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.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
None received.
None received.
The minutes of the meeting held on 8 October 2025 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
For this item the Chairperson welcomed Councillor Julie Sangani, Cabinet Member Adult Services, Public Health & Equality; Dylan Owen, Operational Manager Policy & Improvement and Babita Parekh, Principal Research Officer (Equality & Inclusion). The Chairperson explained that the monitoring and review of Equalities policy is an important part of this Committees Terms of Reference. The Committee was engaged in the strategy’s development over a year ago, and this was the first Annual Progress Review (Appendix 1). The review sets out how the Council has delivered against the agreed Equality Objectives. Committee members had an opportunity to test the impact of the strategy, how well the priorities within the strategy aligned with the needs of Cardiff’s communities, and reflect on whether the style and content of the first annual report allows effective monitoring of progress. The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after which Members were provided with a presentation from Officers. The Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members began with a question about whether Cardiff is a racist city. The Cabinet Member explained that this is a sensitive area, more about feelings and behaviours, and stressed that the council does not brand the city as racist in its documents. She noted that the term “anti-racist city” was used because it aligns with Welsh Government language. While acknowledging there is always room for improvement, she emphasised the progress made. Several members congratulated the team on the review and the many positives within it. Questions were raised about living with disabilities, particularly around access and listening to disabled communities. In response, the Cabinet Member referred to the Access Forum and explained that much of the strategy had been co-produced with that forum. Congratulations were given for the recent Diwali celebrations, but attention was drawn to vaccination uptake, which often reveals disparities in deprived areas and ethnic minority communities. The Cabinet Member explained that the council is working closely with Public Health Wales, engaging with communities to understand barriers, and running a pilot project with three secondary schools to tailor action. Members asked how Cardiff can learn from its partners, and the Cabinet Member confirmed that public sector bodies meet regularly to share best practice. Equality Impact Assessments are now completed across departments, and an action plan has been developed with contributions from all partners. Concerns were raised about women’s safety, particularly in the night-time economy. The Cabinet Member suggested requesting more information in the Chair’s follow-up letter, noting that this work sits under the Community Safety Partnership. There was also discussion about outcomes for young people and whether schools record incidents of race-related and transphobic bullying. The Cabinet Member confirmed that some schools now record race hate incidents and bullying, but more encouragement is needed. She offered to provide detailed data in response to the letter. Further questions focused on the council’s approach to women’s issues and CEDAW commitments, as well as concerns about ALN places. The Cabinet Member acknowledged these points and agreed to share more information, noting that ALN remains a national challenge. Members also asked whether some communities are better engaged than others, and the Cabinet Member agreed that engagement varies but assured that the council monitors this. Discussion turned to KPIs for equality training, questioning why the target is 85% rather than 100% given that training is mandatory. The Cabinet Member explained that turnover affects the figures but agreed this could be reviewed. Questions were also raised about objectives for tackling racism and anti-Semitism over the next few years. The Cabinet Member highlighted her role in championing diversity and grassroots engagement and agreed that older ex-offenders may need a stronger voice in this area. Budget restrictions were queried in relation to equality provision and recruitment support. The Cabinet Member confirmed that a system is in place (Cardiff is a Disability Confident Employer) to guarantee interviews for applications from people who state they have a disability. Members congratulated the team on the clear report and progress but questioned whether the review was sufficiently self-critical, noting that challenges appeared less prominent than achievements. The Cabinet Member welcomed feedback and recommendations on this point. Accessibility for older people was raised, including pavement and toilet access, which the Cabinet Member agreed to consider in future reviews. Members asked why the Supreme Court ruling was not referenced in the document. The legal officer clarified that the ruling fell outside the review period and that guidance from Welsh Government is still awaited. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
For this item, the Chairperson welcomed Councillor Chris Weaver, Cabinet Member Finance, Modernisation & Performance, with portfolio responsibility for human resources; Chris Lee, Corporate Director, Resources, and Tracey Thomas, Chief Human Resources Officer. The Chairperson explained that this item was a briefing on progress in reducing sickness absence which Committee had agreed to prioritise during its work programming. The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after which Members were provided with a presentation from Officers. The Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members noted that the Council had provided a substantial amount of information regarding its sickness absence position, and there appeared to be few gaps in the analysis and presentation. An area identified as lacking was age profiling, and Members queried what insights this might provide. Officers commented that mental health-related sickness impacts all age groups and that age profiling does not always yield significant findings. However, they acknowledged that certain illnesses, such as musculoskeletal conditions, are strongly age-related. Members raised a question regarding sickness absence within Children’s Services and the apparent gap between the target and actual sickness levels. Officers advised that sickness absence in this service area had improved during the current year. They explained that the nature of the work, often frontline and one-to-one, means that staff may be absent for longer periods when experiencing short-term sickness or minor illnesses. Members observed that the sickness absence process had improved overall and highlighted the effectiveness of back-to-work interviews. It was clarified that the reported figures include teachers but exclude agency staff. Members also asked whether home working had influenced sickness absence levels. Officers confirmed that home working has contributed to a reduction in short-term sickness, as it allows employees to work while managing minor illnesses. Consequently, there has been a significant improvement in short-term absence figures. Further clarification was provided that the highest sickness absence figures in Economic Development were due to the inclusion of waste services, where the physical nature of many roles contributes to higher absence rates. Discussing homeworking, Officers confirmed that the Council does not currently record the proportion of employees working from home, meaning that while the position is stable, patterns and levels of home working are not monitored. Members queried whether there was any independent mechanism for spot-checking health and safety practices in the workplace and whether sufficient occupational health resources were available to conduct field assessments. Officers advised that such resources are not available and that responsibility for ensuring employees do not put themselves at risk lies with managers. Members noted that the culture around sickness absence within the Council appears to have changed significantly. They asked about the cost to the authority of sickness absence levels. Officers interpreted this as the cost of replacing staff during sickness rather than the broader opportunity cost to the organisation. Discussion also covered the support provided to schools by governing bodies. Officers highlighted that the Corporate Plan includes a commitment to provide additional support for managing sickness absence in schools. They invited Members, as likely governing body representatives, to share views on how better information could be provided to governing bodies and their experiences of managing sickness absence. Officers outlined the range of employee support systems now available, including employee self-referral to occupational health and access to a confidential assistance programme. Members highlighted the difference between sickness absence rates in the public and private sectors and queried whether public sector figures are influenced by the number of outdoor roles. Officers noted that many private companies are not included in comparative figures and that schools have a significant impact on Council sickness absence data. They also referenced the public sector average of six days, which includes civil service roles that are largely office-based. Officers confirmed that each Council service area has its own sickness absence target, which varies depending on the nature of the work. Office-based roles typically have a target of six days, in line with public sector averages. Members questioned why sickness absence figures have not decreased despite the increasing number of interventions. Officers explained that interventions have prevented figures from rising and that Cardiff has consistently ranked within the top three councils for sickness absence management among core cities over the past four years. Members agreed that comparisons should be made with similar core cities to ensure accuracy. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
The Chairperson explained that this item was to receive an update on the budget for 2025/26, providing the Committee with an opportunity to monitor the Council’s financial position at month 6 of the 2025/26 financial year. For this item, the Chairperson welcomed Councillor Chris Weaver, Cabinet Member for Investment and Development; Chris Lee, Corporate Director, Resources and Ian Allwood, Chief Finance & Deputy s151Officer. The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement after the Chairperson invited questions and comments from Members. Members were pleased to note the improved Revenue Budget forecast of £2.9 million and welcomed Officers plan to continue monitoring performance against in-year savings targets. Members felt that slippage in the Capital Programme was a concern, notwithstanding the scale of the City Hall project and the ongoing multi-million-pound investment in this city landmark. The Committee explored whether the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act, introduced by Welsh Government in March 2025 to restrict profit from delivering Children’s Services, would have a positive impact on the service area’s budget in the future. Members noted that an improvement was not expected in the short term, as this would be a challenging transition to achieve. However, there could well be an impact in the long term. Members were advised that the service area would be better placed to provide more detail on this. Members welcomed the improved forecast for overspending on the Revenue Budget but expressed concern that this was largely due to a decrease in the costs of capital financing. Members’ concern was that the reduction in these costs might derail progress in delivering the Capital Programme. Officers explained that capital financing costs covered all capital schemes rather than individual projects, and that the timing of borrowing had enabled the Council to benefit from lower rates compared with allocations at the time of the original plan. Officers advised that there had been significant improvement in the forecast for Council Tax collection, with £1 million now considered prudent and the possibility of more by the end of the budget year. Whilst Members noted this was a consequence of decreasing bad debt provision and there was confidence that £1 million was achievable, the Committee cautioned against the vulnerability of relying on improved Council Tax collection rates. Members highlighted the efficiency saving proposed by Adult Services: implementing the use of robotics to free up staff time and better quality-assure invoicing within the care system. Officers explained that pilot work had indicated this approach could deliver significant savings; however, there was no evidence of robotics being introduced into the service and no forecast saving at this point in the year. The Committee explored the reasons for notable underperformance in digital advertising income given that less than half of the target income from digital advertising was forecast to be achieved. Members wondered whether the Council was offering competitive market prices, or if the income targets set were too ambitious. Members asked whether there had been a general slowdown in digital advertising markets and whether the Council’s advertising policy could be considered effective, considering the target required opening up new digital advertising markets and that fewer than anticipated sites had been secured. AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
Rhan o fater a ddilynwyd ar draws 3 cyfarfod
None received.
The Chairperson advised Committee that the Economy & Culture Scrutiny had spare capacity on its agenda this month and was hosting a joint combined scrutiny of the RLDP report to Cabinet. This would be an opportunity for Scrutiny to check how the accepted scrutiny recommendations have been incorporated and reflected in the RLDP. As some committee members were involved in the many scrutiny task groups leading up to the development of the Deposit Plan, if they have a strong interest in scrutinising the RLDP and would like to be involved they were asked to let the Principal Scrutiny Officer know and she would ask Cllr Wong to accommodate them. The meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday 18th November and the RLDP item would be taken at 6.15pm. The next meeting of the Policy Review and Performance Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to take place at 4.30pm on Wednesday 10 December 2025.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.