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Cardiff Council met on 29 January 2026. Councillors agreed a city centre motion, as amended by Labour, which supports renewing the Business Improvement District and refers a possible Public Space Protection Order to the Community Safety Partnership. They also agreed a motion calling on the Welsh and UK Governments to change firework rules, appointed local authority school governors, and noted the Democratic Services annual report.
Apologies were received from Cllr Merry.
The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct. Councillor Agenda item Nature of interest Reason for interest Michael Michael 9 Personal On the board of For Cardiff. Peter Bradbury, Sean Driscoll 10 Personal Involved with community groups that arrange firework displays.
The minutes of the 27th November meeting were approved as a correct record and signed by the Lord Mayor.
There was one public question. 1. Lyn Eynon to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Inconsiderate and sometimes illegal parking along the southern stretch of Dumballs Road causes great inconvenience and even danger to local residents and road users. The erosion of yellow lines allows cars to park too close to the entrance to Viceroy Mansions, reducing visibility for those leaving or even blocking entry and exit. There have been near misses with cyclists. Vehicles obstructing pavements outside garages make passage hard for pedestrians and impossible for wheelchair users. These long-standing issues have recently worsened. Cllr Helen Gunter has raised them with officers, but nothing has yet happened. When will the council investigate and remedy these problems? Reply – Cllr Mackie I can confirm that civil parking enforcement officers undertake regular patrols of Dumballs Road in Butetown. In 2025, 610 enforcement visits were undertaken, and 608 penalty charge notices were issued. I can also confirm that officers within the council’s transport team are currently considering the implementation of new restrictions within this area, which would be subject to consultation with local councillors. I should also make clear that obstruction remains a police matter, and only they have the powers to enforce obstruction of the carriageway or footway. Supplementary – Lyn Eynon If civil enforcement officers are coming to Dumballs Road, they can only enforce rules that are clearly, publicly visible to those who may park. At present, yellow lines that were there many years ago have simply been eroded over time and not replaced, which means that cars park right in front of the entrance to the block of flats that I mentioned. I can send you plenty of photographs that residents have taken, struggling to get in and out of the entrance. So, I think we do need that, and we also need to consider whether we need additional restrictions for loading and unloading, and dropping people off and picking them up, which is also an issue at that point. I understand that obstruction is a police matter, however these are local businesses that provide an important service as well as employment, the garages along that part of Dumballs Road, and it would be good to think the council could negotiate with those businesses, informally if necessary, so that they would agree to leave a clear passage through when they are parking cars near their garages, so that everybody could move up and down while those businesses could still successfully operate, so I’d like to ask you to consider that as well. Reply – Cllr Mackie I think, as I said, the council’s transport team are currently looking at implementing new restrictions in that area, so they will be looking at what they can put there. And if the yellow lines have disappeared, then I would imagine they’ll certainly put them back in, but I’ll have a word with them and see what they can do, and maybe they can look at what they can put around the garages as well.
Council received three petitions: Presented by Number of relevant signatures Nature of petition Cllr Peter Wong 44 On behalf of Cardiff Cycle City, congratulating the council on building Cycleway 1 and calling on them to commit to accelerating the construction of the city’s planned network of cycleways. Cllr Jayne Cowan 179 Calling on the council to keep the patrolled crossing at Heol Uchaf, for the safety of children at Llanishen Fach Primary School. Cllr Joe Carter 312 Calling for new play equipment at parks in Pentwyn and Llanedeyrn, including Glenwood, Waun Fach and Parc Coed Y Nant.
A full list of mayoral engagements had been circulated to Members prior to the meeting. The Lord Mayor added that he had attended a 150th anniversary memorial for the Lan mining disaster in Gwaelod-y-Garth, and congratulated the organisers and praised the schoolchildren involved. He had also attended the 105th birthday celebration of Mr Ollie Phillips on 10th January. He paid tribute to former Councillor John Philips, who passed away on 22nd December, and invited councillors to hold a minute’s silence. Cllr Phillips represented Llanrumney and served as the Lord Mayor of Cardiff in the late 1990s, living in Heath for many years with his wife Ray. His funeral took place at Thornhill Crematorium on 7th January. He also added his congratulations to all those who received awards in the New Years Honours list, in particular Professor Meena Upadhyaya OBE, who became a Dame Commander Order of the British Empire for services to community cohesion in Wales, and Suzanne Griffiths, Director of the National Adoption Service and Foster Wales, who received an OBE. He also reminded Members that a fundraising coffee morning for his chosen charities would take place in Rhiwbina on 21st March in Rhiwbina, and congratulated Cllr Green and his partner on the birth of their second child.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To note the Annual Report of the Democratic Services Committee for 2025.
Council was asked to note the Democratic Services Committee Annual Report for 2025. The report was proposed by Cllr Lancaster, Chair of the Committee. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before it was noted. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To note the Annual Report of the Democratic Services Committee for 2025.
Leader’s Statement Cllr Thomas responded to questions in relation to: - preparations for the 2027 Tour de France; - Holocaust Memorial Day 2026; - Remembering Srebrenica Wales; - the Migrant Workers Charter. Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Statement Cllr Mackie responded to questions in relation to: - drain cover thefts; - civil parking enforcement; - funding for kennel space at the Rescue Hotel. Culture, Sport & Parks Statement Cllr Burke responded to questions in relation to: - BBC Cardiff Singer of the World; - de-silting the north part of Roath Lake. Finance, Modernisation & Performance Statement Cllr Weaver responded to questions in relation to: - ensuring digital inclusion with the C2C app and BOBi chatbot; - the accessibility of the 2026/27 budget consultation. Housing & Communities Statement Cllrs Bridgeman and Thorne responded to questions in relation to: - the Clean Up for Christmas Day event in Trowbridge Green; - working with grassroots community organisations. Investment & Development Statement Cllr Goodway responded to questions in relation to: - further improvements to the city centre public realm; - employment data and the economic outlook; - the future of the Mansion House. Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Statement Cllrs Thomson and Sangani responded to questions in relation to: - equity of access to care; - Powerhouse Hub in Llanedeyrn; - the condition of buildings at UHW; - the menorah lighting service at Cardiff United Synagogue. Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Statement Cllr De’Ath responded to questions in relation to: - pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in Llandaff; - discontinued bus routes. Deputy Leader and Education Statement Cllr Merry responded to questions in relation to: - the number of secondary schools signed up to Holocaust Memorial Day events; - ALN expansion and revisions to the formula; - the quality and variety of free school meals; - Llysfaen Primary School’s contribution to One Planet Cardiff. Children’s Services, Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People Statement Cllrs Lister and Bradbury responded to questions in relation to: - the installation of Play Shacks in primary schools and community centres.
The Lord Mayor noted that a Notice of Motion proposed by Cllr Lancaster and seconded by Cllr Davies had been received for consideration. The Lord Mayor invited Cllr Lancaster to propose the Motion as follows: This Council notes: - FOR Cardiff’s “The City We Have & The City We Want” consultation, published in November 2025, which found that while respondents generally view the city centre positively, the top two recommendations for future improvement are a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour as well as a cleaner city; and - Cannabis is a Class B drug, the possession and use of which is illegal under Section 5 of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, the numerous psychological harms of cannabis abuse – including psychoses such as schizophrenia – and its prominence in criminal activities. This Council believes: - Creating a safer and cleaner city centre will benefit residents and visitors and help to support businesses; - Residents should not have to fear entering the city centre due to the anti-social behaviour and drug use, including cannabis, that goes unchallenged in our city centre; and - This should be achieved via the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order covering the city centre, which can be used to counter any unreasonable and persistent behaviour from crime and antisocial behaviour to littering and drug abuse. This Council resolves: - To initiate the process of introducing a PSPO with due regard to the best practice guidelines published by the LGA, including early engagement with partners to determine the necessary evidence base; and - That the Leader and Chief Executive write to the Chief Constable and Police & Crime Commissioner for South Wales Police to inform them that the Council is taking this action due to public demand for stronger action from the police to enforce the law in regards to drug abuse and anti-social behaviour in the city centre, and requests an action plan to demonstrate how South Wales Police intends to deliver on these calls. The Motion was formally seconded by Cllr Davies. The Lord Mayor noted that Amendments to the Motion had been received from the Liberal Democrat and Labour groups. The Lord Mayor called upon Cllr Berman to move the Liberal Democrat Amendment as follows: This Council notes: - FOR Cardiff’s “The City We Have & The City We Want” consultation, published in November 2025, which found that while respondents generally view the city centre positively, the top two recommendations for future improvement are a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour as well as a cleaner city; and - Cannabis is a Class B drug, the possession and use of which is illegal under Section 5 of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, the numerous psychological harms of cannabis abuse – including psychoses such as schizophrenia – and its prominence in criminal activities. This Council believes: - Creating a safer and cleaner city centre will benefit residents and visitors and help to support businesses; - Residents should not have to fear entering the city centre due to the anti-social behaviour and drug use, including cannabis, that goes unchallenged in our city centre; and - Delete This should be achieved via the introduction of Insert That the option exists of introducing a Public Space Protection Order covering the city centre, which Delete can Insert could be used to counter any unreasonable and persistent behaviour from crime and antisocial behaviour to littering and drug abuse. This Council resolves: - Delete To initiate the process of introducing a PSPO with due regard to the best practice guidelines published by the LGA, including early engagement with partners to determine the necessary evidence base; and - Delete That the Leader and Chief Executive write to the Chief Constable and Police & Crime Commissioner for South Wales Police to inform them that the Council is taking this action due to public demand for stronger action from the police to enforce the law in regards to drug abuse and anti-social behaviour in the city centre, and requests an action plan to demonstrate how South Wales Police intends to deliver on these calls. - Insert To engage with partners, including South Wales Police and local businesses, to bring forward an action plan aimed at making the city centre a more attractive place in which to live, work, shop and enjoy hospitality. This should include action aimed at: · reducing crime and anti-social behaviour (including drug use); · better tackling litter and fly-tipping within the city centre; · attracting more businesses and reducing the number of vacant shop units; and · improving the public realm within the city centre, including by seeking to reduce the increasing prevalence of many of our paved shopping streets being patched with tarmac rather than paving slabs being replaced. The amended motion would read as follows: This Council notes: - FOR Cardiff’s “The City We Have & The City We Want” consultation, published in November 2025, which found that while respondents generally view the city centre positively, the top two recommendations for future improvement are a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour as well as a cleaner city; and - Cannabis is a Class B drug, the possession and use of which is illegal under Section 5 of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, the numerous psychological harms of cannabis abuse – including psychoses such as schizophrenia – and its prominence in criminal activities. This Council believes: - Creating a safer and cleaner city centre will benefit residents and visitors and help to support businesses; - Residents should not have to fear entering the city centre due to the anti-social behaviour and drug use, including cannabis, that goes unchallenged in our city centre; and - That the option exists of introducing a Public Space Protection Order covering the city centre, whichcould be used to counter any unreasonable and persistent behaviour from crime and antisocial behaviour to littering and drug abuse. This Council resolves: - To engage with partners, including South Wales Police and local businesses, to bring forward an action plan aimed at making the city centre a more attractive place in which to live, work, shop and enjoy hospitality. This should include action aimed at: · reducing crime and anti-social behaviour (including drug use); · better tackling litter and fly-tipping within the city centre; · attracting more businesses and reducing the number of vacant shop units; and · improving the public realm within the city centre, including by seeking to reduce the increasing prevalence of many of our paved shopping streets being patched with tarmac rather than paving slabs being replaced. The Liberal Democrat Amendment was formally seconded by Cllr Molik. The Lord Mayor called upon Cllr Bowen-Thomson to move the Labour Amendment as follows: This Council notes: - Insert Cardiff City Centre continues to cement itself as a top UK retail and leisure destination, with a 1.2% rise in footfall in 2025 compared to 2024, with December seeing a 7.1% increase on a like-for-like basis; - Insert This is underpinned by sustained Council investment in the city centre, both in terms of day-to-day management and strategic regeneration, particularly at Central Square and the Canal Quarter; - FOR Cardiff’s “The City We Have & The City We Want” consultation, published in November 2025, Delete which found that while respondents generally view the city centre positively, the top two recommendations for future improvement are a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour Delete as well as Insert and a cleaner city; - Delete Cannabis is a Class B drug, the possession and use of which is illegal under Section 5 of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, the numerous psychological harms of cannabis abuse – including psychoses such as schizophrenia – and its prominence in criminal activities. - Insert That addressing these challenges requires a coordinated and sustained approach that goes beyond enforcement alone and includes harm reduction and public health approaches, recognising the complex and interconnected causes of public disorder and vulnerability, including rough sleeping, substance misuse and mental ill-health in city centre environments; - Insert The ongoing partnership working between Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, FOR Cardiff, City Centre Wardens, taxi marshals, homelessness and outreach services and third sector organisations, which together play a vital role in maintaining safety, supporting vulnerable individuals and promoting public confidence in the city centre. - Insert The Council also welcomes the recent increase of 24 new police officers within Cardiff & Vale BCU thanks to UK Government funding. This Council believes: - Delete Creating a safer and cleaner city centre will benefit residents and visitors and help to support businesses; - Insert Promoting the city centre as a generally safe and clean environment requires strong partnership working, targeted enforcement where necessary, and effective harm-reduction support and access to treatment for vulnerable people, creating a safer and cleaner city centre which will benefit residents, visitors and businesses; - Delete Residents should not have to fear entering the city centre due to the anti-social behaviour and drug use, including cannabis, that goes unchallenged in our city centre; and - Insert The close partnership working between various agencies including the Council, FOR Cardiff and South Wales Police is critical to the success of our city centre economy; - Delete This should be achieved via the introduction of a Public Space Protection Order covering the city centre, which can be used to counter any unreasonable and persistent behaviour from crime and antisocial behaviour to littering and drug abuse. - Insert That any consideration of a Public Space Protection Order must be evidence-led, operationally deliverable and compliant with LGA best practice guidance, and should only be progressed where it demonstrably adds value beyond the tools and powers already available to the Council and Police. This Council resolves: - Delete To initiate the process of introducing a PSPO with due regard to the best practice guidelines published by the LGA, including early engagement with partners to determine the necessary evidence base; and - Insert To support the renewal of the Business Improvement District in the forthcoming Business Rate Payers vote on renewal; - Delete That the Leader and Chief Executive write to the Chief Constable and Police & Crime Commissioner for South Wales Police to inform them that the Council is taking this action due to public demand for stronger action from the police to enforce the law in regards to drug abuse and anti-social behaviour in the city centre, and requests an action plan to demonstrate how South Wales Police intends to deliver on these calls. - Insert To refer the matter of re-introducing a Public Space Protection Order in the city centre to the Community Safety Partnership (which includes South Wales Police and FOR Cardiff) for consideration of whether this is the most effective and proportionate means of addressing issues relating to drug use, anti-social behaviour and other concerns, or whether alternative interventions could be implemented more effectively or appropriately, and to request that the Cabinet Member report back to Members at a future Council meeting. The amended motion would read as follows: This Council notes: - Cardiff City Centre continues to cement itself as a top UK retail and leisure destination, with a 1.2% rise in footfall in 2025 compared to 2024, with December seeing a 7.1% increase on a like-for-like basis; - This is underpinned by sustained Council investment in the city centre, both in terms of day-to-day management and strategic regeneration, particularly at Central Square and the Canal Quarter; - FOR Cardiff’s “The City We Have & The City We Want” consultation, published in November 2025, found that while respondents generally view the city centre positively, the top two recommendations for future improvement are a reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour and a cleaner city; - That addressing these challenges requires a coordinated and sustained approach that goes beyond enforcement alone and includes harm reduction and public health approaches, recognising the complex and interconnected causes of public disorder and vulnerability, including rough sleeping, substance misuse and mental ill-health in city centre environments; - The ongoing partnership working between Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, FOR Cardiff, City Centre Wardens, taxi marshals, homelessness and outreach services and third sector organisations, which together play a vital role in maintaining safety, supporting vulnerable individuals and promoting public confidence in the city centre. - The Council also welcomes the recent increase of 24 new police officers within Cardiff & Vale BCU thanks to UK Government funding. This Council believes: - Promoting the city centre as a generally safe and clean environment requires strong partnership working, targeted enforcement where necessary, and effective harm-reduction support and access to treatment for vulnerable people, creating a safer and cleaner city centre which will benefit residents, visitors and businesses; - The close partnership working between various agencies including the Council, FOR Cardiff and South Wales Police is critical to the success of our city centre economy; - That any consideration of a Public Space Protection Order must be evidence-led, operationally deliverable and compliant with LGA best practice guidance, and should only be progressed where it demonstrably adds value beyond the tools and powers already available to the Council and Police. This Council resolves: - To support the renewal of the Business Improvement District in the forthcoming Business Rate Payers vote on renewal; - To refer the matter of re-introducing a Public Space Protection Order in the city centre to the Community Safety Partnership (which includes South Wales Police and FOR Cardiff) for consideration of whether this is the most effective and proportionate means of addressing issues relating to drug use, anti-social behaviour and other concerns, or whether alternative interventions could be implemented more effectively or appropriately, and to request that the Cabinet Member report back to Members at a future Council meeting. The Amendment was formally seconded by Cllr Mackie. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the Motion and Amendments. The Lord Mayor invited Cllr Lancaster to respond to the issues raised during the debate. He confirmed that the Liberal Democrat and Labour Amendments were not accepted. The Amendments not having been accepted, the Lord Mayor moved to the vote on the Liberal Democrat Amendment proposed by Cllr Berman and seconded by Cllr Molik. FOR (10) Cllrs Berman, Carter, Hopkins, Latif, Molik, Naughton, Shimmin, Taylor, Waldron and Wood AGAINST (56) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Cowan, Cunnah, Davies, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Driscoll, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Goodway, Gunter, Hinchey, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Owen Jones, Lancaster, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Lloyd Jones, Mackie, McEvoy, McGarry, Melbourne, Michael, Moultrie, Owen, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Topham, Weaver, Wild, Williams and Wong ABSTAIN (4) Cllrs Chowdhury, Gibson, Livesy and Youde The Liberal Democrat Amendment was LOST. The Liberal Democrat Amendment having been lost, the Lord Mayor moved to the vote on the Labour Amendment proposed by Cllr Bowen-Thomson and seconded by Cllr Mackie. FOR (47) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Cunnah, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Goodway, Gunter, Hinchey, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Owen Jones, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Lloyd Jones, Mackie, McGarry, Michael, Moultrie, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Weaver, Wild and Wong AGAINST (9) Cllrs Cowan, Davies, Driscoll, Lancaster, McEvoy, Melbourne, Owen, Topham and Williams ABSTAIN (14) Cllrs Berman, Carter, Chowdhury, Gibson, Hopkins, Latif, Livesy, Molik, Naughton, Shimmin, Taylor, Waldron, Wood and Youde The Labour Amendment was CARRIED. The Labour Amendment having been carried, the Lord Mayor moved to the vote on the Motion as amended by Cllr Bowen-Thomson and seconded by Cllr Mackie. FOR (45) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Cunnah, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Elsmore, Goodway, Gunter, Hinchey, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Owen Jones, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Lloyd Jones, Mackie, McGarry, Michael, Moultrie, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Simmons, Stubbs, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Weaver, Wild and Wong AGAINST (10) Cllrs Chowdhury, Cowan, Davies, Driscoll, Lancaster, Melbourne, Owen, Singh, Topham and Williams ABSTAIN (14) Cllrs Berman, Carter, Gibson, Hopkins, Latif, Livesy, McEvoy, Molik, Naughton, Shimmin, Taylor, Waldron, Wood and Youde The Motion was CARRIED.
The Lord Mayor noted that a Notice of Motion proposed by Cllr Ali and seconded by Cllr McGarry had been received for consideration. The Lord Mayor invited Cllr Ali to propose the Motion as follows: This Council notes with deep concern the growing impact of fireworks misuse on communities across the city and recognises that the unpredictable use of high-decibel fireworks causes significant distress to animals, wildlife, and those with sensory sensitivities, neurodiverse conditions, those with PTSD especially veterans. Further notes that both the Councils and police forces lack sufficient powers and resources to manage the increasing volume of complaints from residents, and this highlights that current firework legislation, much of it dating back to the early 2000s, has failed to keep pace with modern technology it acknowledges the calls of animal welfare charities including the RSPCA and Dogs Trust for a reduction in permitted decibel levels, STRONGER licenses for RETAILERS and UNLICENSED POP UP Vendors during festive periods such as Bonfire Night; welcomes public campaigns that have highlighted widespread public frustration. Call upon the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government urging for legislative reform: - To limit the maximum noise level of fireworks sold to the public for private displays (commonly a reduction from 120dB to 90dB). - To restrict the sale and use of display fireworks to organisers of licensed, controlled events only. - To enable councils to designate fireworks control zones, similar to provisions in Scotland. Promote Public Awareness Campaigns to educate residents about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare, vulnerable people (e.g., those with PTSD especially veterans or neurodiverse conditions), and wildlife. Encourage Advance Advertising of all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people. Work with Local Suppliers and retailers to encourage them to stock and promote "quieter" or low-noise fireworks. RESTRICT Displays on Council Land in the public realm or transition council-run events to silent/low-noise alternatives (e.g., "fire garden" events). Support Enforcement by collaborating with local police and Trading Standards to monitor and report the illegal or underage sale and use of fireworks. The Motion was formally seconded by Cllr McGarry. The Lord Mayor noted that Amendments to the Motion had been received from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups. The Lord Mayor called upon Cllr Cowan to move the Conservative Amendment as follows: This Council notes Delete with deep concern the growing impact of fireworks misuse on communities across the city and recognises that the unpredictable use of high-decibel fireworks causes significant distress to animals, wildlife, and those with sensory sensitivities, neurodiverse conditions, those with PTSD especially veterans. Delete Further notes that both the Councils and police forces lack sufficient powers and resources to manage the increasing volume of complaints from residents, and this highlights that current firework legislation, much of it dating back to the early 2000s, has failed to keep pace with modern technology it acknowledges the calls of animal welfare charities including the RSPCA and Dogs Trust for a reduction in permitted decibel levels, STRONGER licenses for RETAILERS and UNLICENSED POP UP Vendors during festive periods such as Bonfire Night; welcomes public campaigns that have highlighted widespread public frustration. Delete Call upon the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government urging for legislative reform: - Delete To limit the maximum noise level of fireworks sold to the public for private displays (commonly a reduction from 120dB to 90dB). - Delete To restrict the sale and use of display fireworks to organisers of licensed, controlled events only. - Delete To enable councils to designate fireworks control zones, similar to provisions in Scotland. Delete Promote Public Awareness Campaigns to educate residents about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare, vulnerable people (e.g., those with PTSD especially veterans or neurodiverse conditions), and wildlife. Delete Encourage Advance Advertising of all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people. Delete Work with Local Suppliers and retailers to encourage them to stock and promote "quieter" or low-noise fireworks. Delete RESTRICT Displays on Council Land in the public realm or transition council-run events to silent/low-noise alternatives (e.g., "fire garden" events). Delete Support Enforcement by collaborating with local police and Trading Standards to monitor and report the illegal or underage sale and use of fireworks. Insert notes concerns that have been raised regarding the misuse of fireworks and the impact this can have on communities, particularly on pets, livestock, wildlife and vulnerable individuals. Insert The Council acknowledges that issues relating to the sale and use of fireworks are taken seriously, and that concerns are frequently raised regarding the potential for fireworks to cause disturbance, fear or distress. Insert In this context, the Council notes that fireworks sold for domestic use are subject to a maximum noise level limit of 120 decibels, and that the sale of consumer fireworks by retailers is restricted to specific seasonal periods, with sales outside these periods requiring a licence from the relevant local licensing authority. Insert The Council recognises the distinction between organised, professionally managed firework displays and unregulated private use, and notes that complaints and enforcement challenges are most commonly associated with the latter, including fireworks being set off late at night or in residential areas in a manner that may be considered anti-social. Insert The Council also notes that alternative forms of celebration, such as drone light displays and other low-noise events, are increasingly being adopted at organised events, including within Wales, and may offer opportunities to reduce disturbance while maintaining community celebrations. Insert The Council acknowledges that while matters relating to animal welfare, community safety and public wellbeing are of local and devolved interest, the regulation of firework sales remains a matter reserved to the UK Government. Insert This Council therefore resolves to: Insert Acknowledge concerns regarding the impact of fireworks misuse on animals, vulnerable individuals and community wellbeing. Insert Encourage continued dialogue between relevant levels of government, local authorities, enforcement agencies and stakeholder organisations to explore appropriate options for addressing these concerns within existing legal and regulatory frameworks. Insert Continue to work within existing powers, and in partnership with relevant agencies, to support effective enforcement, respond to complaints, and promote public awareness of both the responsibilities associated with fireworks use and the availability of alternative low-noise celebrations. The amended motion would read as follows: This Council notes concerns that have been raised regarding the misuse of fireworks and the impact this can have on communities, particularly on pets, livestock, wildlife and vulnerable individuals The Council acknowledges that issues relating to the sale and use of fireworks are taken seriously, and that concerns are frequently raised regarding the potential for fireworks to cause disturbance, fear or distress. In this context, the Council notes that fireworks sold for domestic use are subject to a maximum noise level limit of 120 decibels, and that the sale of consumer fireworks by retailers is restricted to specific seasonal periods, with sales outside these periods requiring a licence from the relevant local licensing authority. The Council recognises the distinction between organised, professionally managed firework displays and unregulated private use, and notes that complaints and enforcement challenges are most commonly associated with the latter, including fireworks being set off late at night or in residential areas in a manner that may be considered anti-social. The Council also notes that alternative forms of celebration, such as drone light displays and other low-noise events, are increasingly being adopted at organised events, including within Wales, and may offer opportunities to reduce disturbance while maintaining community celebrations. The Council acknowledges that while matters relating to animal welfare, community safety and public wellbeing are of local and devolved interest, the regulation of firework sales remains a matter reserved to the UK Government. This Council therefore resolves to: Acknowledge concerns regarding the impact of fireworks misuse on animals, vulnerable individuals and community wellbeing. Encourage continued dialogue between relevant levels of government, local authorities, enforcement agencies and stakeholder organisations to explore appropriate options for addressing these concerns within existing legal and regulatory frameworks. Continue to work within existing powers, and in partnership with relevant agencies, to support effective enforcement, respond to complaints, and promote public awareness of both the responsibilities associated with fireworks use and the availability of alternative low-noise celebrations. The Conservative Amendment was formally seconded by Cllr Melbourne. The Lord Mayor called upon Cllr Berman to move the Liberal Democrat Amendment as follows: This Council notes with deep concern the growing impact of fireworks misuse on communities across the city and recognises that the unpredictable use of high-decibel fireworks causes significant distress to animals, wildlife, and those with sensory sensitivities, neurodiverse conditions, those with PTSD especially veterans. Further notes that both the Councils and police forces lack sufficient powers and resources to manage the increasing volume of complaints from residents, and this highlights that current firework legislation, much of it dating back to the early 2000s, has failed to keep pace with modern technology it acknowledges the calls of animal welfare charities including the RSPCA and Dogs Trust for a reduction in permitted decibel levels, STRONGER licenses for RETAILERS and UNLICENSED POP UP Vendors during festive periods such as Bonfire Night; welcomes public campaigns that have highlighted widespread public frustration. Call upon the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government urging for legislative reform: - To limit the maximum noise level of fireworks sold to the public for private displays Delete (commonly a reduction from 120dB to 90dB). - To restrict the sale and use of display fireworks to organisers of licensed, controlled events only. - To enable councils to designate fireworks control zones, similar to provisions in Scotland. Promote Public Awareness Campaigns to educate residents about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare, vulnerable people (e.g., those with PTSD especially veterans or neurodiverse conditions), and wildlife. Encourage Advance Advertising of all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people. Work with Local Suppliers and retailers to encourage them to stock and promote "quieter" or low-noise fireworks. Delete RESTRICT Displays on Council Land in the public realm or transition council-run events to silent/low-noise alternatives (e.g., "fire garden" events). Support Enforcement by collaborating with local police and Trading Standards to monitor and report the illegal or underage sale and use of fireworks. The amended motion would read as follows: This Council notes with deep concern the growing impact of fireworks misuse on communities across the city and recognises that the unpredictable use of high-decibel fireworks causes significant distress to animals, wildlife, and those with sensory sensitivities, neurodiverse conditions, those with PTSD especially veterans. Further notes that both the Councils and police forces lack sufficient powers and resources to manage the increasing volume of complaints from residents, and this highlights that current firework legislation, much of it dating back to the early 2000s, has failed to keep pace with modern technology it acknowledges the calls of animal welfare charities including the RSPCA and Dogs Trust for a reduction in permitted decibel levels, STRONGER licenses for RETAILERS and UNLICENSED POP UP Vendors during festive periods such as Bonfire Night; welcomes public campaigns that have highlighted widespread public frustration. Call upon the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government urging for legislative reform: - To limit the maximum noise level of fireworks sold to the public for private displays. - To restrict the sale and use of display fireworks to organisers of licensed, controlled events only. - To enable councils to designate fireworks control zones, similar to provisions in Scotland. Promote Public Awareness Campaigns to educate residents about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare, vulnerable people (e.g., those with PTSD especially veterans or neurodiverse conditions), and wildlife. Encourage Advance Advertising of all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people. Work with Local Suppliers and retailers to encourage them to stock and promote "quieter" or low-noise fireworks. Support Enforcement by collaborating with local police and Trading Standards to monitor and report the illegal or underage sale and use of fireworks. The Amendment was formally seconded by Cllr Waldron. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the Motion and Amendments. The Lord Mayor invited Cllr Ali to respond to the issues raised during the debate. He confirmed that the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Amendments were not accepted. The Amendments not having been accepted, the Lord Mayor moved to the vote on the Conservative Amendment proposed by Cllr Cowan and seconded by Cllr Melbourne. FOR (8) Cllrs Cowan, Davies, Driscoll, Lancaster, McEvoy, Melbourne, Owen and Williams AGAINST (62) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Berman, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Carter, Chowdhury, Cunnah, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Gibson, Goodway, Gunter, Hinchey, Hopkins, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Jackie Jones, Owen Jones, Latif, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Lloyd Jones, Mackie, McGarry, Michael, Molik, Moultrie, Naughton, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Shimmin, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Taylor, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Waldron, Weaver, Wild, Wong, Wood and Youde ABSTAIN (1) Cllr Topham The Conservative Amendment was LOST. The Conservative Amendment having been lost, the Lord Mayor moved to the vote on the Liberal Democrat Amendment proposed by Cllr Berman and seconded by Cllr Waldron. FOR (10) Cllrs Berman, Carter, Hopkins, Latif, Molik, Naughton, Shimmin, Taylor, Waldron and Wood AGAINST (59) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Cowan, Cunnah, Davies, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Driscoll, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Gibson, Goodway, Gunter, Hinchey, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Jackie Jones, Owen Jones, Lancaster, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Lloyd Jones, Mackie, McEvoy, McGarry, Melbourne, Michael, Moultrie, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Topham, Weaver, Williams, Wong and Youde ABSTAIN (1) Cllr Chowdhury The Liberal Democrat Amendment was LOST. The Liberal Democrat Amendment having been lost, the Lord Mayor moved to the vote on the Motion as proposed by Cllr Ali and seconded by Cllr McGarry. FOR (52) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Chowdhury, Cunnah, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Gibson, Goodway, Gunter, Hinchey, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Jackie Jones, Owen Jones, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Lloyd Jones, Mackie, McGarry, Michael, Moultrie, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Weaver, Wild, Wong and Youde AGAINST (1) Cllr McEvoy ABSTAIN (18) Cllrs Berman, Carter, Cowan, Davies, Driscoll, Hopkins, Lancaster, Latif, Melbourne, Molik, Naughton, Owen, Shimmin, Taylor, Topham, Waldron, Williams and Wood The Motion was CARRIED.
There were 23 oral questions. 1. Cllr Berman to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services As is often the case after a period of colder weather in winter, many of Cardiff's roads are currently peppered with potholes. Is the council satisfied that it is currently following the most appropriate strategies for both preventing and repairing potholes in the city's streets? Reply – Cllr Mackie Although the current method of repairing potholes is typically quick and cost-effective, we conducted a successful trial last year using permanent repair techniques. We plan to implement this approach in the 26/27 financial year and integrate it into our localised surfacing work so that, if necessary, a wider area around each pothole can be repaired. This is important because damage to surrounding areas of the carriageway often causes new potholes to form. As a result, if we experience severe weather like we did this year, there should be fewer recurring and new potholes. Nonetheless, there will be circumstances where temporary repairs will remain necessary, including periods of high demand when immediate safety is paramount, or at locations requiring further planning for permanent repair. In instances where a temporary repair does not suffice, it will be followed by a permanent solution. Supplementary – Cllr Berman Thank you for that answer, I’m actually pleased to receive it because I think you’ve slightly pre-empted what I was going to ask, which is about why we so often just carry out temporary repairs, and then the potholes just reappear, and it’s something that gets raised with me time and time again by residents across the city. So I’m glad you are going to be moving to doing more permanent repairs, you’ve practically answered my supplementary already. All I would point out would be, have you looked at what we did when I was Council Leader? Because moving to more permanent repairs was actually what we adopted then, so I’m glad now you’re learning that probably we had the right approach. Reply – Cllr Mackie I know it’s a long time ago, but there’s a lot of repair work that needs doing, and the roads underneath the surface are in quite a poor state, so should I blame you for that? 2. Cllr Driscoll to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Consultation took place on reverting a section of Western Avenue from 20mph back to 30. Despite Labour councillors initially opposing leaving the A48 at 30, it was agreed quite some time ago that it should revert back from 20 to a more sensible speed for a main arterial route, to 30mph. Can you confirm when it was agreed that it would revert back to 30, and why is it taking so long to implement, and when will it happen? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I think we announced the four roads that were changing from 20 back to 30 last spring or early summer, that was some time ago. The reason for that is that each of those changes requires its own individual Traffic Regulation Order, and that’s a statutory process, that’s a legal process that is quite bureaucratic. You have to consult, there’s obviously a cost involved, so as you know, as an experienced Member, it can take nine to twelve months. But your question highlights the point, that’s why it was the right thing to do, to change the default speed limit to 20 rather than each individual road going through this massively onerous, cumbersome process. So we can debate whether certain roads should have been left in or out, but the general principle is sound, and has actually saved large amounts of money in turn. Supplementary – Cllr Driscoll Thank you for your response, and you’re right, they do take quite a while. But residents are asking me, why is it that when we had the U-turn on the removal of the two hour free parking, just to allow 30 minutes free, the consultation for the TRO and the implementation was really quick. Yet, the reversal of 20mph on the main arterial route is taking ages, which we all agree was ridiculous in the first place anyway. So, the 20mph rollout, which couldn’t even make it onto the First Minister’s top 100 list of achievements of Welsh government over 26 years, why are we dragging our heels? Did you get the point, why is the TRO for the removal of two free hours’ car parking taken in a short time, and why is this taking so long? Why are you dragging your heels? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking me but I’m up speaking so I’m just going to have to go with it. I mean, I wouldn’t say the TRO for the car parks has been really quick, when we made the change we had to start it again and that took several months, it didn’t happen instantly, to be clear. But all TROs take between nine and twelve months generally, it obviously depends on their complexity and responses received back from the consultation. Absolutely, fundamentally, the changes we’ve made around 20mph have been the right thing to do, they’ve saved lives, and they’ve saved the Welsh NHS tens of millions of pounds. 3. Cllr Youde to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport It’s been observed by some of my residents that the criteria for acceptance of applications for disabled parking bays can feel frustratingly arbitrary, specifically what they are calling the '25 metre rule’, which means that in their experience, even on streets with unpredictable parking and limited spaces in the evening, visits by an assessor, potentially during the day, may still find a space within 25m of the address and deny the application. What discretion does the council have to apply common sense in these cases, trust the applicant as far as is reasonable, or even change the approach entirely? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Firstly, to be clear, the officers go to great pains to try and help people get blue badges, when you’re dealing with people with very serious conditions, often terminal conditions. So, they will go out during the day, they also go out in the evening, it’s not a case that it gets to five o’clock and they won’t go out, and they won’t go out more than once. They try and help people, they’re absolutely not jobsworths about it. So, lots of common sense, lots of sympathy, lots of assistance. With regard to your specific question about the 25 metre rule, that is something we are actively reviewing, because obviously there are huge changes happening around parking with the City Parking Plan, so it is something we’re looking at as part of that work. 4. Cllr Reid-Jones to Cllr Lister, Cabinet Member for Childrens Services, Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People Is the Cabinet Member familiar with Lyla’s Law, and if so, can he outline how the council is responding to its aim of raising awareness of type 1 diabetes in young children? Reply – Cllr Lister Fortunately it’s something I know a lot about, because I haven’t opened my answer that we had drafted. Type 1 diabetes is something that’s very, very personal to me. Two of my late grandparents both lived with the condition, and my eldest niece was diagnosed ten years ago this year with Type 1, after going into diabetic ketoacidosis. So, fully aware of the challenges that Type 1 can present children. In terms of Lyla’s Law, the campaign, I am aware of it, and of the UK government’s decision to reflect on the NICE guidelines and say that there should be sufficient guidelines in place to support the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. But what I would say is, awareness is probably key in this area, so the Regional Partnership Board, which I’m deputy chair of, did a deep dive into diabetes last year, where we saw the scale of the challenge across our Cardiff and Vale footprint. A lot of that does relate to Type 2, but obviously we do need to make sure we’re aware of Type 1, and following that deep dive Cllr Sangani and I met with the lead consultant from Public Health in the health board to discuss how we do raise that awareness. And I know part of the work which Cllr Sangani’s been doing in the north of Cardiff around the four Ts campaign, it’s around toileting, thirst, tiredness and thinning. It is something we need to be speaking about far more often, and just making sure that we are doing that, and early help and education services are fully embedded in the work we are doing there. Supplementary – Cllr Reid-Jones Early awareness of Type 1 diabetes is vital because symptoms in children can develop too quickly and are still too often missed until the child becomes seriously unwell. Spotting the early signs can prevent dangerous complications and in some cases save lives. The tragic loss of Lyla and the strength her family have shown in sharing their experience is a powerful reminder of how rapidly Type 1 diabetes can escalate when the early signs go unrecognised. Their determination to raise awareness so that no other family faces this is something we should support. That’s why I’m asking the Cabinet Member to consider a co-ordinated awareness effort by working with local health services, schools, health visitors and through our council buildings and social media channels to make sure clear, consistent information reaches those most likely to notice when something is wrong, using the simple four Ts as you already covered. In honour of Lyla, will you commit to working with health, education and community partners to deliver a campaign promoting the early signs of Type 1 diabetes? Reply – Cllr Lister The easy answer would be yes, but I’m not just going to say yes, I’m going to say of course. We’ll give everything we can to make sure that we are raising awareness right across public services, but also using the support of colleagues in the private sector through the fantastic work of our economic development team and our Cardiff Commitment team as well to reach out as far and wide as we can, both for Type 1 and Type 2, so that we can raise signs and push health to make sure when those signs are visible, that they are able to conduct the necessary tests to actually identify early on so things don’t escalate, so yes, you have my full support with that. 5. Cllr Pocknell to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services As a local councillor and volunteer litter picker in Llanrumney, I continue to see persistent issues with littering, fly tipping and overflowing waste in certain areas. While residents do their best to report issues, the same locations are repeatedly affected. Can the Cabinet Member outline what additional measures are being considered to tackle persistent littering in communities like Llanrumney, including the provision of more public litter bins, targeted enforcement, and environmental improvements? Reply – Cllr Mackie The ongoing restructure of Neighbourhood Services aims to support the delivery of services every day of the week. Llanrumney will be included in this new seven day service schedule. Engagement and enforcement activity is being undertaken at Countisbury Avenue and Mount Pleasant Lane to address improper waste disposal, fly tipping, and litter. The litter bin emptying schedule is also being reviewed as part of that ongoing restructure. From 1st April, bins will be emptied seven days a week in high footfall areas to meet demand and improve environmental quality, including Llanrumney shop fronts. Officers will monitor the revised schedule and make changes if needed to address any issues that may arise. Supplementary – Cllr Pocknell Also, could you confirm that the council works with local ward members and community groups to identify littering hotspots, and whether communities like Llanrumney can be prioritised on pilot schemes or targeted interventions where problems are persistent? Reply – Cllr Mackie I’d like to think we do correspond with all wards and members where we can. I’ve been to Llanrumney a few times, especially to the areas where there are real problems, and I’m happy to discuss any issues that are going on. I think we know most of the areas that are a problem up there, and they’ll be the ones we will be targeting with extra support. 6. Cllr Taylor to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education Could the Cabinet Member outline the steps the council will take to engage stakeholders and other interested parties in the expansion of Welsh medium education in Cardiff? Reply – Cllr Lister (on behalf of Cllr Merry) Engagement to gather stakeholder views on the sustainable expansion of Welsh-medium secondary provision in Cardiff will run between 12th February and 26th March. This will include an engagement document which invites stakeholders to consider the proposed options and suggest alternatives which they feel may be more appropriate. Central to this will be pupil consultation to ensure we’re hearing pupil voice in our decisions, as well as public meetings both in-person and online, meetings with headteachers and chairs of governors, drop-in sessions, and of course briefings to Members. A report summarising the engagement activity, any key issues raised, and any suggested alternative options will be presented to Cabinet in June or July this year. 7. Cllr Cowan to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services In view of the fact that 2,100 drivers who were wrongly fined because of faulty speed cameras over a five year period made the national news, should the council be concerned about a traffic camera at Harbour Drive Bridge that has fined 25,000 people in less than two years? Reply – Cllr Mackie The council does not have the powers to enforce speeding, so they’re not our cameras that were faulty. GoSafe is the formal road safety partnership in Wales that is responsible for speed enforcement and education. Therefore, I can’t comment on any fines that were wrongly issued as a result of faulty speed cameras. But in terms of the CCTV camera at Harbour Drive in Cardiff Bay, this was a new CCTV enforcement location, to enforce a bus gate restriction and access by other vehicles, and as with any new location, we would initially expect to see high numbers of Penalty Charge Notices being issued following the introduction of this restriction. This number is expected to decrease over time, which is currently the case with this particular restriction on vehicles using the bridge. Compliance at this location is increasing as motorists became more aware that the restriction is being enforced. Overall, the number of fines issued dropped by 59% in the last three months, from October to December 25. Advance signage is in place from both directions prior to this restriction, and Porth Teigr is clearly signposted from both Bute Place and the Queensgate roundabout. This standard highway sign complies with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 and is used widely throughout the UK to warn motorists of this restriction. Motorists have a responsibility to understand regulation signs. Supplementary – Cllr Cowan Just to say, initially, Councillor, I didn’t say that there was a faulty speed camera, I just asked if you were concerned by the number of fines, but thank you for the response. I met with a constituent recently who had grave concerns about this camera, so can I ask if you would please undertake a signs review due to the fact that so many people have been fined at this location since the bollards were removed, and perhaps you can explain why the bollards were removed. Reply – Cllr Mackie All cameras used by the council are checked and certified approved devices by the Welsh government, any fines ensuing from footage captured by a camera is reviewed by a qualified civil enforcement officer to determine if an offence has been committed. The fine is not automatically issued and a penalty charge notice is only sent to a motorist if a civil enforcement officer observes that an offence has been committed, so it’s unlikely that it wouldn’t have happened, they would have seen the car go over that bridge and past the signs. I’ve spoken about the signs there because I’ve questioned that 25,000 seemed like a lot, and they assured me that that did happen, and the signage is exactly as prescribed, so we can’t change it in any way. 8. Cllr Gibson to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks Cardiff is a beautiful green city with a high population of old trees, many lining our highways. Recently, one of my residents wrote to me about a number of incidents of falling trees and limbs that were on a very small street in my ward. This young man was fortunate that the tree did not crush his car, but it fell in front of him, and it was a very near miss. Does Cardiff Council have a way of recording trees or limbs that actually fall onto the highway, allowing us to monitor and alert us to the areas that are more at risk? Reply – Cllr Burke Just to hopefully put you at ease, routine street tree inspections are carried out on a three-year cyclical basis by competent, qualified tree inspectors, ensuring the structural integrity, health and safety of our stock. In addition, street trees are inspected in response to any reports of concern. The findings from our inspections are recorded in the council’s tree management database, which allows us to monitor our stock and plan for maintenance works and replacement planting. This system is managed by the council under licence and is not available for public access. Trees are living, natural structures, and even healthy trees can occasionally shed limbs without warning. Factors such as internal decay, strong winds, or sudden changes in weather conditions can cause branches to fail unexpectedly. The council is currently undertaking a heatmapping exercise to record all trees, risks and target areas to help manage our tree stock, and work is expected to be completed by July 2026. Supplementary – Cllr Gibson Is this tree inspections where we’re talking about trees that are on council land? Regarding trees on private land, is there any way that the council has any enforcement, because I think some of these trees were from council land and some were from private land, and I think a lot of these trees are falling onto the roadway, where Cardiff Council perhaps has to clear them up. Is there any way that the council has of looking at trees on private land, if it’s reported that there is a problem there, especially if they’re not being maintained by the landowner? Reply – Cllr Burke My honest answer is that I would have to check with officers to find out what enforcement we have that is available to us. But just to give you a bit of context, and I know it’s come up a couple of times over the last couple of months, about the tree stock that we have. We have estimated about 581,746 trees in our ownership, which is quite a few. I think I did the maths recently of how many officers were responsible for how many trees, and it was a lot. We do have a huge, huge job on our hands, in terms of enforcement I’m not entirely sure who that would sit with, but like I said I’ll try and get you an answer. 9. Cllr Littlechild to Cllr Michael, Chair of Licensing & Public Protection A recent news report highlighted an operation by South Wales Police and the DVSA, where they carried out targeted checks on 150 taxis on King Edward VII Avenue. They found multiple taxis and minibuses operating in dangerous conditions, and even gave stop notices. What steps is the council taking to ensure all licensed vehicles in Cardiff meet strict safety standards? Reply – Cllr Michael The recent enforcement activity was in fact a joint initiative involving South Wales Police, the DVSA, and licensing officers from Cardiff and Newport councils. Vehicles stopped as part of the operation include those licensed by both councils, as well as public service vehicles regulated by the Traffic Commissioner. Following this operation, the Licensing team within Shared Regulatory Services is reviewing vehicle testing processes and criteria to identify any potential improvements. In addition, the Welsh government is expected to publish new guidance in the spring setting out best practice policies and licensing conditions for all Welsh local authorities. I am advised that the Licensing team intends to present a report to the council’s Public Protection Committee shortly after the publication of the new guidance, which will seek approval to consult on proposed policy changes relating to vehicle standards and testing criteria in Cardiff. Supplementary – Cllr Littlechild I think we’d all agree that when you get into a taxi in Cardiff, you see a licensed vehicle, and you assume it’s going to be safe and well-maintained. I look forward to the new legislation coming in, and seeing what improvements can be made, thank you. Reply – Cllr Michael We not only undertake this kind of exercise, but we also do mystery shopping most weekends, so anyone who falls foul of this operation or that operation comes in front of our Public Protection Sub Committee for discussion, shall we say, after due process. I think you would benefit from a meeting with myself and members of the Licensing and Public Protection team to discuss the way we operate, so if you don’t mind, I’ll give you a shout and we’ll set up a meeting between us to discuss your concerns. 10. Cllr Ali to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education Can the Cabinet Member make a statement on their view on mobile phone use in schools? Reply – Cllr Lister (on behalf of Cllr Merry) Parents, carers and educators are increasingly concerned about the impact of mobile phones and social media and what that can mean for children and young people, and the Cardiff Education Inclusion Strategy highlights the growing evidence of those associated harms. Schools across Cardiff currently undertake varying approaches to managing mobile phone use, and many are seeking clearer, more consistent guidance that supports health, safety, learning and wellbeing. We are therefore working closely with parents, carers, school leaders and of course children and young people to explore a citywide approach that prioritises pupil wellbeing. A comprehensive survey is underway of parents, schoolchildren, young people and the wider community, ensuring that their views will shape this work directly. We are also drawing on the experiences of schools that have already introduced policies, learning from what has already worked well and the challenges that they have faced. To ensure that any guidance is well-informed and sustainable, the council is looking to facilitate a multi-agency workshop including officers from Education, Youth Services, Children’s Services, Safeguarding and South Wales Police. 11. Cllr Carter to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport How is the proposed demolition of a park and ride to make way for a data centre compatible with the One Planet Cardiff strategy? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I know you and I have covered Pentwyn park and ride a number of times in the past, I saw the video you put out this week where you describe it as a much-loved facility. And if that is the case, then that affection which is held isn’t translating into people actually using it, because when you take out the people using it for the hospital, patronage is very, very low, and the cost of running it for it to be utilised by the public is phenomenal. I think there are restrictions on whether I can announce the actual cost due to commercial confidentiality, but I think if people realised how much the council was paying to run that facility, their attitude towards it would be very, very different. So let me be clear in what our position is. The current site will stay open for up to 12 months whilst we work with the health board on an alternative, there are some really positive discussions going on. That alternative will have to be sustainable, because if it’s not, then you can’t run it in the long term, and that’s the situation with the current site. But to answer your question about the data centre, if you look at the planning application they’ve put in, the significant capacity in the application around renewable energy is quite exciting. It’s obviously not our project to exactly what that will look like, we don’t know, but that sounds really, really good. And in terms of the active travel bridge which you mentioned in your written submission on this question, that bridge will connect a working class community, it will massively improve the bus service to that community, in a constituency which doesn’t have a train station, so it is absolutely compatible with One Planet Cardiff, and will save the taxpayer an immense amount of money. Supplementary – Cllr Carter Thank you for that answer, and I certainly accept that there are benefits of that bridge being there. The original application put forward in 2022, which would have included the park and ride being retained and commercial units, had broad support in both wards. My supplementary question would be, are you willing, as a council, to actually listen to some of the concerns coming in from residents, from the health board, about this facility being taken away? It’s ultimately not just a random private development being pursued outside of our hands, it’s a development being done to try and ultimately fund the council projects, so would you agree that there is a duty as a council to actually take these concerns seriously and listen to key stakeholders like the health board? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’d say we absolutely would listen to residents, we really value their views, but we are currently working with the health board on finding alternative facilities. From our discussions with the health board, there are issues with where that park and ride is located, to say they have concerns, that’s not something that comes across in the conversations we have with them, as some of the potential alternatives are really exciting and actually preferred by the health board, so that is our understanding of their view. 12. Cllr Williams to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Residents in Pontprennau and Old Mellons are facing a growing sense that they are paying more for less. Council tax has risen, yet key arterial roads such as St Mellons Road, Ty Draw Road and Eastern Avenue are now riddled with potholes and surface failures, to the point where they are barely fit for purpose. Can the Cabinet Member explain why these roads, which are heavily used, strategically important and repeatedly reported, continue to deteriorate, and set out clearly what immediate and long term action will be taken to bring them up to an acceptable standard? In particular, how does the Cabinet Member justify the current condition of these roads to residents, who are paying more council tax but experiencing visibly worse services, and when can they expect tangible improvement rather than temporary patch repairs? Reply – Cllr Mackie It has been well reported that the country has experienced very poor weather over the autumn and winter periods. The autumn was one of the wettest on record, and the winter has been both very wet and at times very cold. This has unfortunately had a detrimental effect to a level not previously experienced on the roads throughout Cardiff. The three roads mentioned in your question have been inspected following reports of defects that have been received, and consequently repairs have been undertaken to make them safe. This process, along with routine inspections, will be ongoing throughout the winter period to enable the team to keep up, as far as is reasonably practical, with the unprecedented demand. In addition, all three roads, I believe, have now been assessed, and I believe the required work is starting early in February. In the meantime, any actionable safety defects found via monthly inspection or from customer reports will be addressed, with localised patching being undertaken as an interim measure as deemed necessary. Supplementary – Cllr Williams It is disappointing that we are a billion pound organisation and Labour turn round and blame the weather, effectively. We’ve got money when want to do certain things, but the fact is, residents are waiting many weeks to get key and dangerous potholes repaired, and it’s costing us money, because residents are then submitting liability claims against the council. So it’s better to get the pothole filled properly, I hope you would agree. My supplementary question is on quality assurance and cost-benefit analysis. So we’ve already heard earlier tonight that we apparently have a contractor that goes in and just drops tarmac, and then about a day later it’s up again, and then they go back and drop more tarmac, before any repairs take place. So what cost-benefit analysis are we undertaking to ensure that Cardiff council taxpayers are getting value for money in that approach? Surely it’s better to go in fast, go in soon, repair the job properly, so then it lasts. Reply – Cllr Mackie I’m not an engineer myself, but my understanding of it is that sometimes there’s equipment we’ve got and you need to make a quick repair so that it is safe for people to use their cars on. You need different types of machines, a different process, to seal it, but that will be done later. I think, as well, there’s something to do with letting some of it set in as well, but I’m not sure on all of it. I can get that answer for you, but there is reason to it and it is all assessed. We would love to just be able to go and do it all straight away, unfortunately that is just not possible. 13. Cllr Stubbs to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education I welcome the Cabinet paper on sustainable growth in Welsh medium schools. I am pleased to see one of the options under consideration is the rebuilding of Bro Edern. This school, opened on an inherited site in the north of the city, is attended by many pupils from my ward and elsewhere in south Cardiff, and despite ongoing investment in the building is certainly starting to show its age. Could the Cabinet Member outline the timelines for this engagement, and what will happen next? Reply – Cllr Lister (on behalf of Cllr Merry) As I outlined earlier on in an answer to Cllr Taylor, there will be a thorough engagement process which will involve speaking to pupils, schools, headteachers, chairs of governors etc. and the wider community in February and March, and then a Cabinet paper will be presented in the summer, in either June or July. Supplementary – Cllr Stubbs It’s election time, and like many people in this chamber I’ve run campaigns. I don’t think I’ve ever framed the potential rebuilding of a school as a negative in a campaign, I’ve not gone that far, but I understand the desire on the part of candidates to gather data purely to promote their own campaigns. But there will be a proper conversation about this, and what would you say to residents, pupils, parents and all sorts of stakeholders, about the proper way to engage in that conversation? Reply – Cllr Lister I completely agree with you that fearmongering about losing the school, when we’re proposing as one of the many options on the table a complete brand-new rebuild, is not the way to play politics. And actually we need that wider engagement, we need to make sure there’s pupil voice, we need to make sure staff in that school and the wider community who will, in the future, send their children to one of our many growing and thriving schools across the city, which are fit for purpose and 21st century learning environments. I think it is really important that we hear those voices as much as we can, so I would encourage residents right across the city to consider the facts rather than listening to social media posts, or anything that gets posted through their door by certain political parties, not to name any, the Liberal Democrats. But just not to believe that fearmongering and actually to look to the future, so we can deliver the education and the facilities that our future generations deserve. 14. Cllr McEvoy to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Could the Cabinet Member give an update on council road improvements? Reply – Cllr Mackie We are nearing the completion of our 25/26 resurfacing capital programme, with only a few projects left to be completed before March 26. More than 12,000 potholes were repaired last year by the council, with localised surface repairs still in progress in early 2026, focusing on streets most affected by potholes. At present, we are carrying out assessments and inspections to prepare our 26/27 capital works schedule. As a result, there is no specific information available yet as to which streets will be included in next year’s improvement programme. Supplementary – Cllr McEvoy I’ll start off with a question, and it is: will you conduct a road safety audit stage 4 post-opening monitoring evaluation, because work was carried out on Penhill Road in Pontcanna, and I’m asking the question because they’ve been unable to get decent responses from their own ward councillors, so I’m here posing the question. The work was carried out, the pathway which has been left is actually contrary to active travel guidelines, it’s less than two metres, less than 1.5m. On days when waste is collected, people are unable to get through with prams, I’ve seen the photographs myself and can share them with you. And people are now reduced in that area to walking on the roads, after a so-called road improvement. And what people actually want as well is a zebra crossing at Llanfair Road, so to go back to the question at the beginning, will you please conduct that stage 4 survey? Reply – Cllr Mackie I haven’t seen a report for this area, so I’d like to see what’s been sent in and to ask my colleagues in Highways what was done there and what are the issues. So I will get back to you when I find out. 15. Cllr Chowdhury to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Given the ongoing issues with commuters and event parking in residential streets, what progress has been made in residents’ parking zones or other targeted measures in Canton? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’m afraid I don’t have much additional information on this further to the responses to the questions your ward colleague asked me in October and November. Obviously we’ve just approved the City Parking Plan, that’s a ten-year program, there are several wards programmed into the first phase: Riverside, Pontcanna, Riverside, Grangetown, Adamsdown. I’m afraid Canton isn’t one of those wards, so it won’t be for at least a couple of years before we reach you. I appreciate your enthusiasm for what we’re doing, and I’m sure when it does come to your ward it’ll make a really positive difference to your residents. Supplementary – Cllr Chowdhury Can the Cabinet Member give Canton members some reassurance that residents’ views will be taken into account when it does come to Canton? Reply – De’Ath I absolutely can, there’ll be a very, very comprehensive engagement exercise, we’ll probably write to every home in the affected area. And we absolutely do want to listen to people, and if people have very strong views we’ll take those into consideration. 16. Cllr Topham to Cllr Goodway, Cabinet Member for Investment & Development Given the imminent closure of the Crickhowell Close post office in St Mellons, what efforts are the council making to retain post office services for the residents of Trowbridge & St Mellons? Reply – Cllr Goodway I am aware that, following the resignation of the existing retail partner, the current post office service is being withdrawn, and that the Post Office is seeking applications from potential partners interested in running a local branch. Your fellow ward councillors have already raised the matter with me and they have indicated that they are aware that there is some interest being shown locally, and I would suggest that you speak with them with a view to working together to promote the opportunity that is on offer. I would also like to take the opportunity to remind the councillor that the council continues to invest in the network of community hubs across the city. For those who rely on face-to-face support, the St Mellons Hub is well placed to assist the local community. The Hub team can provide clear information on alternative post office locations, offer one?to?one digital assistance, and signpost residents to banking and bill paying alternatives. Hub staff can also support residents to access services online and advise on travel options to the nearest available Post Office branch. Supplementary – Cllr Topham As you know, at the previous Council, I stated that the ward I represent, Trowbridge and St Mellons, was recently ranked as the sixth most deprived area in Wales, the second most deprived in Cardiff, behind only Ely and Caerau, the ward that you represent. Given that worsening antisocial behaviour has been cited as a major contributing factor to the closure of the St Mellons Post Office, what plans, especially with the upcoming annual budget, are you making to increase investment in the ward of Trowbridge to ameliorate this antisocial behaviour which is blighting the entire ward, leading to drain covers being stolen, as we’ve seen recently. And given that the ward you represent, Ely and Caerau, recently received £2m worth of investment for its children’s centre, there seems to be an inequality in investment here, given that Trowbridge is the second most deprived area in Cardiff. So I’d like to know what plans in the budget, if any, there are for increased investment in the ward? Reply – Cllr Goodway I think I have to remind the councillor that many of the issues that he has just identified in his supplementary question go far beyond the remit of my portfolio responsibilities. I couldn’t cite offhand what budgetary provision has been made for specific projects in his ward, and neither can I say about the issues around potholes, around antisocial behaviour, because they fall within the responsibilities of my colleagues. But I’m sure that if he wanted to write to us to ask those questions, then I would be more than prepared to get a collective response so that you have the information to hand. What I will say is that the removal of post office services is not unique to your ward, it is a feature of high streets across the UK that post offices and banks have disappeared. Unfortunately, that is a reflection of human behaviour, people now want alternative ways to access banking and postal services. Post offices no longer have the monopoly for delivering letters and providing services, they are in open competition with others. So it is something that is hugely difficult, but what we are committed to do is trying to identify alternative uses for district shopping centres to ensure that they can support vibrant businesses. 17. Cllr Latif to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Across Cardiff, we are seeing far more litter since public bins have been removed and others aren’t being emptied often enough. This is causing real problems in parks, shopping areas and on residential streets. What is the council actually doing right now to fix this, and will you restore more bins and increase the emptying schedule? Reply – Cllr Mackie We were having real problems with bins that were being filled with the wrong things, and with the wrong type of bins for where they were, especially in parks. So, we're in the middle of a restructure, and part of that is with the bins, so Neighbourhood Services are reviewing bin locations on a citywide basis, including in parks, and plan to upgrade all open basket bins within parks as part of their freestanding litter bin programme. They expect to have all open basket bins replaced by the end of March this year. Existing litter bin emptying schedules are being reviewed as part of the ongoing restructure of Neighbourhood Services. From April 1st, a seven-day-a-week service will be implemented, which will allow the litter bins emptying schedule to be better aligned with demand in high traffic areas and enhance environmental quality. Officers will monitor this new schedule and make adjustments as needed in order to resolve any issues. Supplementary – Cllr Latif Thank you so much for your answer, it answers part of the question. Regarding that Audit Wales confirms that Cardiff achieved only 60.1% recycling in the year 2023-2024, far below the Welsh government’s 70% target, and does not expect to meet the target until the end of year 2027. Does the council accept that reduced bin provision and inconsistent street cleansing are worsening recycling performance? Reply – Cllr Mackie I don’t believe that is the case. The things that are put into street bins fairly often are not suitable then for recycling anyway, because they’re mixed with everything, they’re contaminated, and it’s unlikely that we’d use many things from street bins. The new bins in a lot of areas will be separated so that you can put recycling in one side and residual waste in the other side, so that should improve our recycling rates for litter bins. 18. Cllr Davies to Cllr Sangani, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Is the Cabinet Member preparing for liability costs to comply with the Supreme Court ruling on the interpretation of the Equality Act in the forthcoming budget? Reply – Cllr Sangani As you will be aware, the council is awaiting revised guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which will form part of an updated Code of Practice. To understand the implications of the Supreme Court judgment and our responsibility, the council is also undertaking a review of assets and buildings, so that when the guidance is published, we can determine what, if any, adaptations will be necessary. Until that point, the council has no information on which to make budget planning assumptions. If adaptations are required, then funding could be allocated from the Asset Renewal Fund or relevant service area budgets, in the first instance, to complete any necessary work. Supplementary – Cllr Davies I find it interesting that the council needs guidance to know what to look for, but it’s still going through a review of buildings, but what can it possibly know about what it’s assessing. And actually we know the real reason for the delay in this guidance, it’s because it’s too politically complicated for the Labour party. And the British government says that the reason it’s delaying the guidance, however, is cost, as if the cost is going to change the law. The entirety of this council’s Cabinet knows that this guidance is non-statutory, and every day that passes without being 100% compliant with the law is a day where the local authority is breaking it. So I think it’s worth asking, especially when the budget is coming up, why no contingency plans have been made for a potential substantial liability that’s about to come on the books. So how much longer is the council content to be acting unlawfully, and has any work been undertaken to calculate the cost at all when it comes to, for example, schools with mixed-sex toilets, because we know that’s something that’s going to be breached, because we’ve seen it already referred to by the EHRC? So, I was wondering, as a final round up of my question, has any work been undertaken to calculate the cost at all that the council’s liable for as it tries to unravel a decade of corporate capture? Reply – Cllr Sangani I would still go back to my previous answer. We are still doing the work, but I won’t be able to tell you exactly what we are doing, but we are trying to make sure we do our homework if anything comes up and then how we can do quick implementation. 19. Cllr Humphreys to Cllr Bridgeman, Cabinet Member for Housing & Communities Could the Cabinet Member provide an update on the progress of the Ely Youth Zone? Reply – Cllr Bridgeman As you’ll be aware, the council’s current Corporate Plan includes a commitment to progress the development of the new Youth Zone in Ely. To advance this work, we have continued our partnership with OnSide, the national youth charity that supports local areas to establish high-quality youth zone facilities. To date, this collaboration has enabled the completion of a RIBA Stage 2 report setting out the concept design for the project, along with the land assembly required for the proposed site. Officers are working closely with OnSide on the next phase of delivery. This includes developing the funding and financial strategy for the project, as well as finalising the design and specification pack needed to move into the subsequent stage of development. A detailed report setting out this next phase of work, and the decisions required to progress the scheme, is expected to be considered by the Cabinet in the spring. 20. Cllr Berman to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks At last week's meeting of the Economy & Culture Scrutiny Committee, members heard a frank admission from officers that the authority's allotments service is under-resourced, including from a staffing perspective, with an additional officer being required to support the service's existing officer, and that there is a repair and maintenance backlog across the city's allotments sites which the current budgetary allocation for the service is unable to properly address. We also heard that this under-resourcing of the service will be flagged as a concern in a soon-to-be-published APSE review of the authority's wider parks service. Will the administration therefore commit to addressing those budgetary shortfalls for the allotments service in the council's upcoming budget for 2026-27? Reply – Cllr Burke Thank you for your question, Cllr Berman, and I apologise for not being able to attend that scrutiny committee, I was at a governors’ meeting. I absolutely recognise the challenges faced by the allotments service and the work of the officer who works in that department, they are a fantastic asset to the council and obviously she is dealing with a huge amount of work. Budgetary pressures do exist across a range of services across the council, and we are committed to exploring options to address this position. As you indicate, additional temporary staffing resources have been allocated from August 2025 to help support service delivery, and this will remain in place for the forthcoming financial year. You will also be aware that the service, through the Allotment Strategy, is active in exploring new ways of working to reduce demand and increase efficiencies, one example of this being the investment in, and introduction, of new allotment management software, so different allotments across the city have been given iPads that enable them to manage their waiting list more locally, and that takes an administrative burden off the officer. The council has also been active in securing external funding to improve its allotments infrastructure, and this has resulted in the investment in excess of £250,000 over a five year period, from the Welsh government’s Allotment Support Grant. Supplementary – Cllr Berman I’m grateful for the fact that you’ve said the temporary staff support that’s been put in to help deal with the administration backlog is going to carry forward into the next financial year, I think that is welcome. I think we probably need to accept that the fact that they do need a bigger staffing complement on a permanent basis, and I hope the council will in time look at that. And it’s no disrespect whatsoever to the existing officer, I think that officer is doing a great job, it’s just that they haven’t had the support that they’ve needed in order to detail with the workload. But I note your reference to the software that allows the allotment associations themselves to directly interface. They have to use the software on a council-provided tablet, and certainly the feedback I’ve had from some of the allotment holders in my ward is that the tablets are difficult to use, sometimes they can’t get a connection to them when they’re trying to use them on the allotment site itself because they’re relying on a cellular connection and there might not be a cellular connection there. So can you please assure us that we’re looking into how that system is operating, and checking that it’s not being overly dragged down by the huge security we have on council systems, which we know makes them more cumbersome and difficult to use, we all know that from our own experience, so can we just check it is working as effectively as possible? Reply – Cllr Burke Yes. 21. Cllr Driscoll to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Shown separately, in the last three years in Llandaff, how many fines have been issued and what income has been generated from these fines: on no right turns off Cardiff Road, unauthorised use of the bus lane, and no stopping in a box junction? Reply – Cllr Mackie In my minute, I probably won’t be able to give you them all broken down in three years, but if I give you the three year total sums, and then if you come and see me after I can show you the others: PCNs issued 2023 2024 2025 3-year total for each restriction No Right Turn (Cardiff Road) 1384 1378 1187 3949 Bus Lane 923 948 939 2810 Yellow Box 1924 1896 3365 7185 The income generated: Income generated 2023 2024 2025 3-year total for each restriction No Right Turn (Cardiff Road) £ 52,532 £51,714 £39,085 £143,331 Bus Lane £ 31,505 £33,125 £30,325 £94,955 Yellow Box £ 73,730 £70,108 £114,775 £258,613 And the total, 13,944 penalty charge notices having been issued at this location in the last three years, it’s about half a million pounds, or about two pounds out. Supplementary – Cllr Driscoll £500k is a significant sum of money that drivers are forking out, or the car owners are forking out. Some say that this council and the Welsh government have declared war on them. Now, I know Dan will say, and it’s probably a question for Dan, so I don’t mind a written answer, you say the funds are invested in highway infrastructure, additional cameras and more Deliveroo lanes. But would you consider these vast sums, maybe perhaps diverting some of these funds to provide, I don’t know, two hours of free parking maybe. Because in Llandaff, in a year, that’s only thirty thousand pounds. And we’ve collected half a million in Llandaff, then I don’t think it’s unreasonable if we get together and just say yeah, okay, let’s give them two hours free parking. Reply – Cllr Mackie Maybe it would be better if they didn’t break the rules. 22. Cllr Ali to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Can the Cabinet Member provide an update on the improvement works to the Taff Trail in Hailey Park? Reply – Cllr De’Ath The vast majority of the work was completed before Christmas, the contractors are just going in doing some tidying up, painting some Share With Care markings and whatnot, but the majority is done. I know this has been a real journey for you and Cllr Burke, I think you first started talking about this scheme in 2018. I know you worked with me to redesign a big bit of it which involved the translocation of some rare wax cap fungi, but I absolutely think that was the right thing to do. I think it’s a really, really good scheme and I know it’s been well-received by lots of residents and local groups, and I hope you guys feel the same. Thank you for your forbearance, we got there in the end. 23. Cllr Jenkins to Cllr Weaver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance In November 2022, I asked the Cabinet Member what we as a council would do if Twitter, now X, was run into the ground by an egomaniac. Now in 2026, with Ofcom launching an investigation into X over Grok creating non-consensual sexualised imagery, with credible reports that this is still going on, just not as visibly, can the Cabinet Member confirm that if Ofcom finds against X, we will reconsider our position on using the platform? Reply – Cllr Weaver You do raise a really important and serious issue. Obviously, this council uses a range of social media platforms to communicate with our citizens, and we do believe that is hugely important, we want to be as transparent and communicative as possible, and X is one of the platforms we have used. We are aware that the social media landscape is a changing one, of course any review from the government or the regulator in Ofcom will be very relevant information, and as we keep our platform use under review that is exactly the kind of information we will take into account. So whilst at present we will continue to use all our current social media channels to communicate, we will of course be watching any developments from Ofcom or the government as they progress.
Part of an issue followed across 9 meetings
There was none.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To approve 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, in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Authority Governor Panel.
Council was asked to appoint Local Authority School Governors to fill vacancies. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To approve 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, in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Authority Governor Panel.
In accordance with Council procedure Rule 17 (f), the Written Questions received for consideration and their responses were attached to the minutes.
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.
Michael Michael: Personal interest on Notice of Motion – 1
On the board of For Cardiff.
Peter Bradbury: Personal interest on Notice of Motion – 2
Involved with community groups that arrange firework displays.
Sean Driscoll: Personal interest on Notice of Motion – 2
Involved with community groups that arrange firework displays.
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