives explained they were having to take on more responsibilities as part of the locally managed agreements, as the Parks Department did not have the funding to carry out a lot of what it had previously agreed to do so. The Youth Council Representative queried whether any sites had implemented CCTV to target the issues of fly tipping and theft. Committee was advised that three of the six sites present had some sort of CCTV or wildlife camera at their site but with limited action as the police classed such instances as low-key theft and there was no follow up. On two occasions cameras were destroyed by thieves and had to be replaced. Members were advised that the allotments process needed to go back to basics with procedures and timescales put in place with further resources made available to prevent recurring issues, such as flytipping and the fluctuations in grant funding that locally managed sites receive, from occurring. Currently, there was no training for people taking on locally managed sites and a lack of learning material available. There also appears to be no monitoring of locally managed sites to check adherence to agreements. Regarding the maintenance backlog, the Council had started carrying out an Asset Management Strategy at each site which site reps explained would show the full extent of the maintenance problems faced, noting the actual problem would then be addressing these concerns. Committee was informed that incorrect billing and disputes had to be dealt with through the Council’s Income Recovery Team and CAHA representatives expressed frustration that if the system was working correctly, this would be altogether avoidable. One Association Member commented that 10 plot holders at their site were still awaiting their invoices, one of which for over two-years, despite emails being sent to Parks for each individual. The Chairperson thanked the witnesses from CAHA for their contributions and explained that they were welcome to stay for the remainder of the short scrutiny item. For the next part of this item the Chairperson welcomed Cllr Jennifer Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Parks; Jennie Judd, Operational Manager, Parks; and Rhodri Edwards, Parks Strategy and Technical Manager. The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after which Members were provided with a presentation from Officers. Rhodri Edwards addressed a couple of points made by the CAHA Members in relation to the flooding that occurred at Leckwith Droves Allotments, stating officers are working with the site committee to ensure no repeat of the flooding, and concerns relating to the allotment grant, explaining that he would be happy to work with site representatives to go through the formula used to determine the payments and to revise figures if needed. The Chairperson then invited questions and comments from Members. Members were advised that invoices were raised specific to the financial year with fees and charges set in advance following a ratification process. To implement rolling contracts would disjoint that process and be difficult to operate within the set framework. Officers explained they had not seen a copy of the paper invoices but that they would expect a point of contact to be clearly presented should a customer have a dispute. Officers told committee they were happy to take feedback on board and would discuss this with the Finance Team to ensure information was clear for the customer. In relation to ongoing monitoring, it was confirmed that the Parks Strategy Manager had weekly interface with the Allotment Officer to look at what challenges the service area faced. Rhodri and the Allotment Officer are based at the same site, and processes have been put into place to receive support from the Parks Business Support Team. It is anticipated that recruitment for the additional allotment post will be in place no later than June this year and that mapping of new processes would be in progress by 22nd May. Regarding finances, the Allotment Officer meets monthly with Debt Control and Parks Services meets quarterly to look at debt across all the Parks Department. This is data controlled and part of the service area’s governance structure. Members were informed they would be updated on progress made and told that at the first meeting of this short scrutiny in January, it was estimated that there were more than 4,500 enquiries which came into the allotment inbox. This was being dealt with by a single officer. The Chairperson asked whether a FAQs/ knowledge base would be made available to assist with baseline questions. Officers explained they had begun to scope out information available to sites as part of the new allotment strategy as allowing users to self-serve would reduce administration on the Allotments Team. Council colleagues will work with CAHA to ensure the information is sound to them and an understandable process to follow when taking this forward. Members acknowledged the efforts being made to recruit an additional Allotment Officer and the proposed beneficial IT changes and queried whether a timeline was in place to address the issues with the Orkastrate software. Officers anticipated that by the end of June they would have a forward plan in place and will have completed an assessment on what Orchestrate can deliver. Committee was informed the total grant allocation to Cardiff Council from Welsh Government was £51,000. An additional contribution of £12,000 from Cardiff Parks brought the total up to £63,000. Tenancies were tied to the allotment growing year with a new tenancy agreement being distributed in August to start in February 2027. Officers commented that the site representatives were extremely helpful with dealing with tenancy agreements and placed on record their appreciation for the work they do. Members queried how the new deposits for plot holders would be managed. Officers confirmed this would be collected and administered by Parks Services and held centrally. Officers explained that, following the end of a lease, the aim was for deposits to be returned within 28 working days but explained they would need to clarify the process for how evidence would be collated and used regarding the state of plots for deposit purposes. Referencing that as of April 1st Parks had moved to the Frontline Services Directorate, Jennie Judd informed Members that conversations had taken place with the new Director regarding ways the service area could maximise shared resources to provide greater business resilience. It was confirmed that the payment system used for Allotment Services was the same as other departments of the Council. Noting the APSE review that identified Allotment Services as lacking in both financial and staff resource, the Chairperson asked if the work in the presentation was because of that report. Officers confirmed this was correct and that the APSE review identified the risks associated with the Allotment Service. Working with CAHA and the Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee, Parks had been able to look at some of the issues that had been put forward and begin to put them in working order. Members were advised that another self-managed allotment site had recently been added meaning there were now 15 self-managed sites in Cardiff. The new strategy would allow the team to take a step back and evaluate the delivery of the whole process and whether they had the correct models in place. That would provide an opportunity to look at other operating models used by other Local Authorities and whether any further beneficial changes could be researched and potentially introduced. RESOLVED: 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
RESOLVED: Committee to note the update provided on the CJC and the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The report provided an update on the meetings that had taken place since the last update provided to committee in December and highlighted the topics the Joint Committee was considering and making decisions on. RESOLVED: Committee to note the update provided on the CJC and the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Part of an issue followed across 11 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Committee to note the Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee pages of the Scrutiny Annual Report 2025/26.
The report outlined how the Council’s Constitution requires all Scrutiny Committees to report annually to the Council on their work during the past year and make recommendations for future work programmes. The Principal Scrutiny Officer confirmed that out of the 33 recommendations made so far this year, 26 had been from Inquiries and seven from committee meetings. No amendments to the proposed Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee pages were received. RESOLVED: Committee to note the Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee pages of the Scrutiny Annual Report 2025/26.
This report provided committee with an update on correspondence sent out and received since the last update on 20 January 2026. Committee had received three more responses since the report was published. These were as follows: • Cllr Burke – Scrutiny of FIFA Women’s World Cup • Cllr Burke – Scrutiny of EURO 2028 Preparations • Cllr Bradbury – Pre-decision Scrutiny of the Connect to Work Report to Cabinet Noting the inaccuracy confirmed during budget scrutiny regarding the Cardiff Riding School certificate costs, Cllr Jenkins asked if, as a follow up, Committee were content to request there be a gross error check into the other fees and charges committee had previously been provided with. Members agreed to this request.
There were none.
The meeting scheduled for Tuesday 12 May had been rescheduled due to lack of availability of key witnesses. The next meeting has now been confirmed as Tuesday 26 May 2026.
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.
Green: Personal interest
Cllr Green declared a personal interest because he is on the allotment waiting list.
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