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RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To note the Standards & Ethics Annual Report 2023/24.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To approve the Local Authority’s Social Services Annual Report for 2023/24.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To endorse the 8th Annual Monitoring Report for submission to the Welsh Government by 31st October 2024.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To receive nominations and appoint to the vacancies on the Committees, in accordance with the Party Group wishes, as set out in Table A and on the Amendment Sheet.
RESOLVED – That Council receive the report for information.
Apologies were received from Cllrs Chowdhury, Hinchey, Jackie Jones, Molik and Robinson.
The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct. Name Agenda item Nature of interest Reason for interest Cllrs Cowan, Driscoll, Lent, Reid-Jones and Robson 8 Personal Family members in receipt of Cardiff Council care Cllr McEvoy 8 Personal Children’s services and housing disrepair Cllr Bowen-Thomson 8 Personal Works for a charity in receipt of Youth Endowment Funding Cllrs Ash-Edwards, Davies, Gunter, Hunt and Taylor 9 Personal Non-executive directors of Cardiff Bus Cllr Taylor 9 Personal Family member living in one of the housing developments Cllr Davies 9 Personal Works in the housing industry Cllr Hopkins 12 Personal Oral question referring to pensions Cllr Bradbury 15 Personal Governor of one of the schools affected Cllr Williams 15 Personal Family member works at one of the schools affected
The minutes of the 26th September meeting were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.
There were two public questions. Cadan ap Tomos to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Parks What is the council doing to increase safety at the parks in Splott, Tremorfa and Pengam Green so that they can be used and enjoyed safely by everyone? Reply – Cllr Burke Thank you for your question. I recognise the concerns raised by members of the community, and I want to assure you that the council is committed to ensuring that our parks in Splott, Tremorfa and Pengam Green are safe and welcoming spaces. Safety is a priority for this Labour-led council, and we remain committed to ongoing improvements to protect residents and their enjoyment of vital green spaces. In order to achieve this, we work closely with partners such as South Wales Police, Cardiff Community Housing, the council’s Child Friendly City team, and local community groups through the Community Safety Program to tackle antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. Our parks service is an active part of this effort, ensuring safety measures align with wider community projects. In terms of investment, we’ve undertaken significant improvements, including lighting and access enhancements in Tremorfa Park and new fencing and sports facilities at Splott Park, with over £1.6m having already been invested in local parks and further projects such as new access gates and play refurbishments in progress. I’d like to highlight the critical role that local councillors play in supporting these measures. They act as the voice of the community, regularly engaging with residents to understand concerns, and ensuring that these are raised with the council and relevant partners. In Splott, Tremorfa and Pengam Green, councillors work closely with the council’s Community Safety Team, South Wales Police and local groups to advocate for safety improvements and increased investment in parks. They have been instrumental in driving projects such as the installation of new lighting, perimeter fencing and sporting facilities. Councillors also work alongside initiatives such as youth engagement programs and volunteers for Love Where You Live to foster a sense of community and pride. Their on-the-ground presence and collaboration with residents help to make sure that the local voices are heard and acted upon, reinforcing our commitment to keeping parks safe and enjoyable for all. Additionally, our urban park rangers collaborate with the Splott neighbourhood policing team and our off-road motorcycle team, working closely with South Wales Police to address antisocial behaviour. These efforts, along with ongoing activities for young people initiatives like Love Where You Live aim to enhance both safety and community ownership of our parks. Supplementary – Cadan ap Tomos Thank you for your answer, Cllr Burke. I agree with you absolutely that councillors should be providing a voice for the community on such issues. Unfortunately, people I’ve spoken to across the area in recent weeks feel that very little gets done to solve problems that have existed for many years in parks in the area. Of course, I’m sure you’ll be aware of the very serious sexual assault that was reported in recent months, but unfortunately that’s not the only issue with violence and antisocial behaviour in Splott Park. I’ve spoken to residents who have concerns about dogs in the park who have been attacking other dogs, so much so that they tend to avoid Splott Park altogether and go to other green spaces to walk their dogs. There’s also the issue of barriers that have been placed in Mormont Park which have caused death and injury to several dogs, which was the subject of a petition by residents. So, can I ask specifically what discussions have you had with South Wales Police recently about Splott Park, and what action are you taking in response to calls from the community for better lighting and monitoring to ensure safety further? Reply – Cllr Burke On a personal note, given that we have an upcoming by-election and if I’m not incorrect you will be the candidate for the Liberal Democrats in that election, I do think it is in poor taste to come and politicise an issue that is the worst day of someone’s life. I take community safety very seriously, as do councillors and officers in this council. Specifically in relation to what we’re doing around Splott Park, there have been conversations between officers and South Wales Police, by our community support officers in parks around community safety, there have been ongoing conversations with officers with councillors around lighting, and there are meetings to take place on-site to make sure that we get the right kind of lighting in there. You may have seen that the council passed a motion two or three years ago around gender-inclusive planning and what we’re doing to make spaces safe for everybody. That includes working on lighting, clear sight lines, and that is a community partnership, not just with the council but with community partners across the city. I think I’ll leave it there, thank you. 2. Linda Rolfe to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Council members will be aware of and support the commercial and tourism opportunities of the three popular and internationally known walking routes which bring business to Cardiff. Are they also aware that in order to follow the Penrhys Pilgrimage route from Llandaff Cathedral or the Cambrian Way from the west of the River Taf, it is necessary to cross Bridge Road at the junction of Radyr Court Road, a particularly dangerous crossing point? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I was aware of this particular issue, due to the passionate advocacy of my friend Cllr Peter Jenkins. He’s also informed me of the public campaign for a crossing at this point. I was also aware of the issues because my dear friend the Deputy Lord Mayor is Chair of the Penrhys Pilgrimage Project, she’s also raised this matter with me. I’m really sympathetic to the situation, as a council we want people to walk and travel actively, that’s the kind of thing we want to support. I’ve tasked our officials to look at possible solutions to this problem. The issue, as always, is funding. There are a couple of sources we can try, like the Welsh government’s Active Travel Fund, though that’s going to be quite lean over the next couple of years. The other option is looking at Section 106 money, that’s money developers contribute as part of the planning process. Some of that is paying for some work around Bridge Road anyway, so I think as part of that it seems sensible to try and press to get a crossing in via those means. I can’t give you a timeline for that, the money is released due to various trigger points, but I’ll liaise with your local councillors and hopefully they can keep you informed of progress. Supplementary – Linda Rolfe So there is no indication of timescale at all? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’m afraid at the moment, no. At our last Council meeting, Cllr Jenkins asked me whether I would commit to take this seriously and do everything we could to find a solution, and I promised him I would, and that’s what I’ll do.
Six petitions were presented to Council. Presented by Number of relevant signatures Nature of petition Ms Linda Rolfe 159 Highlighting the danger of the crossing point between Bridge Road and Radyr Court Road. Mr Essex Havard 55 Calling for the council to hold a community consultation on the traffic calming measures on College Road. Cllr Hopkins 32 On behalf of Cllr Molik and residents, calling on the council to introduce resident-only parking on Carnegie Drive. Cllr Green 62 Opposing the removal of the kissing gate by Ararat Church in Whitchurch. Cllr Reid-Jones 86 Calling for improved access to recycling supplies in Lisvane and Thornhill by reinstating collection points and the availability of bags. Cllr Ali 152 Supporting proposals to make Western Drive a permit-only parking area.
The Deputy Lord Mayor passed on condolences to Cllrs Chowdhury and Molik on the passing of their father. The Deputy Lord Mayor thanked all those involved in arranging the memorial for the Lord Mayor, Cllr Jane Henshaw. It had been a wonderful tribute and her family were very touched.
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RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To note the Standards & Ethics Annual Report 2023/24.
Council received the annual report of the Standards & Ethics Committee, presented by Jason Bartlett, Chair of the Committee. The Deputy Lord Mayor invited debate on the report. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To note the Standards & Ethics Annual Report 2023/24.
Rhan o fater a ddilynwyd ar draws 5 cyfarfod
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RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To approve the Local Authority’s Social Services Annual Report for 2023/24.
Council received the 15th Local Authority Social Services Annual Report, as required under Part 8 of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 (SSWB Act). The report was proposed by Cllr Thomson and seconded by Cllr Lister. The Deputy Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before moving to a vote on the recommendations. FOR (66) Councillors Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Ali, Ash-Edwards, Berman, Boes, Bowen-Thomson, Bridgeman, Brown-Reckless, Burke, Carr, Carter, Cowan, Cunnah, Davies, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Driscoll, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Gibson, Goodway, Green, Gunter, Hopkins, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Keith Jones, Owen Jones, Joyce, Kaaba, Lancaster, Latif, Lay, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Mackie, McGarry, Melbourne, Merry, Michael, Moultrie, Naughton, Owen, Palmer, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Robson, Sangani, Shimmin, Simmons, Singh, Taylor, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Waldron, Weaver, Wild, Williams, Wong and Wood AGAINST (0) ABSTAIN (0) The vote was CARRIED unanimously. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To approve the Local Authority’s Social Services Annual Report for 2023/24.
Rhan o fater a ddilynwyd ar draws 7 cyfarfod
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RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To endorse the 8th Annual Monitoring Report for submission to the Welsh Government by 31st October 2024.
Council was advised that this report sought to outline the purpose of the Local Development Plan (LDP) Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) process and to seek the endorsement of the 8th Cardiff LDP AMR for submission to the Welsh Government by 31st October 2024. The Deputy Lord Mayor noted that there was a minor officer amendment, which was as follows: To amend paragraph 10 of the report and the corresponding paragraphs on Pages 5 and 317 of Appendix 1 to the report as follows: 10. Affordable Housing The plan sets a target for the delivery of 6,646 affordable units to be provided for the 12 years between 2014 and 2026 and monitoring data shows that affordable housing completions are increasing as a range and choice of new housing sites begin to come forward. The latest figures show that 2,503 new build affordable dwellings were completed since 2014, which represents 38% of the 6,646 plan target for provision of affordable units by 2026. This trend is expected to continue as construction of the greenfield strategic housing sites gathers pace for the remaining 2 years of the Plan period. The report was proposed by Cllr De’Ath and seconded by Cllr Michael. The Deputy Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before moving to a vote on the recommendations. FOR (57) Councillors Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Ash-Edwards, Berman, Boes, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Carter, Cunnah, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Ferguson-Thorne, Goodway, Green, Gunter, Hopkins, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Keith Jones, Joyce, Kaaba, Latif, Lay, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Mackie, McGarry, Merry, Michael, Moultrie, Naughton, Palmer, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Shimmin, Simmons, Singh, Taylor, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Waldron, Weaver, Wild, Wong and Wood AGAINST (10) Councillors Brown-Reckless, Cowan, Davies, Driscoll, Lancaster, McEvoy, Melbourne, Owen, Robson and Williams ABSTAIN (2) Councillors Gibson and Livesy The vote was CARRIED. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To endorse the 8th Annual Monitoring Report for submission to the Welsh Government by 31st October 2024.
Leader’s Statement Cllr Thomas responded to questions in relation to: - promoting the One Million Mentors scheme - the delivery of the Cardiff Bay Eastern Link Road - additional funding for the housing crisis - the Shared Prosperity Fund Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Statement Cllr Mackie responded to questions in relation to: - the availability of recycling supplies - flooding assessments on Bridge Road - Christmas tree collections - the expansion of segregated recycling Culture, Sport & Parks Statement Cllr Burke responded to questions in relation to: - the timeline of the reopening of St David’s Hall - options within the Playing Pitch Strategy for addressing waterlogging - the Christmas tree outside Cardiff Castle There were no questions on the Finance, Modernisation & Performance Statement. Housing & Communities Statement Cllrs Thorne and Bridgeman responded to questions in relation to: - the EU Youth Mobility Scheme - the number of rough sleepers in Cardiff Investment & Development Statement Cllr Goodway responded to questions in relation to: - the planned multi-storey car park in Atlantic Wharf - the regeneration scheme of Park House Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Statement Cllrs Thomson and Sangani responded to questions in relation to: - the visit from Stuttgart council - the availability of heart monitors in Hubs Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Statement Cllr De’Ath responded to questions in relation to: - bus delays - the Churchill Way canal - bus shelters Deputy Leader and Education Statement Cllr Merry responded to questions in relation to: - the impact of the ‘What’s Next? Award’ work on children’s and adult services - the Cardiff Commitment team - Estyn inspections - the expansion of secondary Welsh-medium education Children’s Services, Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People Statement Cllrs Lister and Bradbury responded to questions in relation to: - the Virtual Decisions Gangs Programme’s place within the council’s wider strategy to combat criminal exploitation - support for Year 11 school leavers and post-16 pathways - long-term reasons for the decline in children looked after
The motion proposed by Cllr Molik and seconded by Cllr Berman was deferred until the next meeting of Council in November.
There were 19 oral questions. 1. Cllr Hopkins to Cllr Bradbury, Cabinet Member for Childrens Services, Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People What assessment has the council done of the impact of the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance on Cardiff’s pensioner households? Reply – Cllr Bradbury The main focus of the Council’s Money Advice Team is on getting Cardiff residents who are not currently on Pension Credit, but who are eligible and should be, on to Pension Credit. As I outlined at Council last month, information provided by social policy analysts, Policy in Practice, estimates that approximately 4,300 pensioners in Cardiff do not claim Pension Credits even though they are entitled to it. Pension Credits can be worth up to £3,900 a year for pensioners. Being in receipt of Pension Credit also means that a range of other grants and discounts, without further means testing, can be accessed, including the Winter Fuel Payment. It is therefore crucial that our advice services promote and provide help to pensioners to assist them in accessing this credit. A wide-reaching publicity campaign will be launching shortly to raise awareness of the support that is available. This will include promotion in GP surgeries, hospitals, public transport, local radio, community centres, Hubs, libraries, newsletters, specific events and linking with partners who are already working with older people. Home visits can also be made to those residents that are housebound. For those who are not entitled to Pension Credits, there are other schemes available that they may qualify for, and our Money Advice Team can help them to access these. Supplementary – Cllr Hopkins Thank you for that detailed response, however you will know that the UK government has said in the last few months that there was no impact assessment done before this particular policy change was made. The Wales Older People’s Commissioner has calculated that the withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance will have serious consequences for many pensioners, leading to potentially 4,000 excess deaths across Wales. The annual social services report, which we were considering earlier in the meeting, refers to a major research project including sessions with older people to reflect on how extreme weather affects their health and wellbeing. So, do you share these concerns, and with tax thresholds frozen and possibly extended for a further two years under the current government, are you worried about more and more pensioners being drawn into paying tax, potentially undermining Labour’s general election promise not to increase income tax? Reply – Cllr Bradbury I think the tax threshold issue that you are raising is actually a legacy of the previous government that froze tax thresholds, which resulted in millions of people, not just pensioners, being added into income tax, and that is something that I criticised at the time and wish my party would reverse, but we are where we are. I am always concerned, and I said this last year before the winter fuel payment was being means tested, that people, particularly vulnerable people, are not going to be able to access support for their energy bills and need support from warmer spaces. I’ve been consistent on this for the two years I’ve had this portfolio, I’m not going to change now just because my party is in power. What I would say is that we are looking at emergency fuel vouchers for eligible customers, we are looking at warm welcome spaces, we’re looking to work with the third sector to see what support can be given to older people, and we’re looking to make sure that nobody who is vulnerable will go cold because of rising energy bills. So that’s something we are looking at, I’m happy to work with any member across the chamber, any party, if they’ve got any suggestions of what we can be doing, within reason, to make sure that people aren’t growing cold, and certainly the alarming figures that we’ve seen across the UK, that we’re not contributing to that because people are too cold. This is a serious issue and I’m happy to work with you and others to do our best. 2. Cllr Robson to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Will the Cabinet Member comment on getting from Cardiff to Cardiff Airport using public transport? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Yes, I can confirm that train services currently operate from Cardiff Central station to Rhoose Cardiff International Airport station on an hourly basis from Monday to Saturday, and every two hours on a Sunday. A shuttle bus is also provided to the airport itself from Rhoose Cardiff International Airport train station, which is operated by Adventure Travel (the 905 service) and takes about 7 minutes. In terms of the bus, the 304 supported bus service from Cardiff to Llantwit Major is operated by First Cymru on an hourly basis. The 304 bus service runs from Custom House Street in Cardiff city centre and includes a stop at Cardiff Airport. Supplementary – Cllr Robson As you may be aware, Cardiff Airport are now introducing drop-off charges, I think it’s £3 for 10 minutes for anyone just dropping off, let alone when they intend to park or travel onwards from the airport. In view of that, do you think it’s time that we should really be pushing our bus services, particularly direct ones coming from Cardiff, so that people can actually get to the airport easily. It’s well known that Cardiff Airport is in the wrong place location-wise for a capital city, but we could perhaps do more to ensure that there is a more frequent bus service and hopefully frequent flights as a result, so passengers can find it easier to get from Cardiff to Cardiff Airport without having to change trains, get on a shuttle bus and go around the houses. I appreciate that we will need to work with the Vale on this. Reply – Cllr De’Ath The airport have introduced charges for dropping people off. I understand there is some free provision, a little bit of a walk from the airport, but I absolutely think we need a bus directly from Cardiff to the airport. There of course was one, the T9, which went for a number of years and stopped during the pandemic. But someone who vigorously campaigned for the T9 to be cut was Andrew RT Davies, who I believe called it a waste of money because it didn’t stop in Barry. Russell George also called for it to be cut, and for the money to be spent in west Wales. So, I completely agree, you’re right, and I’m delighted to see you once again standing up to the radical right in your party, that’s why you’re my favourite. 3. Cllr Littlechild to Cllr Merry, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education What is the total cost of school transport paid for by Cardiff Council? Reply – Cllr Merry It’s a lot. The total cost is £13,361,961. Supplementary – Cllr Littlechild Only this week, a ward member whose children are travelling from Pontprennau to Llanishen High who missed the three mile limit by a few metres has contacted me because they’re having to pay £550 per year on bus travel for one child, and they’re due to have a second child starting school next year. With no effective walking route and poor bus services, they don’t really have a choice, and next year they will be paying £1100 to get their children to school. What could be done to help parents struggling to pay for school buses? Reply – Cllr Merry I have a great deal of sympathy with parents over the 3 mile distance for secondary school, as I’ve said before in this chamber. But I think the sum of £13m we are already paying out on school transport at the moment shows what a difficult situation altering it directly with us would be. The 3 mile limit is set by the Welsh government, and it is also the distance that is used by the UK government. In fact, in the UK the 3 miles actually cuts in at Year 6 for primary school children. It is a significant distance. What I would suggest is that some of the things we’re doing around active travel are helpful, including bus routes and cycle routes to school, although I appreciate that may not be a suitable option depending on where parents actually live. Other people pool cars as an option, but I will personally advocate strongly for the use of public transport or active travel wherever possible. But the budget situation is what it, the distance is 3 miles and it has been for a very long time, that is the distance that we are bound to. What might be an interesting conversation to have is if there is ever a form of charging that you actually could look at, you know, the border of eligibility for free transport across the city, but not currently. 4. Cllr Lay to Cllr Thomas, Leader of the Council Can the Leader please give an update on Cardiff Parkway and what the council is doing to be ready so that the project can move forward quickly if and when, fingers crossed, the planning is actually approved? Reply – Cllr Thomas Thank you for your question, Cllr Lay. As I know that you know, the decision on the planning application rests with Welsh government, and has done for some considerable time. It is worth noting that the application was approved by our Planning Committee over two and half years ago, and indeed I was talking to the lead developer only yesterday, who remarked that the two year anniversary of the decision being called in is now upon us. I would hope that the First Minister has been well advised by her officials and is now coming swiftly to a position where the application can be finally determined. Certainly, I would say that failure to do so, from a Cardiff Council perspective, would significantly damage our reputation as a place for investment and growth, both locally and nationally. In response to the second part of your question, our officers remain in regular contact with the developer, and please be assured that should this application be determined positively, we are ready to go in working proactively to ensure that any regulatory processes are dealt with in a timely manner to allow this much needed infrastructure to be put in place, such is the strategic significance of this project. Our Economic Development team is also working with potential investors who have shown an interest in Parkway, in particular Rolls Royce, who have shown more than an interest of course, and appraised the site as one that is ideal for any future expansion in Cardiff. There is an initial fit out of some of the offices on the existing business park, actually being fitted out at the moment. But the potential opportunity is so much greater, we could be supporting 5,000 jobs on that location, and that would contribute a quarter of a billion pounds in GVA to the regional economy. On the regional point, this site again has been identified as a strategically important one by the Cardiff Capital Region and, to that end, we are working with officials in the city region to look at ways of accelerating and amplifying the development through schemes such as Tax Increment Finance and Investment Zones. So, in this building and across the city region, we and the business community are ready for that decision, if it comes and if it’s positive. 5. Cllr Carter to Cllr Weaver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance In light of the additional cost from the landfill tax dispute, a replacement County Hall, the Arena and a month 4 overspend, how will the council balance the budget without drastic cuts to essential services this year? Reply – Cllr Weaver The financial position local authorities are facing across the country is challenging, we recognise it’s a difficult situation that we think we face, and work is already underway to identify efficiencies and changes to ways of working to try and prepare for next year’s budget. I think the question is a little premature, in that obviously we have a UK Budget next week and then a provisional settlement for the Welsh government to come in December, before we can fully and in detail understand the scale of that challenge, but we will be doing everything we can to continue to protect the most vital, essential services that support the most vulnerable in the city, and to invest in the city’s future. Supplementary – Cllr Carter I don’t think that it’s premature: only today we’ve had Cabinet discussing the proposals for a new County Hall which has major capital expense and revenue implications in the long term. It was very clear from the PRAP scrutiny of the month 4 budget that the savings you promised last year were not being achieved, so it seems very difficult to imagine how it will be balanced without drastic cuts. So, I’ll ask the question again, thinking of this year’s budget and the journey we have to go on as an authority between now and April, how are we going to possibly balance this budget without drastic cuts to social services? Reply – Cllr Weaver On the issue of the core offices as discussed at Cabinet this afternoon, the decision being taken by Cabinet is the most cost-effective decision. It is cheaper than trying to refurbish this entire building, so for the medium- and long-term financial wellbeing of this authority that decision is definitely the right one. Yes, we do have an overspend at month 4, most authorities absolutely do, we do have overspends at month 4 in years where there are pressure on our budget, but we’ve always brought that position to a balanced place by the end of the year, and the point of the in-year monitoring report is to identify those challenges and then take action within the year to bring them down, and we have done so previously and will do so again. You’re absolutely right to highlight the fact that there are clear headwinds for this local authority and many others, but work is ongoing now to prepare for that budget at the appropriate time. Of course, scrutiny committees, wider members and indeed the public through consultation are able to be involved in that discussion. We’re very mindful of the preparation work that has to be done, and we will be guided by the values we’ve always been guided by, as we seek to protect the most essential services and invest in the city’s future. 6. Cllr Williams to Cllr Thomson, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Residents in Cardiff are concerned at the lack of accessible toilet facilities. Part 8 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 places a duty on each local authority in Wales to prepare and publish a local toilets strategy for its area. The strategy must include an assessment of the community’s need for toilets, including changing facilities for babies and changing places facilities for people with disabilities. The strategy must also provide details of how the local authority proposes to meet the identified need. That being said, can the Cabinet Member provide assurances that Cardiff Council are compliant with the legislation and are meeting the needs of our communities in providing accessible toilets, and can the Cabinet Member outline what plans are in place to improve accessible toilet facilities throughout Cardiff? Reply – Cllr Thomson This is obviously an extremely important issue, one of the top issues in any hierarchy of needs. I can confirm that Cardiff Council is compliant with the requirement to have a Local Toilets Strategy, it is on our website and you can all have a look at it, and I would recommend that you do. Good progress is being made in improving signposting, accessibility and availability of public toilets in Cardiff. Supplementary – Cllr Williams I have no problem telling the chamber this, but I was in town recently and I desperately needed a wee. It prompted me to go away and consider what provision is in place. So perhaps I’m okay to use a male toilet, no problem, but people with children and perhaps disabled people who may need changing facilities themselves, and this made me do some research to find that private businesses may not offer those facilities to those communities and people who need them. So, it’s great that we are compliant with the strategy, but do we have plans to expand the provision, particularly for those with disabilities and those who have children, who rely on toilet facilities being accessible and close by? Reply – Cllr Thomson Thank you very much Cllr Williams, I too have most certainly been caught short on several occasions in the city centre, but I can recommend the new bus interchange, which has eight public toilets which are very nice, not that I’ve tried every one yet, and also a changing places facility, which is a really important facility for people. We really want to do more with businesses and other organisations to try and expand, and encourage them to allow us to promote the fact that they have public toilets, because actually there are quite a few in shops like John Lewis within the city centre, but businesses are often reluctant to want to publicise that, and that’s for certain reasons which you can probably imagine, they don’t want to encourage antisocial behaviour etc. Anything that anyone can do, like your extensive contacts, Cllr Williams, I’d expect you to help lead the charge on this. We really want to encourage people to sign up where they can, we do list where they’re available but there aren’t enough listed at the moment. We intend to do more but the new bus interchange, I can recommend a visit. 7. Cllr Littlechild to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Was there a personal impact assessment undertaken by Cardiff Council for citizens to use the blue and red bag system, prior to the rollout of the new segregated waste? Reply – Cllr Mackie Yes, there was an Equality Impact Assessment undertaken. Supplementary – Cllr Littlechild That’s great to hear. The negative impact it’s actually having on users in my ward on a bin day who are trying to use the pavement is shocking. I’m getting a lot of complaints from people with pushchairs and those who are disabled trying to access the pavements and they are littered with red and blue bags. So, I’d like to know what can be done about this and also whether this will be sorted out before it moves to my friend’s Cllr Wong’s ward. Reply – Cllr Mackie I’ve had lots of complaints about various things, but you’re the only one who’s complained to me about these difficulties. Whether there’s an issue with the size of the pavements on your street, or whether bags are not being put back maybe in the right way, we can look at that and sort that out. But nobody else has complained to me that people can’t get past the bags. 8. Cllr Elsmore to Cllr Merry, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Education Would the Cabinet Member for Education comment on the purpose of, and the process of decision making in relation to, the council's Schools Contingency Funds? Reply – Cllr Merry The funds were drawn from primary and special schools who were signed into the Service Level Agreement with Building Services for their repairs and maintenance. For those schools, this was an emergency funding stream to support unexpected spend for any repairs that can be covered under the broad criteria of safe, weathertight and warm. An application for funds is submitted and reviewed once a month by a panel of headteachers who represent primary, Welsh-medium and special schools. The panel uses a detailed set of criteria to make their decision. Applications can only be made for those jobs where the spend has already taken place or there is a quote for remedial works, and all works are required to be carried by the council’s Building Services Team. The funds are facilitated by Building Services and overseen by the council’s accountants for the Education Service. This Service Level Agreement no longer exists as of April 2024 and the remaining funds are in the process of being spent. 9. Cllr Berman to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks On a number of occasions this year, Tremorfa parkrun has had to be cancelled due to the presence of stray horses in Tremorfa Park. The most recent cancellation for this reason was on October 5th when the free, weekly community 5k run was regrettably unable to go ahead on the 20th anniversary of parkrun. I am aware that the organisers of the run have regularly sought help from the council to deal with this problem, so when will the council therefore take appropriate action to stop this from repeatedly happening? Reply – Cllr Burke It is regrettable that the Tremorfa parkrun has been cancelled on a number of occasions in order to ensure public safety due to the presence of stray horses. It is also disappointing that the irresponsible behaviours of a handful of people is impacting adversely on park users. The council has a well-established partnership with parkrun and provides support for events throughout the city’s parks. There have been some challenging historical issues at Tremorfa Park and the Council has proactively worked with stakeholders to address them. In terms of actions, two new access gates are due to be installed – one at Runway Road and one at Tweedsmuir Road. In order to deter unauthorised access, arrangements and enforcement through the seizure of horses are in place through Shared Regulatory Services. Regular patrols of the park are also being undertaken by our Urban Park Rangers and South Wales Police. Officers are in direct liaison with the gypsy and traveller community advising of concerns and impacts. The organisers of the Tremorfa Park event are hopefully very well aware of the actions that the council are taking. Supplementary – Cllr Berman Thank you for that answer, it’s encouraging to hear about some of the steps the council is taking including the new access gates which will make a difference. I’m just wondering if in the meantime, the council could look again at its liaison with the gypsy and traveller community, because I think there may be a way to try to sort of get a grip of this issue and try to get the owners of the horses to perhaps take a bit more responsibility. Reply – Cllr Burke I don’t disagree with you, I think that obviously there are elements of it which are culturally sensitive which have to be appreciated in the way that we engage, and I know that we’re working with partners. I spoke to one of the race directors today, who said that they’re also in conversation with the Welsh government about the things they can do to work sensitively. I’ve been clear with officers that this is something that needs to be addressed, and to do so sensitively, and also to make sure that when the Tremorfa parkrun happens, that they’re not turning up with horses on the field because it’s not safe or appropriate, and a number of us drive by and have concern for the welfare of the animals themselves, which is also something we have to take into consideration. 10. Cllr Lancaster to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services When was the decision taken to stop garden waste collections by the 25th October? Reply – Cllr Mackie Over five years ago. Supplementary – Cllr Lancaster I admire the strength of your crystal ball that five years ago we could predict exactly the date at which autumnal leaf fall would stop, and therefore we wouldn’t need any more collections to continue into November. Even a cursory glance outside the window when it’s daytime will tell you that trees are still in leaf, and therefore it’s a baffling decision to stop the garden waste services when so many people still need them. I can’t be alone in thinking that it’s pretty much an insult to residents to stop a service on which so many people rely, and yet in the same week announce this Big Sweep idea where we say okay, we’re going to stop your private service but don’t worry, you can do the council’s job for us by sweeping leaves off public roads. So next year, instead of stopping garden waste collections for private individuals so early, instead of this Big Sweep idea, why don’t you commit to extending garden waste collections into November, therefore helping residents, helping the council keep the streets clean, and also improving your flagging recycling rates, which continue to fail to meet Welsh government targets? Reply – Cllr Mackie Our recycling rates are not flagging, they are improving. The reason it’s done is because normally most people do stop mowing their lawns because of the weather at the end of October, so we don’t collect in November. With leaf fall, we have got a system where we ask people to collect the leaves and we will take those leaves. We’ve put that out to everybody with the information that if they want their leaves collected we can do that. With green bins being empty, they can put the leaves in there as well, along with Christmas trees. 11. Cllr Reid-Jones to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport How many blue badge renewal applications did Cardiff Council receive during the 2023/24 municipal year? Reply – Cllr De’Ath During the 2023/24 municipal year, the council received 5,993 renewal applications. Supplementary – Cllr Reid-Jones From April 2024, the Welsh government mandated that blue badge holders must undergo the full application approval process every time, just as if they were applying for the first time. Having recently endured this with an elderly family member, I can tell you, for somebody who believes they are quite computer-literate, it took over two hours, and further information has been requested so we’re still awaiting the badge. Does the Cabinet Member agree that this additional bureaucracy targeting our most vulnerable is not child-, disability- or age-friendly and should be reconsidered? Reply – Cllr De’Ath The blue badge scheme is a government scheme administered by local authorities, we use the processes they set out. We take a lot of care to try and ensure that as much support is available for people who struggle. If you go into our hubs, people there can talk you through it, or you can also have a relative make the application for you, to make the process less stressful and bureaucratic for you. 12. Cllr Ali to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Can the Cabinet Member provide an update on the annual schedule for preventative drain clearing in Station Road, and the surrounding area in Llandaff North? Reply – Cllr Mackie The council’s Highways Drainage and Street Cleansing teams undertake both scheduled and reactive maintenance activities throughout the year. Depending on the prevailing local conditions, resources may be allocated to locations identified as higher risk. While work continues during the drier seasons, issues such as leaf fall are seasonal, and schedules are in place to accommodate this, ensuring the Highway Drainage team’s work with colleagues in the Street Cleansing team is coordinated. When significant rainfall is forecast, the drainage teams attend to known hotspot locations to clear obstructions within the gullies, while the cleansing team performs sweeping to mitigate the risk of flooding caused by debris covering the tops of gullies. In addition to these maintenance activities aimed at clearing and reducing the likelihood of gullies becoming restricted or blocked, highway drainage systems across the city are designed to accommodate a specific storm period. When a storm and associated rainfall levels exceed the capacity of a local system, this may result in some ponding on the highway, which you’ll be seeing. This is the case with Station Road in Llandaff North. The Highways Drainage team conducted gully cleansing activities over the weekend, and it was determined that the gullies were functioning properly; however, the ponding was due to rainfall exceeding the system’s capacity. 13. Cllr Hopkins to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Since when has it been council policy to suspend garden waste collections for six months of the year? Reply – Cllr Mackie I would refer you to the answer that I provided earlier in reply to a similar question from Councillor Lancaster, and it’s five months not six months, from the end of October to the 1st April. Supplementary – Cllr Hopkins If I recall, collections have usually restarted in March and for the last two years they’ve been terminated in November. Garden waste collections ended on 18th October in Cyncoed and Lakeside and will not start again til mid-April, I think that’s six months. In her Cabinet statement earlier, Cllr Mackie pointed out that the recycling centres will be open during this period and is urging residents to take part in the Big Sweep to help keep streets clean. However, there are many elderly and disabled residents who cannot access the recycling centres and, with nowhere else to go, see their green bins full to the brim with leaves at this time of year. So I’d be grateful if Cllr Mackie could explain how the current approach fits with Cardiff’s commitment to be an age-friendly city, and should we not rethink the approach if we are to take proper account of the circumstances of these two groups in particular? Reply – Cllr Mackie With the leaves, there is provision to accommodate people who are struggling, and teams will go out to assist. In the main, we expect people to clear up their leaves in their gardens if they can, and there are places they can put them, sites as I’ve described before where you can put the leaves in. You can also fill up your green bins if there’s nothing else in it. The timings have been the same for five years for the winter collection of garden waste, so it’s unlikely to change now. Last year, because of the issue with the strike it went on into November, because they weren’t collected in October – every other year they’ve been collected in October. 14. Cllr Melbourne (on behalf of Cllr Cowan) to Cllr Merry, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Education What does the council have in place for alternative education providers and what does the framework look like? Reply – Cllr Merry The council’s framework for supporting our work with alternative education providers ensures quality standards through a multi-faceted approach, including regular inspections; performance monitoring; provision of support & training, as well as an Accessibility Strategy that outlines how they support alternative education settings to be inclusive and accessible for all students. We also collaborate closely with alternative education providers to share best practices and provide guidance on curriculum and teaching methods. This collaborative approach helps maintain high standards across all providers. And I’d just like to hope that Cllr Cowan feels better soon, and I suspect there may be a supplementary question about something she was concerned about, so I’m happy to meet her to discuss that. 15. Cllr Ali to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Can the Cabinet Member update on the residents’ parking scheme for the Western Drive surrounding area in Llandaff North? Reply – Cllr De’Ath This scheme was delayed due to the land ownership issues around Lydstep Flats, which needing clarifying before we could progress with the Traffic Regulation Order. I’m pleased to say that this has now been sorted out, and we’re looking to consult on this in the new year and implementing around April or May next year. I hope that’s of some use. 16. Cllr Berman to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Can the Cabinet Member please clarify: a) whether the council is consulting on introducing a parking zone (or zones) to the whole of Penylan (as indicated on page 10 of the document entitled ‘Cardiff City Parking Plan. Our parking vision to 2030’) or just to the portion of the ward south of the A48 (as indicated on page 12 of the same document); b) why (whichever of those is correct) it is thought resident-only parking may be required in a number of streets which don’t currently have resident-only parking, particularly as the competition for parking in those streets is largely between residents and other residents (meaning that little benefit may be derived from introducing a parking zone) and the ward councillors are not aware of a particular demand from residents of those streets for resident-only parking to be introduced; and c) why there has been no engagement with the ward councillors about which streets should be included in any proposed parking zone (or zones) in Penylan prior to this consultation being launched? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Allow me to try and give you a little reassurance. The City Parking Plan is a high-level strategic piece of work setting out our vision for parking management over a number of years. I can confirm that we are talking about on the portion of the Penylan ward that is located to the south of the A48, but to be clear, there are no concrete plans in introduce anything in the ward as of yet. If we were to do that, we’d obviously want to engage with you as early as we can, as we’ve done with wards like Riverside and Cathays. There may not be a need for some intervention at the moment but there are obviously things coming in in Plasnewydd which may displace issues into your ward, so we think that’s an area of pressure, but we’re obviously not going to force anything on you, and we’d like to work positively with you on anything you want brought forward. Supplementary – Cllr Berman I think there was quite a lot of concern out there amongst the community in Penylan because people are mystified as to why this has come forward, when there’s currently very little of Penylan that has residents-only parking. If you just do the area south of the A48, you’re going to find that half of some roads are in the zone and half of them aren’t. There are also lots of streets where there is off-street parking, so why would you want resident-only parking or a parking zone. What people are worried about is that this is some kind of attempt by the council to charge people to park in their own streets for no particular benefit for themselves, because there isn’t really a demand for resident parking. So, can you assure us that this isn’t what the council has in mind? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Please let me reassure you on the public record, we’re not going to force anything onto you that you don’t want, we’d like to work with you and your ward colleagues. I hope that’s of some comfort. 17. Cllr Melbourne to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Following the consultation on the proposed parking scheme, what is the council’s position on the possibility or risk of expanding the scheme to other areas? With traffic congestion likely to increase in urban areas such as Heath, Rhiwbina, and Pontcanna, due to rising vehicle numbers, will the council consider expanding the parking scheme in the likelihood of anticipated traffic challenges then created in these neighbourhoods? Reply – Cllr De’Ath This is a really useful question, thank you for asking me. First of all, just for clarity, Pontcanna is actually in the inner core, so that will have a zone of its own, but for areas like Heath and Rhiwbina, which we’re calling peripheral areas, we don’t want people to feel that we’re offering them nothing. If there are issues in areas like Heath we’ll look at them on a case-by-case basis, we’ll still be introducing parking measures if there’s evidence there. It could also be zonal in nature so if there are problems that meet the criteria we’ll absolutely look at putting in resources. We’re actually working with local councillors on a couple of schemes now, including a very small scheme (just two or three streets) in Rhiwbina quite shortly, so if any of your residents feel left out, we’re taking their concerns as seriously as anywhere else in the city. Supplementary – Cllr Melbourne So, if we’re looking at these parking restrictions, can the council rule out that they are thinking about bringing in a congestion charge to Cardiff? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I cannot rule out bringing in a congestion charge, we are looking at that. I get asked this most months, it’s a gotcha. We are absolutely actively looking at bringing in a fair road user payment mechanism to give us the kind of transport system we deserve, it’s not going to appear by magic. It’s the kind of transport system people on the continent take for granted, so no, I’m afraid I can’t. 18. Cllr McGarry to Cllr Merry, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Education Albany Primary School is due to have work done on their roof. The leak caused a significant issue in the school last week. Can you update me on when the work will be done? Reply – Cllr Merry Works have progressed over the last year to address the most urgent roofing works and health and safety concerns in our school buildings. However, buildings are continuing to deteriorate, including the roof at Albany Primary School. The council has therefore put in place health and safety mitigation measures, such as isolating electrics and installing temporary netting and scaffolding. Officers are currently scoping out urgent works at Albany Primary School to address the most recent issues to ensure that the building is made watertight as a priority. A meeting is taking place tomorrow with the headteacher to assess the situation, and a programme will be agreed after the visit, so I will follow up with officers tomorrow afternoon. 19. Cllr Stubbs to Cllr Merry, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Education It was wonderful to join you yesterday for the commencement of work to build a new building for Willows High in my ward of Splott. It was a poignant moment as it marks the delivery of a promise that myself, Cllr Huw Thomas, and the late Cllr Henshaw made to our residents back in 2017. Had Jane still been with us, she would have been delighted yesterday to see the real tangible commitment this Labour administration is making to the education of young people in Splott ward. Yesterday’s turf cutting came hot on the heels of the recent opening of the new Early Years building and Flying Start facility at Moorland Primary, just the most recent improvement to schools that we have secured. Could you confirm the total levels of investment in the school estate in the ward of Splott and Tremorfa since 2017, and further confirm the investment going into the new Willows, and the timescales for delivery? Reply – Cllr Merry Excluding the Willows High School new build, which is now underway, the completed works and council investment in the Splott ward totals circa £18.1m since 2017. This includes: Welsh Government Band A / B / Rolling Programme • Glan Morfa New School 2018 = £6.9m Council Capital Funding / Flying Start Grant • Moorland Primary School Early Years unit, Flying Start, SRB and associated works 2023/24 = £6.7m Council Asset Renewal Spend Since 2017 • Willows High School = £2.2m • Baden Powell Primary School = £0.5m • Tremorfa Nursery = £0.4m • St Albans Primary School = £1.4m We have also invested £60m inclusive of land costs in the new Willows High School, and I’m sure that Jane would have been over the moon to have been there earlier this week. Supplementary – Cllr Thomas (on behalf of Cllr Stubbs) With additional investment in St Albans and Baden Powell, can you confirm that every school in the ward has had capital investment? Reply – Cllr Merry I believe that to be the case.
There was no urgent business.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To receive nominations and appoint to the vacancies on the Committees, in accordance with the Party Group wishes, as set out in Table A and on the Amendment Sheet.
Council was asked to receive nominations and make appointments to current committee vacancies as set out in the report and in accordance with the approved allocation of seats and political group wishes. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To receive nominations and appoint to the vacancies on the Committees, in accordance with the Party Group wishes, as set out in Table A and on the Amendment Sheet.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED – That Council receive the report for information.
In accordance with the Council’s Scrutiny Procedure Rule 13 (a), the urgent decision taken in respect of Fairwater Community Campus (Fairwater Campus) ISG Construction Ltd Administration, was reported to Council for information. RESOLVED – That Council receive the report for information.
In accordance with Council procedure Rule 17 (f) the Written Questions received for consideration and their responses are attached to the minutes.
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