Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
Apologies were received from Councillor Gibson
The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members Code of Conduct: Cllr Ash-Edwards Item 5 Personal Non-Exec Director Cardiff Bus
The minutes of the meeting held on 10 April 2025 were approved by the Committee as a correct record and were signed by the Chairperson.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
The Committee received a report providing Members with the opportunity to consider the report to Cabinet titled ‘Adoption of the Local Flood Risk Strategy 2025,’ prior to it being considered by Cabinet later this month. The proposed recommendations to Cabinet were: • Approve the adoption of the updated Local Flood Risk Strategy 2025 • Proceed to submit the Local Flood Risk Strategy to the Welsh Government for review Members were advised that the Welsh Government's National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) highlights that over 245,000 properties in Wales are at risk of flooding, with almost 400 properties at risk from coastal erosion. The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 designates Cardiff Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority, requiring the Council to develop and adopt a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy. There are other key risk management authorities with responsibility for managing flood risks in Cardiff, including Natural Resources Wales for coastal flooding and erosion; main river flooding, reservoir flooding and D?r Cymru for sewer flooding. The Local Flood Risk Strategy 2025 focuses on managing local sources of flood risk where the Council is the lead risk management authority, including surface water runoff, groundwater, and ordinary watercourses. It also considers other sources of flood risk and the work of the other risk management authorities responsible for mitigating differing flood risks. In particular, it aligns with the Welsh Government's National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management; addresses the impact of climate change on flood risks; includes measures to enhance green spaces, upgrade flood defences, and improve drainage systems; and outlines methods for assessing flood risks and provides an overview of flood risks in Cardiff. The strategy incorporates both the flood risk strategy and management plan into one document to reduce complexity and improve communication. The strategy sets out nine strategic objectives specific to the local authority and linked to the national strategy objectives. These include reducing flood risks, improving community resilience, enhancing water quality, and ensuring sustainable development, as well as working with other risk management authorities, ensuring effective allocation of funding, and enhancing the natural environment. The Chairperson welcomed Councillor Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport, Matt Wakelam, Assistant Director Street Scene and Neighbourhood Services, Simon Dooley, Team Leader Flooding and Coastal Risk and Gary Brown, Head of Highways Infrastructure and Operations to the meeting. Following a statement from the Cabinet Member the officers were invited to deliver a brief presentation. The Chairperson then opened the debate on this item. Members were invited to ask questions, comment or seek clarification on the information received. Those discussions are summarised as follows: • Members sought to clarify which body was responsible for localised flooding issues and whether the Local Flood Risk Strategy 2025 would clearly identify which body was responsible. Officers stated that the Strategy includes information on the bodies responsible for different types of flooding and that officers provide contact telephone numbers for each body. Members were advised that if a household is flooded internally officers of the Council will always attend the property. An assessment will be undertaken and contact details for the appropriate body will be provided to the householders. Furthermore, Members were asked to note that there may be instances of flooding where more than one body is responsible. In those cases the Council would work in partnership with its partners. • A Member asked whether there were resources available to provide communications wider to local communities rather than solely to those residents affected by flooding. Officers advised that an action has been identified within the strategy to improve communications in this regard, including updating the website. Work to improve the webpages is on-going and due for completion this summer. Information will be provided to residents based on what to do before, during and after a flooding incident. During more extreme weather events national press coverage helps to push messaging to residents also. • A Member stated that recent examples of extreme weather, such as the flooding that occurred in 2024 in Valencia, were catastrophic and unprecedented. In the example of Valencia, which is a sophisticated, well-planned city, during the weather event there was a considerable degree of chaos in terms of the communications provided to residents. Officers were asked how confident the Council was with its preparations for such events and whether any lessons had been learned from events in Valencia in practice. Members were advised that the Council Emergency Management Unit would join the All Wales Core which includes emergency services and other agencies. Emergency Management Plans are in place and would be enacted. Lessons have been learned from the Valencia flooding but, unfortunately, those lessons are reactive in nature. The forecasting of extreme weather event is reliably accurate and when they are predicted plans are enacted, more resources are deployed, including additional external resources. • A Member considered that it would have been difficult to mitigate for the devastating effects of the Valencia event but residents could have been provided with more pre-warning and information on what to do to prepare for such an event. Officers advised that a number of community groups have been established across the city and these are provided with support and advice. A group in Pontcanna have written their own flood response plan which has identified where vulnerable neighbours live. Also, officers give talks to schoolchildren to explain about the dangers of flood waters and what to do when there is a flood. • Officers were asked to comment on the legal responsibilities placed on the Council, given that a number of actions set out in the strategy are dependent on external funding. A Member asked what consideration has been given to escalating the actions identified if funding isn’t made available and how the ability to implement the actions identified is being monitored should there be any negative consequences. Officers stated that there is legal responsibility to have a plan in place and to mitigate against that plan. A lot of legal responsibility is placed on the residents. For example, if a stream flows through a garden then the landowner is responsible for that section of the watercourse. However, the Council would be responsible for land and watercourse assets within its ownership. The strategy contains a chapter which explains the various legal responsibilities. Members were advised that Welsh Government funding is based on incidences of flooding and therefore it is difficult to access that funding if no flooding has occurred. • A Member highlighted the importance of monitoring the success of the strategy, the ability to escalate actions and monitoring the understanding of the public regarding their responsibilities. • A Member asked whether sufficient resources were available for the authority to support residents during flooding events. Officers stated that resources are available and officers can also be redeployed from other areas. The strategy also seeks to identify high-risk areas and prioritise where resources are going to be deployed. The authority can bring in external contractors to assist during flood events and residents in some areas of the city are now supported to proactively clear gulleys in their areas ahead of predicted heavy rains. • A Member noted that the strategy is reviewed every two years and also responsive to information received from residents. The Member asked whether there were any other triggers and for clarification of the escalation process. Officers stated that implementation of the strategy is responsive and actions set out can be given higher priority based on current events or an increase in the level of enquiries from residents. • A Member noted the responsibilities of developers in the city set out in the plan. The Member considered that, anecdotally, new developments have contributed to an increase in reports of flooding in some areas, for example in Corpus Christi Catholic High School. The Member asked to what extent does development on greenfield sites contribute to flooding when SUDs schemes are inadequate or have failed to be implemented properly. Officers advised that the development in question was built before Schedule 3 was enacted and it, therefore, does not fall within SUDs regulations. Drainage officers are now statutory consultees on all planning applications. Developers must now mitigate for 1 in 100 year storm events plus an additional 40% to mitigate for the effects of climate change. Developers are not allowed to exacerbate flood risk ‘downstream’ and there are more enforcement powers which officers can use to address any issues. The Council, as lead authority for flooding, can write a report to identify where any flooding has come from and this can be used to take civil action where appropriate. • A Member asked what enforcement powers could be used to address flooding from surface water run-off. Officers stated that as the SUDs approval body the authority requires developers to implement industry standing modelling which must demonstrate that the development will not cause flooding. If the modelling shows that flooding will occur then development cannot take place. • A Member asked whether the authority has allocated any budget towards flood prevention. Officers stated that funding is made available for operations and maintenance for existing assets. In terms of future assets, as sustainable drainage features in new developments become adopted by the authority the service area will enter into community maintenance agreements with developers. Welsh Government will fund 100% of design costs for flood preventions schemes. The service area contributes 15% of the build costs to those schemes and that funding has been budgeted for. RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
The Committee received a report providing Members with a briefing on Bus Reform – namely the Bus Services (Wales) Bill, which is currently progressing through the Senedd. Members were advised that on 31 March 2025, the Senedd published the Bus Services (Wales) Bill1 , which aims to allow ‘Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to work closely with Local Authorities and Corporate Joint Committees, using their local knowledge to design and plan services that meet the needs of their communities.’ Welsh Government and Transport for Wales have produced ‘Our Roadmap to Bus Reform’, which outlines their proposed approach to bus franchising and the three objectives for the new bus system, which are: a. A bus network which is linked in with the rest of public transport in Wales and easy to navigate (One Network) b. Coordinated timetables which are easy to use and allow connections across public transport in Wales (One Timetable) c. Simpler ticketing which enables travel across public transport in Wales with affordable and consistent fares (One Ticket). The closing date for submissions to the consultation on the Bill is 13 May 2025. Cardiff Council is proposing to submit a consultation response. There will be a report to Cabinet on 15 May 2025 setting out the purpose of bus reform in the context of the Bus Services (Wales) Bill, explaining the potential implications and opportunities for Cardiff of bus reform, and seeking approval to submit views and written evidence to the Senedd in response to the consultation on the Bus Services (Wales) Bill. The Cabinet report was not available for this committee meeting. Cabinet has therefore offered to provide this Committee with a presentation briefing and to share the report as soon as possible thereafter. The Chairperson welcomed Councillor Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport and Jason Dixon, Operational Manager, Strategic Transport Development to the meeting. Following a statement from the Cabinet Member the Committee received a brief presentation. The Chairperson then opened the debate on this item. Those discussions are summarised as follows: · A Member welcomed comments made in respect of working in collaboration with other agencies to provide an integrated transport system in the city. The Member asked what the potential risks were to Cardiff Bus, to bus services and to the Council. Officers stated that those issues will be addressed in a report to Cabinet. Officers were unsure about whether they are able to fully capture the potential risks as they are not sure about the accuracy of some of the information published in the Bus Bill and the supporting documentation, including a regulatory impact assessment. Officers do not feel that the impact on municipal bus operators has been fully taken into account. In Cardiff most bus services are commercial and larger operators will have the ability to reduce their overheads and running costs. This potentially poses a risk that Cardiff Bus will not win a sufficient number of contracts to remain viable. There will be a need for shareholders to discuss options when more detail is known through conversations with Welsh Government and Transport for Wales. Officers supported comments from the Committee that more clarity is needed around whether aspects of the risks identified have been fully considered and that Cardiff’s voice is being taken into account. Officers stated that more co-design and understanding and testing of different scenarios would be useful. · A Member stated that whilst supporting of franchising in general there were concerns around the differing nature of services in a city like Cardiff to those services in an area like Powys. The Member asked how the Council could ensure that Welsh Government does hear the voice of Cardiff and produces legislation that can cover the differing requirements of Cardiff and Powys, for example. The Cabinet Member stated that dialogue is on-going and those concerns have been raised. Whilst supportive of franchising there was a need to ensure that any future Wales-wide model does not leave Cardiff disadvantaged in order to support services in other areas and they were making the case strongly that Wales needs a system that works for different parts of Wales. · A Member noted that the recent franchising of bus services in Greater Manchester involved the Mayor, local authorities and bus operators, both in terms of consultation and implementation. In Wales there are far more players involved including Welsh Government, local authority, Corporate Joint Committee, Transport for Wales and bus operators. The Cabinet Member was asked to comment on how those inter-relationships would work during the consultation on the Bus Bill and its implementation. The Cabinet Member stated that the Manchester model resulted in larger operators winning a great number of contracts for services and therefore, there were concerns around whether Cardiff Bus would be able to complete. The Council is keen to secure some protections to ensure that Cardiff Bus is able to complete. Officers stated that enabling smaller companies a fair opportunity to compete may be possible under a localised approach, taking into account competition law. · A Member considered that the Welsh Government was taking a prescriptive approach to bus services from location of bus stops, fares, types and design of vehicles, etc. A Member asked whether there was a risk that an approach to franchising which was overly prescriptive would put off operators from joining, potentially. Officers stated they supported this view. For example, if operators were unable to set the level of fares in Cardiff then that would affect revenue. If revenue was not sufficient then it may be necessary to look at the level services provided. · Members asked whether the opportunity to influence the Bill was still open. Members were advised that discussions are ongoing and the Council’s response to the consultation is still being developed. The Cabinet Member commented that several other local authorities share Cardiff’s concerns and they hope that their combined voice will be taken seriously by Welsh Government. · A Member commented that two things determine whether members of the public use bus services, namely, reliability and value for money. · A Member requested more information on the franchising model which will be used to bid for bus service franchises. Officers stated that no details have been provided to date on this. However, officers were keen to test scenarios focussing on clarifying how routes, areas, park and ride, school bus provision, Section 106 funding etc, might be applied. · A Member asked officers to comment on what Cardiff’s future bus network might look like. Officers stated that the network would focus on the rapid bus corridors and wider journeys that are currently not accommodated, like east/west and west/east routes. Developments at Waun-Gron and the bridge over the Rumney River will also have implications for the network design that need to be considered. · A Member asked officers whether there was funding for Cardiff’s future bus network. Officers stated that they would need to prepare a plan and present this to Cabinet and that funding depends on how the model moves forward and the regional view regarding bus transport. RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
No urgent items.
Members were advised that the date of the next Environment Scrutiny Committee will be confirmed at Annual Council on 22 May 2025.
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