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The committee looked at three Cabinet matters: a consultation on renewing additional HMO licensing in Plasnewydd, changes to the social housing and Gypsy Traveller allocation policies, and the Cabinet response to the committee's inquiry on adult social care for older ethnic minority people. On each, it agreed that the Chair would write to the Cabinet Member with the committee's observations. The committee also discussed its 2026/27 work programme.
Apologies were received from Cllrs Ahmed and Owen. The Chair welcomed Maryyam Zahara as the Committee’s new Youth Council representative, sharing the role with Grace Lee.
The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct. Councillor Item Nature of Interest Sue Lent 5 Personal – ward councillor for Plasnewydd. Mary McGarry 5 Personal – ward councillor for Plasnewydd.
The minutes of the 14th September meeting were approved and signed as a correct record.
Members were asked to agree the Work Programme for 2026/27, including a joint short scrutiny on Tackling Illicit Retail and potential short scrutiny and Task & Finish group topics, and to agree next steps with potential short scrutiny or task and finish group topics. The Chair noted that following discussions before the meeting, he was happy to withdraw his proposal to do a Task and Finish or short scrutiny on improving council services for vulnerable adults during hot weather.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were provided with background information and an overview of the structure of the Cabinet report entitled ‘HMO Additional Licensing Consultation for Plasnewydd’, prior to its consideration by Cabinet on 15th October. For this item, the Chair welcomed: Cllr Lynda Thorne Cabinet Member for Housing & Communities Christina Hill Head of Shared Regulatory Services Steve Tudball Team Manager, Cardiff Housing Enforcement The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, in which she explained that the report sought approval for redeclaration of the HMO licensing scheme following its expiry, which required consultation with tenants, landlords and other stakeholders. The previous scheme had helped improve standards and reduce fire risk and excess cold, but a range of housing and environmental challenges remained, and a large number of HMOs in Plasnewydd would not be subject to inspection under the existing regime. Officers gave a presentation providing further detail, noting that a statutory consultation was required by law in order for the council to redeclare the licensing regime. The previous scheme expired in December 2025 and had made significant progress in improving housing standards and property maintenance, though issues remained. The council had a legal duty to consult those likely to be affected, and the consultation was an opportunity to test evidence and understand their views. Officers explained that 878 additional HMO licences had been issued during the previous scheme, and 84% of properties inspected needed some level of improvement works. 261 had a Category 1 hazards in relation to excess cold, while more than 23% of inspected properties needed fire safety works. There was also a relatively high turnover of landlords, and while 73% of properties found defective had now been improved, as well as 75% of those defective in terms of fire safety, there was still some way to go. Overall there was a strong case for consultation with a view to re-declaration of the scheme Officers added that the scope of mandatory licensing in Wales was not particularly large, only covering properties with 3 or more storeys or 5 or more occupiers. 75% of HMOs in the ward fell outside this and would escape control without an additional licensing scheme. They also noted that Cathays and Plasnewydd have by far the highest proportion of HMOs in the city, with high student populations and rental rates. Officers outlined how their approach aligned with Shared Regulatory Services’ regional priorities, in particular supporting the health and wellbeing of tenants through improvement of housing conditions. They sought to safeguard vulnerable people who might be unwilling to make complaints about their living situations, and contributed to environmental objectives through waste management and pest control. A robust licensing regime was fairer for landlords too as it targeted poor performers and levelled the playing field for those who followed the rules. Officers concluded by outlining the consultation process. In order to move forward with an additional scheme, they had to prove it was needed and thoroughly consult everyone affected in order to build a comprehensive case and support an informed Cabinet decision. Online questionnaires would be primarily used with the option of written submissions and support for different languages to make it accessible and inclusive. In addition to tenants and landlords, representative groups and other stakeholders like the universities would be consulted to build a complete picture. There were no immediate staffing implications as existing resources would be used to carry out the consultation, and a separate financial case would be required were a scheme to follow. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below. Members welcomed the possibility of strengthening the licensing scheme, noting the number of unidentified HMOs in the city and the inability of vulnerable residents to speak up about issues. They asked whether national legislation was sufficiently robust to tackle these issues, and heard that while the Welsh legislative framework had not changed significantly since 2004, the Welsh government had indicated a willingness to examine the scope of mandatory licensing, and council officers would be part of a working group on that. With regard to the planning environment, there was no retrospective control over properties that were HMOs when the Article 4 direction came in. The Cabinet Member added that the conversion of family homes into HMOs was a further problem. Members asked whether landlords reported being put off by licensing fees, and heard that while it was a complex legislative environment for them to navigate, Cardiff was one of the only local authorities in the country where the private rented sector was growing. Rent Smart Wales counted 44,000 private rented properties in the city, and more HMOs were licensed in the last five years than in the five before that. Members asked how speakers of languages other than English and Welsh would be supported to respond to the consultation, and heard that respondents could be assisted in council Hubs. Members noted recurring issues with pest control in the Plasnewydd ward, which officers suggested was linked to waste management as well as high population density. Members queried the enforcement actions that could be taken against those who didn’t comply with the licensing regime, and heard that while the council sought to work with landlords to ensure compliance, they had taken forward 13 prosecutions during the last scheme. They had generally been successful overall in improving the condition of properties, and the new Landlord Compliance Team would target rogue landlords who paid no regard to the suitability of their housing. Members explored how the consultation process would gather a comprehensive picture and heard that while it was likely that landlords would respond in detail, tenants were sometimes harder to contact due to turnover during the scheme, so accessibility was key. There was also a large student population in Plasnewydd, so they would work with the university and student’s union to ensure their voices were heard. A social media campaign and webpage would support this approach, and ward councillors had a role to play. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were provided with background information and context to aid their policy development scrutiny of the Gypsy Traveller Allocation Policy and Allocation Policy, following public consultation. For this item, the Chair welcomed: Cllr Lynda Thorne Cabinet Member for Housing & Communities Jane Thomas Director of Adults, Housing & Communities Helen Evans Assistant Director of Adults, Housing & Communities The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, in which she emphasised the scale of the housing emergency in Cardiff and the need to prioritise those in greatest need. Accordingly, a number of changes to the council’s Social Housing Allocations Policy were proposed, alongside a new, fairer Allocations Policy for the Gypsy Traveller (GT) community. Officers gave a presentation providing further detail, explaining that record numbers of people were seeking help from housing services, on top of additional pressures like prisoner releases. There were 9,600 people on the waiting list, with around 1,400 social homes becoming available to let each year, and overcrowding was a significant issue. 33% of households on the waiting list were overcrowded, and of these 12% required three or more additional bedrooms. The council was delivering an ambitious new build programme including multigenerational housing, buying properties on the open market, extending properties where possible and helping people to ‘right-size’, but these changes would not meet the demand, so changes to the allocation scheme had been considered. Officers explained that six possible changes had been put out to consultation, with 2,819 responses. Two of them, which related to restricting the waiting list to those with an assessed housing need and with an assessed local connection to Cardiff, would not be taken forward due to uncertainty over whether they would align with the new Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026. The other four proposals were being taken forward: higher priority to overcrowded households with other significant issues; the use of parlour rooms as bedrooms; revising the age until which people were expected to share a room; and giving higher priority to complex prevention cases. Officers outlined each of the four proposals in more detail, first noting that 64% of respondents had agreed with the need to prioritise overcrowded households with other significant issues, of whom it was estimated there were 90 pending applications. 67% of respondents had agreed with the reclassification of parlour rooms, which it was estimated would lead to 16 families moving from high to medium need, and 94 families losing housing need status entirely. Officers noted that a change had been made to the proposed increase in age up to which two household members of the same sex could be expected to share a room. The current age was 16, and the proposal had been to increase this to 25, but this was less popular than other changes (50.7% in favour) so it would be 18 instead. It was estimated that 733 applicants would be impacted by this change. The final change concerned complex prevention cases where a household was at risk of homelessness and had very complex housing needs, making it difficult to find suitable temporary accommodation. 68% of respondents felt this was reasonable, and it was estimated that 7 applicants would benefit from the change. Officers added that an impact assessment had been undertaken as was standard, and that the overall impact would be positive for those with the greatest need. They noted that applicants on behalf of overcrowded households were most likely to be women aged 25-44, while ethnic minorities were heavily overrepresented on the waiting list, making up 45% of applicants compared to 18% of the Cardiff population. Officers moved onto the Gypsy & Traveller (GT) Allocation Scheme, noting that the current method of allocating pitches used a points-based system where waiting time could outweigh housing need, and wasn’t aligned with the main Housing Allocation Scheme. The new scheme would be split into a band of Immediate Priority cases above two separate sub-lists for Homeless and General applications. Consultation had been undertaken with site residents, who were broadly supportive. The scheme was intended to allow for consistent assessment and support, needs-led allocations, clear banding framework, greater priority for overcrowding, flexibility for exceptional cases and clear review rights. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below. Members asked how often pitches became available at the GT sites in Shirenewton and Rover Way, and heard that this was relatively rare and was one reason for the overcrowding. Four new pitches were being put in at Shirenewton and a new site would be built next to Rover Way. Like other forms of housing, pitches were a scarce resource that had to be allocated in the fairest possible way. Members asked about the privacy implications for young adults who would be required to share a room up to the age of 18. Officers acknowledged that this was not ideal, and emphasised the need to carefully manage scarce resources by identifying the most acute need. Members asked how many consultation responses had come from 16-18 year olds who would be affected by this change, and heard that there had been some. Members noted the change regarding complex needs and requested more information on what precisely would be included in this, for instance drug and alcohol dependency or neurodiversity. Members asked whether a bedroom tax would be applied if someone’s house was considered under-occupied due to the parlour room change, and heard that it would not. Members queried the level of discretion used and heard that there was scope for this on complex needs and prevention cases. The changes sought to enable a more joined-up approach to try and prevent people going into inappropriate temporary accommodation, for instance if they had mobility issues or a visual impairment. Members asked how the service would inform those who either moved down the list or off it entirely as a result of the changes. Officers clarified that all those negatively affected would be contacted individually to assess whether their circumstances were still the same. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Part of an issue followed across 2 meetings
Decision as recorded
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Members were provided with background information and an overview of the structure of the Cabinet reported entitled ‘Response to CASSC’s Report Access and Experience of Adult Social Care Services for Older Ethnic Minority Communities & Adult Services Equality and Diversity Plan’, before its consideration by Cabinet on 15th October. For this item, the Chair welcomed: Cllr Norma Mackie Cabinet Member for Social Services Jane Thomas Director of Adults, Housing & Communities Louise Bassett Assistant Director, Adult Services Angela Bourge OM Strategy, Performance & Resources The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, in which she thanked the Committee for undertaking a Task & Finish Inquiry in 2025 into older people from ethnic minority communities’ experiences of adult social care services. She considered the inquiry to have been thoughtful and instructive, with clear recommendations which had informed the development of their Adult Services Equalities Action Plan. Officers gave a presentation providing further detail, noting that the CASSC report presented to Cabinet in July 2026 had noted strengths in Adult Services in terms of community engagement, workforce diversity, culturally appropriate and person-centred support, and accessible prevention initiatives. It had also identified some concerns and areas for improvement, such as language, cultural and trust barriers, for instance accessing interpreters and the quality of translations; underrepresentation of ethnic minority staff in senior roles; gaps in ethnicity monitoring; and some reports of care not consistently meeting cultural, religious and dietary needs. The report had made 28 recommendations in total, of which 22 had been fully accepted and 6 partially. Officers explained that all the recommendations were accepted in principle, and explanations had been provided for the six: for instance, a 100% training target was not considered possible due to some roles not having regular access to ICT. They were also not able to mandate commissioned providers to do all of the service’s training, though appropriate equality & diversity training was included within contract monitoring arrangements. There were also too few leadership and management roles for a practical diversity target to be applied, as there might not be a single vacancy during the year, so instead they sought to understand the barriers to people seeking senior roles, and would carry out targeted recruitment campaigns and regular monitoring. Officers added that the draft Adult Services Equality & Diversity Plan had been attached as Appendix 2, and included both the findings of the Task & Finish inquiry and relevant actions from the Welsh government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan. It set out a vision for improving access to services and the experience of service users, with a detailed delivery plan and a set of ‘we will’ actions. Its key findings included 78% of domiciliary care users being over 65, and while men were slightly underrepresented, this was partly due to more of them receiving unpaid care of home. The ethnic background of those undergoing assessment broadly reflected Cardiff’s ethnic profile, with some variation, and use of care was generally strong among ethnically diverse groups. Ethnic minority unpaid carers were underrepresented, although some data was lacking, and unpaid carers were 69% female and disproportionately older. Officers explained that the vision outlined in the plan was to offer high-quality information, care and support services that were fair, accessible, culturally appropriate and person-centred. They sought to better promote the support available and improve access, while also enhancing their approach to engagement and consultation, and encouraging diversity in the workforce and appropriate training. The delivery plan included development and implementation of a Community Engagement Framework, and cultural competency training would be reviewed to identify gaps, as well as directorate policies and care provision as services were recommissioned. Officers added that a directorate-wide project would be undertaken to improve the use of translation and interpretation services. The underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in leadership roles was a national challenge, and they had nominated a senior responsible officer and directorate lead for equalities. A quarterly Equalities Monitoring Report would be developed to review key data, to be shared with senior managers in the Adult Services Management Board as well as with CASSC. Key actions included improved recording of ethnicity data and equalities monitoring, developing a range of performance indicators for possible inclusion in future Corporate Plans, and quarterly and annual Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan performance reports. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below. Members welcomed the full or partial acceptance of all the report’s recommendations and thanked officers for their speed in returning to the Committee. They queried how the success of training would be measured, and heard that this was not only about the number of employees who did it, but also the difference made to learning within teams. Members asked how the service engaged with the Gypsy Traveller community, and heard that while there was cultural competency training available, they tended to rely on proactive engagement by staff on site. Members asked how young carers supporting elderly or disabled relatives were affected by the plan, and heard that young carers were co-ordinated separately Children’s Services. Members requested more information on the Children’s Services plan, in particular concerning young people who acted as interpreters for older relatives and helped them to access adult social care services. Members explored the diversity of leadership and management roles and queried whether mentoring and shadowing opportunities could be offered in order to better manage talent and build confidence. Officers explained that there was already a management programme across the council built around mentoring, but it was particularly tough to do this with social work where management roles could be relatively divorced from the day-to-day. Members asked if the service could reach out, and heard that staff would be consulted about why they might not be applying for leadership roles, which could be followed up with targeted mentoring. Officers also noted that the core issue was the need to make the work more attractive, and they had faced long-running issues with recruitment. Members noted that a third of the Adult Services workforce was over 55, and suggested that with a high vacancy rate there could be scope to achieve a lot in terms of workforce diversity. Officers explained that this was the basis of their Workforce Strategy, and they were focusing on engaging with different communities and encouraging people to become social workers. Members requested more information on the projected vacancy rate in years to come, and plans to address the ageing workforce and their associated timescales. Members asked whether the service was working with education providers to try and attract younger applicants, and heard that work was being done regionally to link schools and care providers and offer work experience opportunities. They worked closely with the universities to identify well-matched placements for students, and there was a recruitment website specifically for social work in Cardiff. Officers felt that social workers themselves were the best advocates in terms of attracting new people, and inspirational social workers went into schools to tell their stories and try and help recruitment. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
There were none.
Monday 16th November at 4:30pm.
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.
Sue Lent: Personal interest on HMO Additional Licensing Consultation for Plasnewydd
Ward councillor for Plasnewydd.
Mary McGarry: Personal interest on HMO Additional Licensing Consultation for Plasnewydd
Ward councillor for Plasnewydd.
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