Wrthi'n llwytho
Cymeradwyodd y Cyngor llawn Adroddiad Blynyddol Safonau'r Gymraeg 2025-26 gyda pholisi Cymraeg a chanllawiau ffôn diwygiedig, gyda 65 pleidlais o blaid a dim yn erbyn. Mabwysiadodd hefyd Ddatganiad Polisi Trwyddedu diwygiedig o 8 Gorffennaf 2026 a llenwi swyddi gwag ar bwyllgorau, cyrff allanol a llywodraethwyr ysgol. Clywodd ddatganiadau gan y Cabinet ac 20 cwestiwn llafar, na arweiniodd at benderfyniadau.
Apologies were received from Cllrs Keith Jones, Melbourne, Parry and Topham.
The following declarations of interest were received in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct. Councillor Agenda item Nature of interest Reason for interest Calum Davies 5 Personal Director of Cardiff Bus. Dan Naughton 5 Personal Director of Cardiff Bus.
The minutes of the 21st May meeting were approved as a correct record and signed by the Lord Mayor.
There were no public questions.
Council received one petition: Presented by Number of relevant signatures Nature of petition Cllr Calum Davies 30 Calling on the council to address potholes on Dan-y-Bryn Avenue and its off-shoot highways.
A full list of mayoral engagements had been circulated to Members prior to the meeting. The Lord Mayor reminded Members about the Lord Mayor’s Garden Party at the castle on 19th July, which would raise money for the City Hospice.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1) To approve the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2025-26 (attached as Appendix A) prior to formal publication in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards (Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011); 2) To approve the content of the revised Bilingual Cardiff Bilingual Council (attached as Appendix 2) The development, implementation, and publication of this policy on the Council’s intranet in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards, under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011; 3) To approve the Single Impact Assessment of the Bilingual Cardiff Bilingual Council policy (attached as Appendix 3); 4) To agree and approve the content of Cardiff Council’s revised Guidance on Dealing with Welsh Language Calls (attached as Appendix 4) in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards, under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.
Council was asked to approve the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2025-26, prior to formal publication in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards, under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011; to the revised Bilingual Cardiff Bilingual Council policy; and revised Guidance on Dealing with Welsh Language Telephone Calls in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards. The report was proposed by Cllr Weaver and seconded by Cllr Green. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before moving to the vote. FOR (65) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Berman, Boes, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Brown-Reckless, Burke, Carr, Carter, Chowdhury, Cowan, Cunnah, Davies, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Driscoll, Ebrahim, Elsmore, Ferguson-Thorne, Green, Gunter, Hinchey, Hopkins, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Owen Jones, Lancaster, Latif, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Lloyd Jones, Mackie, McGarry, Merry, Milik, Naughton, Owen, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Robson, Sangani, Shimmin, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Taylor, Thomson, Thorne, Waldron, Weaver, Wild, Williams, Wong, Wood and Youde. AGAINST (0) ABSTAIN (0) RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1) To approve the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2025-26 (attached as Appendix A) prior to formal publication in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards (Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011); 2) To approve the content of the revised Bilingual Cardiff Bilingual Council (attached as Appendix 2) The development, implementation, and publication of this policy on the Council’s intranet in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards, under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011; 3) To approve the Single Impact Assessment of the Bilingual Cardiff Bilingual Council policy (attached as Appendix 3); 4) To agree and approve the content of Cardiff Council’s revised Guidance on Dealing with Welsh Language Calls (attached as Appendix 4) in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards, under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.
Rhan o fater a ddilynwyd ar draws 4 cyfarfod
Leader’s Statement Cllr Weaver responded to questions in relation to: - the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee’s governance arrangements. Deputy Leader and Education Statement Cllr Merry responded to questions in relation to: - core funding for the Youth Services Strategy; - the Cardiff LEGO League Challenge; - Cathays High School’s win in the Debate Mate Grand Final. Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Statement Cllr Stubbs responded to questions in relation to: - pothole repairs; - City Centre litter bins; - soft plastics collections; - additional funding for road resurfacing; - hygiene collections. Culture, Leisure & Tourism Statement Cllr Burke responded to questions in relation to: - the children’s play area in Rhydypenau Park. Finance, Modernisation & Performance Statement Cllr Thomson responded to questions in relation to: - ‘Meet the Buyer’ events. Housing & Communities Statement Cllrs Bridgeman and Thorne responded to questions in relation to: - supporting rough sleepers in extreme weather. Investment, Employment & Inclusive Growth Cllrs Bradbury and Goodway responded to questions in relation to: - post offices and the Cardiff Growth Fund; - young people not in education, employment or training; - business rates retention in Investment Zones. Social Justice, Cohesion & Digital Statement Cllr Proctor responded to questions in relation to: - Pride events in Cardiff; - supporting community safety; - political neutrality. Social Services Statement There were no questions for Cllrs Lister and Mackie on the Social Services Statement. Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Statement Cllr De’Ath responded to questions in relation to: - the Home Energy Improvement Pilot; - making homes safer and cooler in hot weather.
There were 20 oral questions. 1. Cllr Carter’s question was ruled out of order as it related to a live planning application. 2. Cllr Davies to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education Has Cardiff Council decided to withdraw the facility for sixth form students at Radyr Comprehensive School to purchase spare seats on contracted school buses from September 2026? If so, why? Reply – Cllr Merry Cardiff Council has not withdrawn the facility for sixth form students at Radyr Comprehensive School to purchase spare seats, or at least not by choice. Due to changes involving the Public Service Vehicle Access Regulations, Cardiff Council, along with many other local authorities in Wales and England, can no longer charge passengers on closed door home-to-school coaches with contracted vehicles where the vehicle does not have a low floor or wheelchair access. However, I am pleased to say that the Department of Transport last week notified local authorities that they were extending their exemption permit applications for another four years. However, no details have been released as yet about what an operator will be required to have in place in order to qualify for an exemption permit. This information is due to be released by the Department of Transport around the end of the month. Once we know the criteria, we will be able to assess which companies can comply and hopefully contact parents to explain the new situation. Supplementary – Cllr Davies Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Member, and it is good to see that exemption come forward for another four years. We’ve already seen in an earlier statement that the council recognises the importance of tackling the needs of young people who are NEET in this city, so we should not be making access to further education more difficult for young people, especially when Radyr Comprehensive has some of the best education that Cardiff schools have to offer. I’ve also received correspondence from a concerned parent in Radyr, whose child is supposed to be starting Year 7 at Plasmawr in September but has been told that they cannot buy a seat on the school bus because the home to school transport exemption is gone. So, I suppose, two things, especially in light of your answer about that four year extension. Firstly, we’re probably going to be back here in four years needing to make the same calls again, so can we trust that the Cabinet will try to future-proof those asks and continue to do it throughout that period so we don’t get to this cliff edge again? And also, with those children who are affected now, noting that you’ve just announced a recent extension exemption, how are we going to be informing the parents in Cardiff affected so they no longer have to worry? Reply – Cllr Merry I believe that we will have all the contact details of the parents, and should be able to make them aware of the new situation. Any existing pupils who applied in 2025/26 will be contacted to advise them that they can reapply, and also the schools will be contacted too. I mean obviously, the desirable part is if there are actually more low vehicles that could be used for this, but in view of your role at Cardiff Bus you’re probably aware of some of the pressures on transport. Of course, this isn’t a Cardiff situation, it’s a national one, and I would hope that those four years will give us time to make adjustments. But also, while I hope that will be the case, if there is a need then a further exemption could be made. 3. Cllr Livesy to Cllr Stubbs, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services What support is the council able to provide to the Eco Committee members at Ysgol Gynradd Creigiau, after they have looked at the village and have concluded that bins are not emptied regularly enough, that there aren’t enough public bins around parks, and they are designing posters and signage to go around the village? Reply – Cllr Stubbs Thank you for your question. What a great question, and what a great thing for the children to do. It's a really clever way for their teachers and them to engage them in how to improve their own communities, we need all of that sort of stuff. Absolutely, we will send officers out to speak to them and meet with them, and once the posters are designed, we'll see what we can do to help promote them as well. 4. Cllr Jenkins to Cllr Proctor, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Cohesion & Digital In light of recent events in Ireland, the use of X as a council platform continues to worry me. Given the Cabinet's previous answers have been around levels of user engagement, can the Cabinet Member tell me, at what point does any level of engagement fundamentally conflict with our anti-discriminatory values as a council, where we can no longer remain on a platform that is the mainstay of the far right? Reply – Cllr Proctor Thank you for your question, I know it’s an area you’re passionate about. So, the council’s approach to the social media platforms it uses is kept under review. Together, X, Facebook and Instagram continue to provide important routes for us to communicate directly with residents. Alongside LinkedIn and YouTube, these platforms share key corporate messages and are managed by the council’s comms team. In addition, approximately 200 other social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok, are managed by individual council services and teams. These accounts provide the public with further opportunities to engage with service-specific information. The council has continued to grow its social media followers, and figures for the final quarter of 25/26 showed that there were just under 73,000 followers on Facebook, and 102,000 on X. From a customer services perspective, in the final quarter of 2025/26, C2C also sent 1,925 replies to customers on Facebook, 1,190 on X, and 492 on Instagram. 5. Cllr Hopkins to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education Following the allocation of additional resources to local authorities in England to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, what discussions are taking place between Cardiff Council and the new Welsh government concerning distribution of the Barnett consequentials allocated to Wales? Reply – Cllr Merry The size of the consequential for Wales from additional UK government spending on special educational needs in England is in the region of £340m, so equivalent to roughly £30m for additional learning needs education in Cardiff. Representations have been made by Cardiff Council officers and Cabinet Members, both through the WLGA and directly to the Welsh government to underline the seriousness of this issue. We, alongside other Welsh councils, firmly believe that that ALN consequential should be used to address the significant and growing pressures on school budgets, which is partly due to the growing additional learning needs. However, in its proposed supplementary budget published on the 23rd of June, the new Welsh government has taken a fundamentally different view. The Welsh government is proposing to divert some of this additional one-off funding into other areas, including health and childcare. It is worth noting, however, that around £247m of that money remains unspent. Plaid’s budget proposals fail to address the scale and the urgency of ALN pressures. One of the drivers, we’ve said, behind school deficits, as children and schools here in Wales need that remaining unallocated money to be passed on to local authorities. Quite simply, childcare is not education, and the Welsh government should not be pitching the needs of one set of parents against another, or see the consequential as a bank for future spend. Supplementary – Cllr Hopkins As Cllr Merry has indicated, the sum that has been allocated through the Barnett formula is significant but is unhypothecated. The First Minister, and I think Cllr Merry did refer to this in her response, seemed to confirm in the Senedd this week that the Welsh government’s supplementary budget does not contain any additional funding for additional learning needs in Wales. If this is correct, we on the Liberal Democrat benches believe that this is unacceptable. There are immediate and growing pressures associated with meeting the needs of learners with ALN in specialist provision and in mainstream classrooms, as we have indeed debated in this chamber. So can Cllr Merry confirm that every effort, and I think she's alluded to this already, will be made to change the Welsh government's mind before the supplementary budget is approved? Reply – Cllr Merry Thank you Cllr Hopkins, we are in one on this actual question, and we will be continuing to make representations alongside other Welsh councils regardless of party colour. Anyone who has been a school governor over the last few years is aware of the budget issues that have been caused by the growing needs of our children and young people, and I find it absolutely disgraceful that one of the first decisions of a Plaid government is to do this. 6. Cllr Driscoll to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport I first asked this question in November 2025, and I apologise if I missed the answer back then so I'm asking it again. I'm grateful for the vehicle activated signs that have been installed on Western Avenue and I believe they work really well and help reduce the speed close to the crossing that we've spoken about a few times. So, do the VAS (vehicle activated signs) harvest information on speed and numbers of vehicles that pass between them, and if they do collect information, can you provide this data since the installations of the signs? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Thank you very much for your question, you did indeed ask a written question about this last year which officers promised to get back to you with some information. I thought that had happened, it obviously hasn't so I apologise for that. hese particular signs aren't configured to capture information, they’re primarily meant to alert drivers of speed limits on Western Avenue. I'm really pleased you think they've had a positive effect, that's really good to hear. Most vehicle activated signs don't do this. Some can't, with others we choose not to because it's very, very onerous to get the information out of it, it has to be manually downloaded whilst some are going out and putting something into it, so most don't, and these ones unfortunately are part of that group who don't capture any statistics or anything like that. Supplementary – Cllr Driscoll So, is it just these signs on Western Avenue, or are there similar signs across the city, or don’t we harvest that information on speed and numbers across the city, or is just specific to the ones on Western Avenue? We’ve got them on Broad Street, in Leckwith, we’ve got them in St Fagans is it just these ones on Western Avenue that glean that in? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I mean we obviously gather information, we obviously give speed surveys, various bits of technology we deploy, but as standard, vehicle activated signs don't carry out that function, just as a normal part of their operations. Occasionally we do choose to use them in that way, but there are other methods of capturing information, is that helpful? Some can’t, some can, even the ones that can sometimes use alternative methods. I hope that makes some kind of sense. 7. Cllr Youde to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education I've been contacted by parents of children hoping to progress to Welsh medium secondary schools in September 27 who feel that there is a lack of clarity on intake due to the expected numbers looking for school places. I am told that there's been talk and awareness of a 'bulge year' for a while and that more planning could have been done, the parents feel. What reassurances can you give families who would like clarity on this matter? Reply – Cllr Merry I'd like to start by offering reassurance to those parents that we have a core commitment that every child who wants Welsh -leading education will always be able to access one. The council sought stakeholder views as part of the engagement process to inform temporary measures to accommodate a single year bulge intake to Welsh medium secondary schools in 27/28. Now, I'd like to underline that we were under no obligation to carry out this engagement. That is a decision that we could have made without listening to parents, but to us it was important to give parents, pupils and schools a chance to give their views. The engagement exercise allows the Cabinet to consider these views and support schools and families with these arrangements. In July, officers are due to report the views of the community to Cabinet to enable us to consider the best way to proceed. Parents will therefore have a clear picture of provision in July ahead of the application process opening in September. They will then have eight weeks to apply. Supplementary – Cllr Youde Diolch for that response. Of course, one of the ways to potentially meet that growing demand, and this was obviously one of the options on that engagement process which you referred to, is for a Welsh language secondary school in south Cardiff. With the former leader of this council recently announcing that the local authority and the previous Welsh government were in discussions about the possibility of a location for such a school, Callahan Square, I welcome him formally ending his ambiguity on this matter and hope it won't take the whole of the Cabinet being elected to the Senedd to get specific answers on this. But would you and the Leader commit to driving this idea forward? I acknowledge the need for consultation, of course, and consider making the case, or start to build the case, to the Welsh government for capital funding to build a new Welsh secondary school. Reply – Cllr Merry That is of course a linking of two unrelated prospects, considering the length of time it takes to deliver a secondary school, it could hardly have been in place for 27. In terms of the wider decision on what we will do for sustainable growth in Welsh medium education, we have gone out to consult, we will consider and we will bring back future proposals that will need to go out to future consultation. There seems very little point in engaging with people if we then make up our in our minds without considering the comments. 8. Cllr Ash-Edwards to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Tourism What is the council’s strategy for the use of its local parks for commercial activities, and what mechanisms are in place for local residents, park users and relevant ward councillors to be consulted in the planning of such events or activities? Reply – Cllr Burke The council supports appropriate commercial activity in local parks where it enhances visitor experience, generates income to sustain services, and aligns with wider wellbeing, environmental and placemaking objectives. Activities are carefully assessed through a licensing and event management framework to ensure that they are proportionate, safe, and do not adversely impact on park users, biodiversity or local communities. Consultation is embedded through established mechanisms, including engagement with local ward members and letter drops to residents ahead of any event taking place. Major or sensitive proposals may also be considered through formal council decision?making routes. This approach ensures that commercial opportunities are balanced with community need, and that both elected members and residents are actively involved in shaping activity within their local parks. Supplementary – Cllr Ash-Edwards You'll be aware that I've asked this question in relation to an event taking place in Heath Park this weekend, and I know certainly many people will enjoy that event. However, there was no consultation or prior communication or engagement with residents, park users or councillors in advance, and that was certainly something that would have been helpful in terms of making sure this is an event which suits the locality. I would also say the cost of the event, although residents have been offered a £5 discount, is excessive and will certainly mean that some residents won't be able to get involved with it. Reply – Cllr Burke Thank you your supplementary, Councillor. I will put my hands up and say that, obviously we've talked about this in passing previously, where there is a process I don't believe that it was best followed in this circumstance, and I can only apologise and endeavour to do better going forward. Thank you. 9. Cllr Berman to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education Following the council's recent engagement exercise, when will the council's administration make a decision on which option it will proceed with to deliver a Welsh medium high school to serve the south of the city? Reply – Cllr Merry The council remains committed to expanding Welsh medium education across the city, and I am proud of the strong progress we have made to date here in Cardiff. The council sought the views of stakeholders through the recent engagement exercise to ensure that we listened to the views of parents, learners and teaching staff to shape future proposals. Any future development must be carefully planned to ensure that provision remains sustainable, inclusive, and aligned with community needs. As funding for schools is based on pupil numbers, strategic changes to grow provision must support both new and existing schools over the long-term. This is currently set against a backdrop of low birth rates and intakes to primary schools. Officers will report the views of the community on long-term sustainable planning of provision to Cabinet in the Autumn. Any future proposals would be subject to full public consultation to ensure they are informed by residents and support the continued growth of Welsh medium education in Cardiff. Supplementary – Cllr Berman That was clearly quite concerning, because some of the facts you outlined at the beginning suggested that perhaps the council is softening in its approach ahead with delivering a Welsh medium high school for the centre of the city, and that will cause concern. But the other point that I wanted to raise, which I'll make my supplementary, is about the fact that there is currently now uncertainty out there about what is going to happen going forward, whether that's about whether a Welsh medium high school will be delivered for the south of the city, and also whether or not the existing Welsh medium high school, Ysgol Bro Edern in the east of the city, will be retained to serve the east and the northeast of the city, or whether that will be moved to the south to facilitate the development of the school to serve the south. Now, that is causing a lot of uncertainty and I'm already getting contact with parents who are not sure even at this stage which school to start sending their children at primary level because they don't know what the availability is going to be of high schools when they get to high school. So, can you do everything possible to try and accelerate getting to the point where we have a decision, so that people have some clarity about which direction the council is going on this issue? Reply – Cllr Merry I'm going to start with a comment that may sound waspish and it genuinely isn't meant to. Members, please remember when talking to constituents that we do not have a feeder school system here in Cardiff. Where your child goes to primary school will not affect which secondary school they end up in. It is the parental home address that we use and not the primary school. And that is really important because giving parents the wrong impression is quite simply unfair, as is any encouragement by opposition members of trying to build upon the idea that there is any uncertainty. The uncertainty comes from the fact that we have gone out to engage with families and with schools. Unsurprisingly, there is a variety of different views expressed, we need time to look at those and we have always been clear, right from the beginning, about the need for any new school to be sustainable over the longer term. And also about the potential impact on existing schools, and that was part of the engagement exercise. Cllr Berman made a point of personal explanation on the basis that he felt he had been misrepresented, and emphasised that he had been talking about local provision rather than feeder schools. 10. Cllr Robson to Cllr Goodway, Cabinet Member for Investment, Employment & Inclusive Growth What action is the Cabinet Member taking to promote the film and television industry in Cardiff? Reply – Cllr Goodway The councillor will be aware that the administration has, for a number of years, prioritised the growth of Cardiff’s creative industries, with particular emphasis on supporting the film and television sector. This work is supported by a dedicated Creative and Cultural Industries Manager, who maintains regular engagement with industry partners and helps to identify opportunities for collaboration, investment and growth. Through this sustained support, and by working closely with the sector, Cardiff has become the largest drama production centre outside London. The presence of BBC Cymru Wales at Central Square continues to strengthen Cardiff’s reputation as a centre for high quality content and international production. The independent sector is also flourishing, attracting major investment including Sony Pictures’ investment in Wolf Studios. The council also works with partners, including the Cardiff Capital Region and higher education institutes, to secure further investment and support talent development. This has included, for example, a £1.5m investment in Whisper Cymru, which delivered Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage. The council will therefore continue to play an active role in promoting and growing this important sector, recognising its significant contribution to Cardiff’s economy, employment and international profile. Supplementary – Cllr Robson Cardiff has a strong link, both culturally and economically, with Doctor Who, which, as you may be aware, is now being put out to tender by the BBC for production by a new company. Will you have conversations with the BBC to encourage them to include aspects in the tender document which scores highly use of existing production facilities here in Cardiff already built, therefore hopefully keeping jobs in our city? Reply – Cllr Goodway I understand that that dialogue is already underway, but I will take the necessary steps to reassure you that the issue that you refer to is specifically captured in that conversation. 11. Cllr Jenkins to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Given the Climate Change Committee's recent report stating that air conditioning should be installed in all care homes and hospitals within the next 10 years, and in all schools within 25 years, what proactive steps are the council taking now to ensure that we are adequately protecting those in our care from the ravages of extreme weather events? Reply – Cllr De’Ath This is such an important issue, the summers will be like this going forward. This is not an anomaly like 1976, this is the new normal. It really annoys me that this kind of stuff is reported, the press use pictures of people on the beach playing beach ball and stuff, when in fact there are people really genuinely suffering, for some vulnerable people, and this is absolutely horrific. We need to accept that not everyone enjoys these kind of temperatures. As I said to Cllr Youde, the Public Service Board have commissioned a comprehensive climate risk assessment, and that's been used to establish a multi-partner strategy, because this is really something we need to solve together. In some areas of the council, particularly new build council housing, you couldn't control the temperatures either way, but it's something we've got to get a grip on. It's going to be complicated, but it's something we're going to have to work together to address. 12. Cllr Elsmore to Cllr Weaver, Leader of the Council The withdrawal of two hour free car parking from car parks across the city is having a significant impact on Canton businesses on Cowbridge Road East. Every business owner I speak to describes the detrimental impact on footfall, with some owners giving themselves until the end of the year before they close, family businesses that have had a retail presence on Cowbridge Road East for decades. This was always a controversial decision. Indeed, at a business hustings held for Senedd candidates, former council leader Huw Thomas promised to review its impact if it was killing business. This can no longer be in doubt. And any visit to Canton’s Harvey Street car park will reveal the vast swathes of empty parking spaces. Under the circumstances, as the new Leader, will you commit to an urgent review of parking charges with a view to reinstating the two-hour free period? Reply – Cllr Weaver Before the introduction of the new car park tariffs, the council did state that we would review the impact of the changes once they were in place, and I can confirm that this review is already underway. There are some detailed surveys currently being undertaken across the car parks in those affected areas, and the results will be shared with relevant local ward members once it is finalised. Supplementary – Cllr Elsmore Will you meet with the chair of the traders' association CRETA to hear for yourself about the serious impact on businesses? Reply – Cllr Weaver I’m keen to meet with businesses both large and small across the city, so yes, I would come along. 13. Cllr McEvoy was not in attendance to ask his question. 14. Cllr Latif to Cllr Weaver, Leader of the Council Can the Leader justify the decision to remove the dedicated equality portfolio, and set out how the council will prevent this from diminishing focus, leadership and measurable outcomes on equality, particularly for communities that continue to face systemic disadvantage? Reply – Cllr Weaver I'll start by saying this is a really important issue to this administration, and it remains so. But I want to make it clear that there wasn't previously a single dedicated equality portfolio, it was a shared portfolio combined with responsibilities around the health services and public health, but equality and diversity does remain absolutely in the portfolio of the new full-time Social Justice, Cohesion and Digital portfolio. I think social justice and cohesion, community cohesion, community safety are all relevant partners to this work as well. So we do have a Cabinet Member with a dedicated responsibility for equalities and diversities within their portfolio. I would like to make it clear though, equality is an issue that every Cabinet Member and indeed every councillor has a responsibility for, and this administration will see it as just a central business-as-usual part of what we do, in the sense that every policy decision we make and every cabinet member should be bearing in mind those issues, because this is an important topic for our city. 15. Cllr Davies to Cllr Proctor, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Cohesion & Digital Will the Cabinet Member outline the actions the council took following the death of George Floyd, including those that reference Black Lives Matter? Reply – Cllr Proctor Thank you for your question. Following the tragic death of George Floyd in the US and the subsequent global Black Lives Matter movement, Council agreed a motion on the 25th July 2020 that resolved to remove the statute of Sir Thomas Compton from the Marble Hall at City Hall and consider placing it elsewhere with a clear explanation of his actions. The motion welcomed the establishment in July 2020 of the Race Equality Task Force by the previous leader of the Council to address the inequalities that black and minority ethnic people face in Cardiff, which included representation from Cardiff's black communities. The wording of the agreed motion also confirmed that black lives matter and that none of us are equal until all of us are equal. Chaired by Cllr Saeed Ebrahim, the Race Equality Task Force made 31 recommendations across five key priority areas. All of the recommendations were accepted in full by the Cabinet and the Cardiff Public Services Board in December 2022, with a comprehensive action plan developed to take the work forwards. The Race Equality Task Force was reconvened in 2024 to review progress against its recommendations, with the Chair of the task force acknowledging that significant progress had been made, but there was still more work to do. The council remains committed to continuing this work alongside partners to build a fairer, more inclusive Cardiff for everyone. Further details of the work of the Race Equality Task Force, its recommendations and subsequent actions can be found on the council's website. Supplementary – Cllr Davies Thank you for that answer. It's quite a lot of actions that took place because an American died, at the hands of another American, in America, in the context of American racial politics. Essentially, a policy programme was introduced here because something completely unrelated to our country happened. But I suppose the council is not alone in that. The murderer of Henry Nowak and his family purposefully leveraged this knowledge of imported US identity politics and corporate capture in our public institutions in an attempt to cover up their crimes and accuse a dying young man of racism. We also saw South Wales Police having to backtrack on their unilateral introduction of the blasphemy law in a more recent case of policy corruption in the name of so-called equality, diversity and inclusion. After being so keen to bend the knee to Black Lives Matter all those years ago, what response would the council take in relation to matters closer to home? Reply – Cllr Proctor Let's not pretend that what's happened or what happened in America is unique to America. These issues are across the world, and they were issues that were happening in Wales, in the UK and here in Cardiff. I think we're getting into really dangerous territory when we start comparing tragedies, they need to be understood in their own unique context. My heart goes out to the friends and family of Henry Nowak, who died in such a senseless and tragic way. The family of Henry Nowak explicitly said they do not want his death to be politicised in any way, by politicians, by the media, or by the public. And I think you bringing this to the chamber tonight has done exactly that, so I won’t engage anymore in that. But on a general note, if you want to talk about community cohesion, equalities, inclusion, my door is open in a constructive way. Come and talk to me in a constructive way in my office. Thank you. 16. Cllr Pocknell to Cllr Stubbs, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street & Environmental Services New analysis by KPMG suggests that 45% of cigarettes consumed in the UK in 2025 were illicit, with over 32% being counterfeit or contraband. What is the council doing to combat shops, individuals or organised gangs selling illegal tobacco in our city? Reply – Cllr Stubbs Shared Regulatory Services undertake numerous important activities to tackle these illicit products. SRS officers conducted test purchases, carried out inspections, seizures of illegal products included large quantities of cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco, vapes and single use vapes with an estimated value exceeding £445k. SRS also participated in a national multi-agency operation that led to the seizure of significant quantities of illegal tobacco. 4,260 illegal vapes valued at £24,200 were seized, 3,811 packs of illegal cigarettes valued at £36,408, and 267 packs of hand-rolling tobacco valued at £8,400. Supplementary – Cllr Pocknell The research suggests that this problem is being partly driven by a surge in front businesses posing as vape shops, minimarts, barbers or phone shops, which are in reality hubs for illicit tobacco and wider criminal activity including drugs and money laundering. My colleague Cllr Bridgeman and I have raised concerns that individuals linked to shops potentially associated with illicit activities are still being granted licences to open new premises in other areas. What more can be done to stop these shops opening in the first place where there are clear red flags? Reply – Cllr Stubbs A lot of people around across this chamber will be aware of how powerfully yourself and Cllr Bridgeman champion this issue, and how determined you are to bring about positive change for your communities. We do have a new string to our bow. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 represents the most significant reform of tobacco control legislation in a generation. The act strengthens enforcement work, and these powers are potentially significant for local authorities. In addition, during 2025/26, SRS increased engagement and worked directly with a number of landlords to disrupt illegal trading and rented premises. What I would say is, I am more than happy to come and see these issues for myself. I know they are issues that repeat themselves across Cardiff, but I do want to hear your voices and the voices of family and residents when it comes to them, so we will set a date. 17. Cllr Naughton to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Tourism When will the swimming pool at Pentwyn Leisure Centre open to the public, and will it open in time for start of the school summer holidays? Reply – Cllr Burke The council is on track to open the pool for public use before the start of the school holiday period next month. Building works continue on site and therefore the opening date remains contingent on works being completed on time, including works by third parties such as National Grid. Confirmation of the opening date will be announced a week in advance. Supplementary – Cllr Naughton Thank you for your answer, that is welcome news. Does the council have plans to have a community-slash-fun day, I think, celebrating the long-awaited reopening of Pentwyn Swimming Pool after more than six years of being closed? Reply – Cllr Burke So firstly, yes, we're working quite closely with GLL to make sure that people are aware and that we can celebrate, and there'll be a programme of events, in terms of the schedule for GLL and the leisure centre. To be clear, the leisure centre, I appreciate the pool has been closed for a significant period of time, it’s thanks to this Cabinet and this administration that we pushed GLL to reopen the pool, and obviously that is being delivered. It's part of a £6.5m package worth of investment into Pentwyn Leisure Centre. Other parts of the leisure centre have been accessible for a while, I appreciate it hasn't been a full programme that's been accessible to residents, but that's coming online as the works come to completion, and I want to thank residents for their patience. I appreciate it's not been an easy journey, but when the leisure centre is fully open and all parts of it are back in use, I'm sure that they'll be overjoyed and hopefully grateful of the work that's gone in from multiple partners. 18. Cllr Driscoll to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport It’s been reported that the proposed Kingsway public realm works will be financed through the council’s parking reserve account, and I know from previous questions that camera enforcement in Llandaff, our multiple cameras, has contributed close to half a million pounds to the fund. Can the Cabinet Member say what is the balance of that current account, what projects the parking reserve account can fund, and what projects if any, have been funded in Llandaff? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I hope you like the Kingsway plans and their beautiful tree lines, boulevards enclosing the underpass, really beautiful new public land for the city, and I encourage people to take part in the engagement on that which is currently live. It's only a tiny minority of the project that is being funded through the parking reserve, the money comes from various sources, the Regional Transport Plan, Burns funding, that kind of thing. So that means that the parking reserve isn't funding the whole thing. In reserve, as of the 31st March 26, there was almost £4m in the parking reserve at that time. In terms of what it can fund, it's regulated by the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. I won't read you a massive list of figures but essentially transport related projects, it's quite esoteric but that kind of thing, you get the idea. In terms of what that reserve has funded in your ward, I must confess, as I stand here now, I would struggle to give you precise details but officers are still working away back out for you to find out. I think the residents' parking that's coming forward might be coming from it, but please don’t quote me on that, I'll send you a written response that’s a bit more factual if that’s alright. Supplementary – Cllr Driscoll So, what we've had removed in Llandaff is the 66 bus route. Following a petition, we managed to get it back for a short while. It would be really welcome if we could add just a small part of that four million quid, just to support a bus route through the centre of Llandaff, where we don't have a service because it was removed. So, if we could fund that with some of that money, I'm sure residents would be really welcome, now that they have to take their car down to the doctors to get seen and pay at the moment, but as we know that's going to change soon. Reply – Cllr De’Ath I think as you know I'm really sympathetic to people who rely on bus. For the administration, it’s the mode of transport we really want to see radically improved, it’s been battered by Covid, all this stuff, so I’m sympathetic. I think people need to appreciate just how expensive it is to subsidise services. I mean, it can be almost £4m just for one bus, I don't mean that particular series necessarily, but I'm talking hypothetically. And even if the bus seems full, if people are using concessionary fares or whatnot, they'll still be making a loss. So, I absolutely agree we need some kind of mechanism to pump money into our bus service, but I don't think the parking reserve is a sustainable way of doing that. But I certainly agree, we do need to raise money to put into the bus service, and that's absolutely something we're making great effort to try and achieve. 19. Cllr Pocknell to Cllr Lister, Cabinet Member for Social Services What assessment has the council made of the expansion of Flying Start? Reply – Cllr Lister I stand here really, really proud of officers in Children's Services, as the Council has met the Flying Start targets for both the core Flying Start programme and phase one and two of the expansion. We’re currently working towards completing phase three, we’re at 96.6%, with further growth plans from September. The latest data for the health board indicates that there are just over 2,000 children who are currently eligible for Flying Start childcare and have been offered a place, but not all families have taken that up. So this represents approximately 50% of the just over 3,500 children of this age group in Cardiff. We have got further expansion plans, but it does depend on the number of factors which mainly relate to Welsh government, around the direction they want to set us for all sort of funding and challenges around workforce. Supplementary – Cllr Pocknell While expanding Flying Star is welcome, many of us are concerned that the Welsh government has announced an ambitious policy without first putting necessary logistics in place. Has the council identified any risks around staffing, childcare capacity or funding, and what representations has it made to the Welsh government to ensure Cardiff isn't left picking up the pieces of poorly planned national policy? Reply – Cllr Lister I think Welsh Labour also made a really strong pledge in the recent election on childcare, and I know from working with Deputy First Minister previously and having met last week, she really is passionate about this, but as you say, it isn't thought through. There are a number of high risks around the expansion of either the childcare offer or Flying Start, or whichever direction the Welsh government decide to take us in. The primary constraint that we do have is around workforce. We have difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified childcare staff because we set a higher expectation here in Wales. We're looking at around 11,000 children aged 2 to 4 in Cardiff, with only just under 7,000 registered childcare bases, and that will be across various settings as well as childminders. So it's a significant shortfall, and without a real strategy around workforce committed funding. We welcome the £55m that the Welsh government has transported through from the previous Welsh Labour government which was unallocated, but there is a real challenge in taking this forward, and officers will continue to work on it for the benefit of children and families right across the city, and the Plaid government need to understand that this is not going to be simple, but we as a Cardiff Labour administration will continue the record of 20 years of Flying Start to deliver for families right across the city. 20. Cllr Jenkins to Cllr Merry, Cabinet Member for Education Given extreme weather events are becoming more common, with today and yesterday having a rare red weather warning issued by the Met Office, can you tell me what guidance the council has given to support schools in ensuring the wellbeing of both our children and staff? Reply – Cllr Merry Well, that feels appropriate, considering the heat in the Council Chamber, thank you for your question, Cllr Jenkins. In line with national guidance, the expectation remains that schools stay open wherever possible, with appropriate measures being put in place to protect the wellbeing of both pupils and staff. The council provided guidance to head teachers together with letters to parents. Schools were asked to undertake local risk assessments and where necessary adapt arrangements to reflect local circumstances. Any decision to close a school would need to be evidence-based and discussed with the council. Measures being taken where schools remained open including ensuring pupils had regular access to drinking water, making use of shading and well-ventilated areas, adapting timetables and activities, avoiding strenuous activity in high temperatures, relaxing uniform requirements where appropriate and ensuring that staff can recognise signs of heat-related illness. Some outdoor activities, including sports days and educational visits, may also have to have been adjusted, rescheduled or postponed where necessary. School catering teams also moved temporarily from providing hot meals to more cold food options like picnics in order to provide more temperature-appropriate school meals, and to help minimise the internal building heat generated by school kitchens.
There was none.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To receive nominations and appoint to the vacancies on the Committees, in accordance with the Party Group wishes, as set out 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: - To receive nominations and appoint to the vacancies on the Committees, in accordance with the Party Group wishes, as set out on the Amendment Sheet.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To receive nominations and approve appointments and nominations, as required, to the outside bodies listed in Appendix A and any further nominations as listed on the Amendment Sheet. to receive nominations and approve appointments and nominations, as required, to the outside bodies listed in Appendix A and any further nominations as listed on the Amendment Sheet.
Council was asked to receive nominations and make appointments and nominations of Members to outside bodies which were required for the 2026/27 Municipal Year. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - To receive nominations and approve appointments and nominations, as required, to the outside bodies listed in Appendix A and any further nominations as listed on the Amendment Sheet. to receive nominations and approve appointments and nominations, as required, to the outside bodies listed in Appendix A and any further nominations as listed on the Amendment Sheet.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: i. To approve the recommendation of the Licensing Committee made at its meeting on 15th April 2026 to adopt and publish the revised Statement of Licensing Policy with effect from 8th July 2026; ii. To authorise the Head of Shared Regulatory Services to make administrative amendments to the document should the need arise.
Council was asked approve the adoption and publication of the council’s revised Statement of Licensing Policy following the recommendation of the Licensing Committee at its meeting on 15th April 2026. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: i. To approve the recommendation of the Licensing Committee made at its meeting on 15th April 2026 to adopt and publish the revised Statement of Licensing Policy with effect from 8th July 2026; ii. To authorise the Head of Shared Regulatory Services to make administrative amendments to the document should the need arise.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - That, in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Authority Governor Panel, the Council approves the new appointments of Local Authority governors to the school governing bodies as set out in Appendix 1, each for a term of 4 years from the date of the appointment.
Council was asked to appoint Local Authority School Governors to fill vacancies. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: - That, in accordance with the recommendations of the Local Authority Governor Panel, the Council approves the new appointments of Local Authority governors to the school governing bodies as set out in Appendix 1, each for a term of 4 years from the date of the appointment.
In accordance with Council procedure Rule 17 (f), the Written Questions received for consideration and their responses were attached to the minutes.
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.
Calum Davies: Buddiant personol ar Petitions
Cyfarwyddwr Bws Caerdydd.
Dan Naughton: Buddiant personol ar Petitions
Cyfarwyddwr Bws Caerdydd.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.