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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
Resolved: That the following appointments be agreed. Governing Body Appointments Governing Body Appointments/ Resignations Name Malpas Park Primary School Reappointment Hazel Allen Malpas Court Primary School Reappointment William Langsford Alway Primary School Resignation Danielle Powell Alway Primary School Appointment Rebecca Sims St Andrew’s Primary School Reappointment Kevin Howells
Resolved: Council resolved to:– Revenue budget and Council Tax 2025/26 (section 2 - 6) 1 Note the Cabinet’s final budget proposals for 2025/26 (Appendices 7 and 8), resulting Council Tax levels and the formal Council Tax resolution, noting that an extensive consultation exercise has been completed on the 2025/26 Cabinet’s draft budget proposals and noting that the Cabinet have taken this into account in recommending final details of their budget. 2 Agree the Council’s budget for 2025/26 (Appendix 1) as proposed by the Cabinet, including fees and charges (Appendix 11), Council Tax increase and Council Tax resolution (Appendix 3) for Newport City Council which incorporates the precepts levied by community councils and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent. 3 Note the Head of Finance’s recommendations that minimum General Fund balances should be increased as earmarked reserves reduce, but for 2025/26, can be maintained, at a level of at least £6.5million, the confirmation of the robustness of the overall budget underlying the proposals, subject to the key issues highlighted in section 5. Medium term financial plan (MTFP) (section 3) 4 Note the MTFP, the current uncertainty over medium term funding levels and the likely significant financial challenges over the medium term in the context of increasing demand within service areas. 5 Approve the implementation of the three-year financial plan, including all budget proposals, as summarised within the medium-term financial plan (Appendix 4), noting that financial projections are subject to on-going review and updating. 6 Note and approve the Council’s reserves strategy and transformation fund protocol (Appendix 6). Approve the planned use of earmarked reserves, as set out in Appendix 5a, including the proposed use of the Transformation Fund.
Resolved: Council unanimously - § Approved the Capital Strategy (Appendix 2), including the proposed Capital Programme within it (shown separately in Appendix 1), and the borrowing requirements/limits needed to deliver the proposed programme. § Approved the Treasury Management Strategy and Treasury Management Indicators, the Investment Strategy and the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy for 2024/25. (Appendix 3) As part of the above, Council - § Noted the increasing debt, and corresponding revenue cost of this, in delivering the rolling Capital Programme, and the implications of this over both the short and medium-long term with regard to affordability, prudence and sustainability. § Noted the feedback provided by the Governance and Audit Committee on 30th January 2025. To access a full recording of the agenda item please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic Meetings / Cyfarfodydd Democrataidd
Resolved: Council unanimously agreed to – § Adopt the Welsh Government’s Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rate Relief Scheme 2025-26 as set out in this report and in Appendix 1. § Extend the Newport City Centre Local Rate Relief Scheme so that the scheme, as described in this report and in Appendix 2, operates during the 2025-26 financial year; and § Delegate to the Head of Finance the authority to take such decisions as may became necessary to enable the operation of both schemes, including but not limited to: i. the setting-up and operation of an appropriate application procedure. ii. the power to determine whether or not an individual application is within the scope of the scheme; and iii. the power to revoke a grant of relief in circumstances where an applicant no longer qualifies for such relief according to the scheme.
Resolved: § Council unanimously approved the proposed update to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders.
1.i Apologies Councillor K Thomas 1.ii Declarations of Interest Item 3 - Councillor M Howells declared an interest in relation to the LEA Governor Appointment, K Howells is Councillor M Howells brother. Item 7 - Councillor Horton declared an interest as owner of Horton’s Cafe. 1.iii Presiding Member’s Announcements The Presiding Member reminded colleagues to complete and return the party related declarations forms by 8 April.
The Minutes of the last meeting held on 21 January 2025 were agreed as a true and accurate record.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: That the following appointments be agreed. Governing Body Appointments Governing Body Appointments/ Resignations Name Malpas Park Primary School Reappointment Hazel Allen Malpas Court Primary School Reappointment William Langsford Alway Primary School Resignation Danielle Powell Alway Primary School Appointment Rebecca Sims St Andrew’s Primary School Reappointment Kevin Howells
Councillor Clarke moved the appointments set out in the report and verbally proposed a further three additional appointments to an outside body, and a resignation from a governing body that arose since the report was written, as agreed by the Business Managers. Councillor Reeks seconded the proposal including the verbal additions. Resolved: That the following appointments be agreed. Governing Body Appointments Governing Body Appointments/ Resignations Name Malpas Park Primary School Reappointment Hazel Allen Malpas Court Primary School Reappointment William Langsford Alway Primary School Resignation Danielle Powell Alway Primary School Appointment Rebecca Sims St Andrew’s Primary School Reappointment Kevin Howells
The Presiding Member introduced Superintendent J White of Gwent Police, who provided Council Members with an update on police issues within East, West and Central Newport. When the Superintendent had addressed the Council, the Presiding Member invited the Leader, Councillor Batrouni, to address Superintendent White. The Leader asked for the Superintendent’s perspective on crime rates in Newport. Supt White responded that solved crimes had increased and overall crime rates had declined month on month, particularly in key areas such as burglaries. There was an increase in weapons offenses, but pro-active stop and searches were in place due to officers on patrol. § Councillor Evans referred to the use of drones by police and asked about the controls in place concerning privacy. Supt White confirmed that planned activities using drones only took place once a full assessment had been completed and authorised, including privacy considerations. § Councillor D Harvey referred to a recent news article stating that Newport was the most dangerous place in Wales, which she felt was not the case. Councillor D Harvey also thanked local police on behalf of residents following their successful raids within the Alway ward. Supt White agreed that newly recruited officers had bolstered resource, adding that there needed to be more coverage of these good news stories in the press. § Councillor Reeks expressed his thanks for the quick action of the Police in relation to his last query at Council regarding speeding cars along High Cross Road, Rogerstone and asked could this be a regular event. Supt White agreed to pass this on to the team. § Councillor Routley referred to the public perception of gangs in Newport, during daytime, particularly in city centre and asked if anything was preventing police from arresting people. Supt White advised that there was nothing stopping the police. Supt White stated that the team under the new local officer, Inspector Bull, had done a lot of work, including collaborative work with ward members and was happy to provide further details on this directly to Councillor Routley. § Councillor Horton passed on praise to officers responding to an incident in Victoria ward within five minutes of being contacted. Supt White advised that Gwent Police was in the top three services in Wales when responding to 999 calls, reaching 95-100% of their targets. § Councillor Corten referred to increased footfall in the city centre alongside reduced crime rates and thanked the Superintendent and police. Supt White hoped that this would continue with support from the Home Office and central government through continued investment. § Councillor Clarke thanked Inspector Ball for the visit they jointly carried out together to speak with business owners on the High Street to discuss any concerns and future plans. Supt White agreed to pass this on to Inspector Ball. § Councillor Fouweather referred to a dog-on-dog attack in his ward, and queried how the concerned resident could take the matter forward. Supt White was aware of the incident, which fell under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, and confirmed that it was being addressed. § Councillor Watkins referred to increased funding from central government and asked whether there was an increase in officers, PCSOs or both. Supt White advised that there were three recruitment drives for PCSOs during the coming year as well as a recent launch of a neighbourhood strategy to improve the way police engage with residents. § Councillor Al-Nuaimi expressed his thanks for the service provided by the neighbourhood policing team, who recently spent an hour at the Stow Hill ward meeting answering questions. Councillor Al-Nuaimi confirmed that he was happy to speak with his councillor colleagues should they have any concerns about the city centre. Supt White echoed these comments and restated the offer to carry out further city centre walkabouts with councillors. § Councillor M Howells referred to obstructions of the highway by vehicles either parking on pavements or on double yellow lines Supt White advised that the enforcement of highway obstruction and parking on double yellow lines came under the remit of the Council but dangerous positioning on highways fell under the remit of the police, therefore this would be raised with Inspector Rowlands. § Councillor T Harvey mentioned that Crimestoppers visited Alway in 2024 and encouraged other councillors to host the same visit in their wards to help increase community intelligence. Supt White echoed these comments and would take this as an action. To access a full recording of the agenda item please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic Meetings / Cyfarfodydd Democrataidd
Decision as recorded
Resolved: Council resolved to:– Revenue budget and Council Tax 2025/26 (section 2 - 6) 1 Note the Cabinet’s final budget proposals for 2025/26 (Appendices 7 and 8), resulting Council Tax levels and the formal Council Tax resolution, noting that an extensive consultation exercise has been completed on the 2025/26 Cabinet’s draft budget proposals and noting that the Cabinet have taken this into account in recommending final details of their budget. 2 Agree the Council’s budget for 2025/26 (Appendix 1) as proposed by the Cabinet, including fees and charges (Appendix 11), Council Tax increase and Council Tax resolution (Appendix 3) for Newport City Council which incorporates the precepts levied by community councils and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent. 3 Note the Head of Finance’s recommendations that minimum General Fund balances should be increased as earmarked reserves reduce, but for 2025/26, can be maintained, at a level of at least £6.5million, the confirmation of the robustness of the overall budget underlying the proposals, subject to the key issues highlighted in section 5. Medium term financial plan (MTFP) (section 3) 4 Note the MTFP, the current uncertainty over medium term funding levels and the likely significant financial challenges over the medium term in the context of increasing demand within service areas. 5 Approve the implementation of the three-year financial plan, including all budget proposals, as summarised within the medium-term financial plan (Appendix 4), noting that financial projections are subject to on-going review and updating. 6 Note and approve the Council’s reserves strategy and transformation fund protocol (Appendix 6). Approve the planned use of earmarked reserves, as set out in Appendix 5a, including the proposed use of the Transformation Fund.
The Presiding Member invited the Leader of the Council to present the report to Council. No alternative budget proposals had been put forward following Cabinet’s recommendation earlier this month, therefore this was the final and only budget for consideration. Extensive public consultation had taken place, the views of which were reflected in the budget, such as reversing the proposed savings regarding libraries and community centres. Almost 3000 responses from the public had been received. The Leader outlined the key aspects to Council colleagues: § Newport had received the highest revenue budget grant from Welsh Government at about £25 million. § The Council Tax rate was increased by 6.7%. § School funding was increased by over £11 million; this was an increase of 8%. § The budget proposed an additional £1.8 million to help with the issue of homeless families and individuals. § The Council proposed to invest nearly £2 million in children’s social care services towards developing residential provision in or close to the city and nearly £1 million in developing local education provision for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN). Other proposals could be found in the accompanying appendices within the final budget report. Councillor D Davies seconded the report and requested a recorded vote. This was supported and moved. Councillors debated the budget proposal. The Leader closed with responses to comments before the recorded vote was taken. To access a full recording of the debate and comments made please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic Meetings / Cyfarfodydd Democrataidd Councillor Name Apologies For Against Abstain 1 Adan, Saeed x 2 Al-Nuaimi, Miqdad x 3 Baker-Westhead, Claire x 4 Batrouni, Dimitri x 5 Bright, Paul x 6 Clarke, James x 7 Cleverly, Janet x 8 Cockeram, Paul x 9 Cocks, Stephen x 10 Davies, Bev x 11 Davies, Deb x 12 Drewett, Pat x 13 Evans, Matthew x 14 Forsey, Yvonne x 15 Fouweather, David x 16 Harris, John x 17 Harvey, Debbie x 18 Harvey, Tim x 19 Horton, Gavin x 20 Hourahine, Phil x 21 Howells, Mark x 22 Howells, Rhian x 23 Hughes, Jason x 24 Hussain, Farzina x 25 James, Lauren x 26 Jenkins, Debbie x 27 Jones, John x 28 Jordan, Jason x 29 Kellaway, Martin x 30 Lacey, Laura x 31 Linton, Malcolm x 32 Marshall, Stephen x 33 Mayer, David x 34 Mogford, Ray x 35 Morris, Allan x 36 Mudd, Jane x 37 Perkins, Bev x 38 Peterson, James x 39 Pimm, Alex x 40 Pimm, Matthew x 41 Reeks, Chris x 42 Reynolds, John x 43 Routley, William x 44 Screen, Allan x 45 Spencer, Mark x 46 Sterry, Andrew x 47 Stowell-Corten, Emma x 48 Thomas, Kate Apologies 49 Townsend, Carmel x 50 Watkins, Trevor x 51 Whitehead, Kevin x Total 42 6 2 Resolved: Council resolved to:– Revenue budget and Council Tax 2025/26 (section 2 - 6) 1 Note the Cabinet’s final budget proposals for 2025/26 (Appendices 7 and 8), resulting Council Tax levels and the formal Council Tax resolution, noting that an extensive consultation exercise has been completed on the 2025/26 Cabinet’s draft budget proposals and noting that the Cabinet have taken this into account in recommending final details of their budget. 2 Agree the Council’s budget for 2025/26 (Appendix 1) as proposed by the Cabinet, including fees and charges (Appendix 11), Council Tax increase and Council Tax resolution (Appendix 3) for Newport City Council which incorporates the precepts levied by community councils and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent. 3 Note the Head of Finance’s recommendations that minimum General Fund balances should be increased as earmarked reserves reduce, but for 2025/26, can be maintained, at a level of at least £6.5million, the confirmation of the robustness of the overall budget underlying the proposals, subject to the key issues highlighted in section 5. Medium term financial plan (MTFP) (section 3) 4 Note the MTFP, the current uncertainty over medium term funding levels and the likely significant financial challenges over the medium term in the context of increasing demand within service areas. 5 Approve the implementation of the three-year financial plan, including all budget proposals, as summarised within the medium-term financial plan (Appendix 4), noting that financial projections are subject to on-going review and updating. 6 Note and approve the Council’s reserves strategy and transformation fund protocol (Appendix 6). Approve the planned use of earmarked reserves, as set out in Appendix 5a, including the proposed use of the Transformation Fund.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: Council unanimously - § Approved the Capital Strategy (Appendix 2), including the proposed Capital Programme within it (shown separately in Appendix 1), and the borrowing requirements/limits needed to deliver the proposed programme. § Approved the Treasury Management Strategy and Treasury Management Indicators, the Investment Strategy and the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy for 2024/25. (Appendix 3) As part of the above, Council - § Noted the increasing debt, and corresponding revenue cost of this, in delivering the rolling Capital Programme, and the implications of this over both the short and medium-long term with regard to affordability, prudence and sustainability. § Noted the feedback provided by the Governance and Audit Committee on 30th January 2025. To access a full recording of the agenda item please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic Meetings / Cyfarfodydd Democrataidd
The Presiding Member invited Councillor Batrouni, Leader of the Council to present the Capital Strategy and Treasury Management Strategy for 2025/26. This report included both the Capital and Treasury Management Strategies which, at their core, (i) confirmed the Capital Programme, as part of the Capital Strategy and (ii) the borrowing limits and other indicators which governed the management of the Council’s borrowing and investing activities, as part of the Treasury Management Strategy. The Capital Strategy also set out the long-term context (10 years) in which capital decisions were made. Councillor D Davies seconded the report. Resolved: Council unanimously - § Approved the Capital Strategy (Appendix 2), including the proposed Capital Programme within it (shown separately in Appendix 1), and the borrowing requirements/limits needed to deliver the proposed programme. § Approved the Treasury Management Strategy and Treasury Management Indicators, the Investment Strategy and the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy for 2024/25. (Appendix 3) As part of the above, Council - § Noted the increasing debt, and corresponding revenue cost of this, in delivering the rolling Capital Programme, and the implications of this over both the short and medium-long term with regard to affordability, prudence and sustainability. § Noted the feedback provided by the Governance and Audit Committee on 30th January 2025. To access a full recording of the agenda item please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic Meetings / Cyfarfodydd Democrataidd
Decision as recorded
Resolved: Council unanimously agreed to – § Adopt the Welsh Government’s Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rate Relief Scheme 2025-26 as set out in this report and in Appendix 1. § Extend the Newport City Centre Local Rate Relief Scheme so that the scheme, as described in this report and in Appendix 2, operates during the 2025-26 financial year; and § Delegate to the Head of Finance the authority to take such decisions as may became necessary to enable the operation of both schemes, including but not limited to: i. the setting-up and operation of an appropriate application procedure. ii. the power to determine whether or not an individual application is within the scope of the scheme; and iii. the power to revoke a grant of relief in circumstances where an applicant no longer qualifies for such relief according to the scheme.
The Presiding Member invited the Leader of the Council to present the report. The Welsh Government agreed to reimburse the Council in full for any awards made under the above scheme and it was envisaged that up to 1,200 businesses would benefit from reduced rates by way of this relief. The scheme would deliver 40% rate relief in 2025-26 for qualifying properties which were broadly used for retail, leisure or hospitality. Details of the Welsh Government scheme are contained in Part A of the report. In addition to the Welsh Government scheme, Part B of the report set out a proposed extension to the Newport City Centre Rate Relief scheme that Council introduced in 2022-23. This was seconded by Councillor Clarke. Members debated the report. To access a full recording of the debate and comments made please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic Meetings / Cyfarfodydd Democrataidd Resolved: Council unanimously agreed to – § Adopt the Welsh Government’s Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rate Relief Scheme 2025-26 as set out in this report and in Appendix 1. § Extend the Newport City Centre Local Rate Relief Scheme so that the scheme, as described in this report and in Appendix 2, operates during the 2025-26 financial year; and § Delegate to the Head of Finance the authority to take such decisions as may became necessary to enable the operation of both schemes, including but not limited to: i. the setting-up and operation of an appropriate application procedure. ii. the power to determine whether or not an individual application is within the scope of the scheme; and iii. the power to revoke a grant of relief in circumstances where an applicant no longer qualifies for such relief according to the scheme.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: § Council unanimously approved the proposed update to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders.
The Presiding Member invited Councillor Routley, Chair of the Democratic Services Committee to present the report. This report proposed amendments to the Contract Standing Orders, which were reviewed in accordance with the existing three-year review period. This took into account the national and local developments, around UK and Welsh Procurement legislation changes. This proposal was considered by the Democratic Services Committee in November 2024. Councillor Hourahine seconded the report. Members debated the report – to access a full recording of the debate and comments made please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic meetings / Cyfarfodydd democrataidd. Resolved: § Council unanimously approved the proposed update to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders.
Once the Leader had presented his announcements, Councillors put their questions to the Leader in line with the new Standing Orders arrangements. To view Leader’s Announcements please refer to the Council’s YouTube channel. Democratic Meetings / Cyfarfodydd Democrataidd. Homelessness remains a significant issue in Wales, with thousands still housed in temporary accommodation and little progress made in reducing the number of people sleeping rough. Behind these numbers there is a very real human cost that cannot be ignored, with the number of individuals rough sleeping unchanged and the number of people in temporary accommodation remaining persistently high. A Newport Council housing officer told the BBC back in November: "We do our very best to help everybody, but we're restricted by budget, lack of housing, lack of provision and lack of other services." So can the Leader of the Council tell us, what is the estimated number of individuals sleeping rough in the city, how many adults and children are currently in Bed and Breakfast accommodation, what this costs, and what you intend to do to address the understandable concerns? At the end of December there were 11 people assessed as sleeping rough in the city. For the past 4 months, the Council has been running a Somewhere Safe to Stay pilot providing a safe, warm and dry place for people sleeping rough to stay. At the end of January 2025 there were 82 households with dependent children and 335 single people in B&B accommodation. This figure is based on the month end snapshot. Since the start of the financial year there has been a sustained reduction in families in temporary accommodation (TA) with 94 fewer children in TA compared to the start of the financial year. The Council has a housing transformation programme in place which is focused on preventing homelessness wherever possible as well as acquiring new properties from Registered Social Landlords and the Private Rented Sector to provide an alternative to current temporary accommodation provision. Prince William recently paid a visit and backed the Homewards Programme. In terms of how to address this, the Leader had proposed to invest £1.8 million in the Housing Team as part of the Council Budget. Councillor Evans referred to the 82 households with children in Bed and Breakfast accommodation and added that the Council had previously stated it would not put a child in this situation. Councillor Evans felt that these statistics were shocking in terms of their impact for children and families but were also expensive. The Leader agreed and added that was the reason that £1.8 million would be invested in transformation of housing services and tackling homelessness to address this. The leader will be aware of the recent press coverage around crime and anti-social behaviour in Newport, particularly the city centre. As well as Newport being 'dubbed' the most dangerous place in Wales to visit. What are your plans to bring the crime rate down, particularly in the city centre and how will we know if this is working? In 2024 Council approved the Safer Newport Community Safety Plan, which is a statutory plan developed with Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Health, Probation, RSLs, voluntary sector and other partners. The broad aim is to reduce crime and disorder. This new plan has a focus on both crime types and place-based issues and the city centre is a priority area. Overall Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) figures for Newport have seen a year on year decrease of 9% and overall crime has decreased by 12%. There are plans in place to tackle issues across the city and these are monitored through our Partnerships Scrutiny Committee. The Council’s Public Protection Service, in collaboration with partners, has intensified enforcement and engagement activities in the city centre to reduce anti-social behaviour and crime. The updated Public Spaces Protection Order, implemented in autumn, empowers officers to address issues such as aggressive begging and street drinking. Increased enforcement efforts have led to warnings, notices, fixed penalty notices, and the closure of premises selling illegal tobacco and vapes which has received positive feedback from businesses. Newport’s Community Safety Partnership has also identified the city centre as a key focus area, establishing a working group to implement an action plan involvs.ng multiple stakeholders. Can we be updated on the progress of our enquiries to City Services more frequently please? Normally we receive an acknowledgement of our enquiries via a do not reply email stating the request will be dealt with in 5 working days. Sometimes we will get a “new note” email and that’s good, but it can still end up being drawn out. Explaining this to residents can be frustrating. Officers aim to answer member enquiries within 5 days. The current process involves logging the query in our My Council Services system and for responses to be logged the same way. Responses are available in the user account but are also emailed directly to Members. For cases that will take longer than 5 days to be resolved, holding responses can also be sent. Over the last 6 months, 820 queries were received, with 90% of them solved within the 5-day window and only 3% were over that threshold or outstanding. The system therefore seems to be working well, especially considering the high volumes of requests received. However, we are working with the team and investing in the service to improve this further. In a recent Scrutiny Committee meeting where the proposed Newport Culture Strategy was discussed one section of the strategy suggested that venue owners encourage people attending events to make use of public transport in order to help Newport become a net Zero city by 2030. If the leader thinks that it is acceptable for the council to encourage venue owners to take such steps, then will he lead by example and request that attendees at the next Cabinet meeting are required to travel to it by means of public transport only? Cabinet encouraged people to use public transport to reduce emissions where they could. The Leader added that if Cabinet Members were able to attend Cabinet via public transport, he would encourage this. Are you aware of how a number citizen's view of City centre. The reality or perception of the public is It's worse than I expected. While we're talking about how to improve things, we really need to deal with the serious problems we're facing right now. Many people feel unsafe on our streets due to problems like aggressive begging, drinking in public, and groups of hooded gangs on bicycles Marauding throughout our City centre with lack of regard for the well-being of others, with potential for violence and destruction. Thereby producing fear or its perception amongst our citizens for their own safety. How can we ask businesses to invest in an area that projects the possibility of being out of control regarding Law and order no wonder there is hesitation when it comes to investment. Do you agree with me Leader we need to rebuild trust and make everyone feel secure, so families, friends, and individuals can move freely in our City without the fear of harassment or attack. To make this happen, we need to take back control of our streets and focus on proper law enforcement. Will you as Leader use your influence to encourage the police to detain and arrest those who disturb the peace in our community. Do you agree together we can make Newport Safe and Great again. The city centre is a top priority for the Council, and there is now a strengthened partnership with the Police, which enables more effective collaboration to tackle crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). The implementation of stronger powers via the updated Public Spaces Protection Order has empowered officers to address issues such as aggressive begging and street drinking. Additionally, we now have an increase presence of police officers in the city centre, which helps to change perception and has already led to increased enforcement efforts. On 12 February 2025 you posted on Facebook a short bullet point summary of the 25/26 NCC Budget with the promise of more to follow. Amongst other items that weren’t quantified you announced the ‘biggest investment in roads and pavements’ resurfacing for over 10 years’. Newport’s roads (and dare I say in this context trunk roads) are subject to a huge amount of stress with rising volumes of traffic across the city, exasperated by the M4 no longer being fit for 21st Century demands. Add to that regular flooding on some of our roads then clearly other measures will no doubt need to be taken to make the road system sustainable for a growing city. Can you now add some further detail to your Facebook post (copied below for reference) and in particular: 1. Re-iterate (for the purpose of this question) just how much this secured road and pavement investment is and over how many years it will be carried out. 2. Assure residents of Bishton & Langstone Ward that the long-awaited investment will really make a difference to each of their concerns, particularly to those long-suffering residents who have put up with years of substandard attention to their ‘ highways and bye ways’ concerns. Over the last decade, councils have had limited capital funding from the government for road resurfacing and Newport City Council has had to rely on an annual budget of £500K per annum. The announcement of additional investment in highways consists of 3 components: § Council Annual Sums, which we increased from £500K to £1M per year last February. § Additional highways funding from Welsh Government, which has now been confirmed at around £4m for Newport. § Further one-off funding, which will be announced by the administration in June of this year. In the context of the total infrastructure, how far does £4million go in terms of road repairs in Newport. This was dependent on a number of factors such as the quality of the road, the depth and width of potholes, and the different materials required for example. This means that the costs are different for different repairs based on many variables. The Leader was happy to provide more detail to Councillor Mogford.
Question 1: Question to the Cabinet Member for Assets and Infrastructure Could you provide an update on the recent School Street trial near St Andrew’s School in Newport? Specifically, what measures were in place to assess its impact, what key findings have emerged from the trial, and what potential next steps are being considered based on the outcomes? We are working with our colleagues in Sustrans and they, along with myself and some ward councillors, were in attendance at the trial assessing traffic movements and issues of displaced vehicles. Having attended in person (and I know the Leader also attended one at Gaer Primary the previous week), the benefits of some of the street closures were immediately evident to me. The air the children were breathing as they walked in was less polluted, crossing the roads to get into the school gates felt safer, and the environment in general was pleasant. In terms of evidence gathering, feedback surveys have been published online and communicated to local residents and parents and guardians, the results of which are in the process of being collated and so it’s too early to publish findings. Officers of both Sustrans and the Council who were in attendance that morning also patrolled and observed the surrounding streets to get a sense of what the traffic seemed to be doing when it couldn’t get into the streets which were closed. In relation to next steps, the trials were funded by Welsh Government Safe Routes in Communities grant and we have submitted an application for further funding in 25/26. Should we be successful with this then we will potentially run further trials at both this school and others, and we may trial different combinations of surrounding street closures based on feedback results to date. The long-term aim would be to make permanent school street closures where the trials prove to be beneficial. Question 2: Question to the Cabinet Member for Assets and Infrastructure With the recent announcement of more money for road repairs and resurfacing in the 2025/6 budget could the Cabinet Member describe their role in the prioritisation of where the money needs to be spent within the City. Where there are clear examples of long-standing lack of maintenance of country lanes in the city will the Cabinet member look into why this is the case and ensure that such examples do not continue to be overlooked. Could the Cabinet member ensure that the repair and resurfacing workplan, as a whole when agreed will be available for the public to be aware on a ward-by-ward basis? Last week I presented the Council’s Highway Asset Management Plan (HAMP) to Scrutiny. The value of our highway asset is £1.3 Billion, and the maintenance backlog exceeds £118M. However, we need to recognise that, along with most other local authorities, funding for maintenance of the highway asset has not been at a level where even “steady state” condition could be achieved. This has been due to over a decade without sufficient capital funding from central government. This year thanks to the vastly improved settlement from the Labour Government in Westminster, and the consequently improved additional capital allocation from Welsh Government, we will be able to dramatically increase our capital spending on resurfacing. We also hope to be able to allocate further capital sums to resurfacing later in the year – we are very aware of how important this issue is to residents. The HAMP explains how we assess roads. The discussion on what roads to prioritise is based on engineering assessments, not Member or Cabinet Member views. Even with the biggest investment in many years, we recognise that unfortunately we can only do so much. As we did last year, we will inform Members of works in their Ward prior to works commencing and also publicise this information on our social media channels. We are also intending to publish a list of those roads we hope to resurface in this coming financial year. The anecdotal response from the public was that repairs had been substandard. How could the process be improved to get this right first time. There were different types of roads, with different health and safety levels. If a surface had significant irregularities it would need to be addressed differently. Question 3: Question to the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity Cabinet Member In the last two months of 2024, Newport Council responded to 927 reports of fly-tipping across the city. In our own ward of Bishton and Langstone, our environment is blighted by these inconsiderate dumpers. Cabinet member, what do you intend to do to enhance the detection and prosecution of individuals who are illegally dumping in The Bishton and Langstone Ward and across our Great City of Newport? Newport City Council has significantly intensified its efforts to combat fly tipping. Key activities include extensive investigation and use of enforcement tools such as community protection warnings and notices, Section 46 and Section 47 notices: Fixed Penalty Notices for fly tipping and other waste related offences and prosecutions in the most severe instances. The council has also deployed several cameras across Newport to monitor illegal waste disposal. Other key elements include duty of care and carrier license checks, improved engagement with communities and social landlords, and communication campaigns such as the anti-fly tipping project around litter bins. Regular information and social media campaigns to increase awareness are also in place. These combined efforts have proven successful. Statistics show a total of 340 Fixed Penalty Notices issued for fly tipping and other waste offences from April 24 to January 25, marking a 1000% increase compared to the 2023/2024 figures. Additionally, there have been 22 prosecutions during the same period, for the 8 cases put forward in 2023/2024. There is an increased likelihood of fly tippers being caught. Councillor Routley understood there were only three covert cameras available, were there any more cameras and should more be purchased to deter, detect and prosecute. Councillor Forsey was not sure of the number of cameras that were in operation, as this was not publicised as they were covert, but would find out. Councillor Forsey suggested that ideally a waste awareness course, litter pick, visit to WasteSavers, incinerators and follow up with visit to WRAP should be something that needed to be put in place for offenders. Question 4: Question to the Cabinet Member for Education and Early Years The School Funding (Wales) Regulations 2010 require 70% of funding for schools’ budgets to be distributed on the basis of pupil numbers. Local authorities then have discretion to distribute the remaining 30% on the basis of a range of factors so that they can take account of individual school circumstances. School funding formulae should be set out following consultation with the Schools Budget Forum, Headteachers and Governing Bodies, so that all stakeholders are sighted on the allocation process. Each local authority must then publish details of the delegated budget, both the amounts and the method used, in what is known as a Section 52 Budget Statement (as required by The Education (Budget Statements) (Wales) Regulations 2002) Concerns have been raised from within our schools about the level of school spending per pupil. This is not just a Newport problem with many differences across local authorities and between schools and whether funding levels are sufficient to meet the needs of pupils. Can the cabinet member provide a copy of the Section 52 Budget Statement (as required by The Education (Budget Statements) (Wales) Regulations 2002) and confirm the process and how the authority is including all stakeholders in the consultation process. This is an operational question which should be directed to the Chief Education Officer. It is an officer responsibility to meet the Schools Funding Wales requirements and coordinate Schools Budget Forum which is the school’s consultation group for such matters. All information from Newport City Council’s Section 52 Statement is in the public domain and can be found here: Local authority budgeted expenditure on schools: April 2024 to March 2025 | GOV.WALES As a school governor how could we make sure we are all included in the stakeholder process. The School’s Forum was made up of union representatives, lay members and governors regarding school budget, therefore it was possible to be involved with this engagement. Question 5: Question to the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning It was good to hear the announcement from the cabinet secretary for social justice earlier this month that more than 450 community spaces across Wales have been saved or improved with £63m Welsh government investment keeping vital local venues open using the community facilities programme. I am really pleased that some common sense has prevailed, and the recent budget proposal of closing community centres and libraries has been rescinded. How can this authority work with community groups to support them to access the funding and resources to protect them from closure, invest in their infrastructure and be vital community hubs too We are committed to working with communities as part of our strategic asset management plan and have a positive example in Eveswell progressing currently, with significant external funding secured for refurbishment of the building. Following this we will be reviewing processes to determine how to better support further interest and applications. We recognise community organisations may need support to develop such proposals. In partnership with GAVO we have arranged training sessions for community organisations and Newport City Council staff to understand the requirements and are also discussing longer term support arrangements and how these can be further developed in the city. Given the public debate and feedback regarding community centres and libraries, there is a clear need for these in our communities. Would there be any potential to set up a Community Integration fund, with Councillors working together to ease the burden on social and education services and so that Councillors could support and champion these groups. Councillor Adan was happy to meet with Councillor M Howells and Lliswerry ward members. This had to be a ground up approach and the community had to have their say in community incentives. Question 6: Question to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture The Newport Transporter Bridge visitor centre is nearing completion, and will no doubt provide a boost to tourism in Newport once it is open hopefully in the spring. It has been reported in the media this week that there will be £5 million of funding coming from the government toward “vital repair and maintenance” of the Transporter Bridge. Can the Cabinet member please outline what this vital repair work is, when it is to be scheduled and confirm that there will be no delays to the opening and operation of the bridge because of this work? Thank you for the question which gives me an opportunity to remind everyone how lucky we are to have this incredible attraction here in Newport. It also gives me a chance to thank Councillor Debbie Harvey, because the visitor centre wouldn’t be there without her hard work, negotiation with funders, and dedication to the project during her time in the Cabinet. I’m also pleased to have the opportunity to put on record our thanks to the current UK government for allocating £5 million in funding to support the restoration of the bridge. Special thanks go to both Newport MPs, Jessica Morden and Ruth Jones, who made the case for the bridge in Westminster. I think this is a great example of partnership working, demonstrating how all three levels of Labour government are collaborating to deliver for Newport. As for the repair work to which this funding will contribute, it will go towards the enhanced restoration of the steelwork, the gondola and other features, which can only be carried out by a specialist company. The additional funding will enable us to do more and ensure its longevity. Next year, the Transporter Bridge celebrates its 120th anniversary, and it remains our plan to have the bridge operational towards the end of this year, as we have previously stated, in time for those celebrations. I would love to stand here and promise a specific date that we can all circle on our calendars, but given the complexities of this iconic structure, it would be remiss of me to do so. As Members will appreciate, the Transporter Bridge is an extremely complex structure that is showing signs of its years. The bridge is susceptible to changes in the weather, which makes a huge difference when working at height to deliver the complex work required for the structure. While that work continues, the visitor centre is receiving community groups for planned visits right now, with the amazing Friends of Newport Transporter Bridge the first public group make use of the space, with lots more visits to come over the coming months. It’s great that Newportonians get to have a first look at the space and the brilliant displays – like the interactive walkway- before it opens to visitors. As one of just five working Transporter Bridges in the world and the only operational bridge in the UK, I look forward to celebrating this landmark’s landmark birthday next year and to seeing tourists and Newportonians enjoying this icon of our city again. This concluded the meeting.
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