The Planning Committee on 7 May 2025 agreed that decisions on planning applications should be recorded as shown on an attached schedule, and authorised officers to draft changes to conditions or reasons for refusal. It also noted a report of recent planning appeal decisions, including one where part of an appeal was allowed at Rose Cottage, Caerleon. The schedule itself is not in the material provided, so individual application outcomes are not listed.
The Committee considered two yearly updates: the Fostering Service and the South East Wales Adoption Service (SEWAS). It praised the fostering report and made requests and recommendations on both, including for data, community outreach, website changes and school governor training. The minutes record these requests and recommendations, and no other formal decisions.
The Committee considered the Corporate Safeguarding Annual Report 2024-25 and made three recommendations on the use of data and comparisons. It considered the draft Socially Responsible Procurement Strategy 2025-2030 and said it was content with it. It also asked for two more updates on the Anti-Poverty Strategy before the end of the Council term in 2027.
Cabinet looked at Key Stage 4 exam results for Newport secondary schools in 2024, adopted a five-year Highway Asset Management Plan, and chose a street lighting option. For street lighting, Cabinet decided to switch on every other street light during all hours of darkness.
The Council met on 8 April 2025 to approve the revised Gambling Act Statement of Principles, the 2025/26 members' pay schedule and a Pay and Reward Policy. It supported a motion on devolving the Crown Estate in Wales, as amended, which asks the Leader to write to the Welsh Government, and agreed several governing body appointments. Councillors also put questions to the Leader and a Cabinet Member, and heard a police update from Gwent Police.
The committee met on 2 April 2025 to consider planning applications, the yearly monitoring report on the Local Development Plan, and recent planning appeal decisions. The minute resolves that decisions be recorded as shown on the applications schedule, but that schedule was not available for this summary, so individual decisions are not listed. No decision is recorded on the other two items, which were presented for information.
The committee considered Key Stage 4 school results for 2023-24 and progress on the council's Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP), a ten-year plan to grow Welsh-medium schooling. It asked for an update on curriculum and exam reform, said it was content with the WESP progress report, and recommended Welsh-language activity at community events. It also agreed how to close out older actions from earlier meetings.
Cabinet met on 19 March 2025 and agreed to set up a council-owned company, called a LATCo, to take over property services from the Newport Norse joint venture when it ends. It approved the first Newport Culture Strategy, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund investment plan for 2025-26, and the transfer of the council's share in CSC Foundry Limited to a regional body. It also noted the corporate risk register and two Estyn inspection reports, and recommended the pay policy to Full Council.