Leisure centres, libraries, museums, arts, events and the Welsh language.
What councils do
Councils run or fund libraries, leisure centres, parks, museums and arts venues, often through a trust or company they set up.
Who decides
The Cabinet decides on opening hours, charges and closures, often after consultation.
Having a say
Proposals to close or change libraries and leisure centres are usually consulted on. Community groups can sometimes take over buildings the council no longer needs.
In numbers
Welsh councils plan to spend £76 per person on this in 2026-27.
It ranges from £39 in Powys to £135 in Denbighshire.
RESOLVED – The Sub?Committee heard from the applicant, considered all evidence, submissions, and written material, and reviewed the Licensing Act 2003, the Section 182 Guidance, the National Licensing Policy Framework, the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy, and the Cumulative Impact Assessment. The Sub?Committee also heard the oral representations made by the local ward member on behalf of a local resident.
The Sub?Committee noted that the premises had been trading for a significant number of years and had established a positive track record of management. It also noted that no representations had been received from either South Wales Police or Environmental Health, and the Sub?Committee attached appropriate weight to the absence of objections from the responsible authorities.
The Sub?Committee considered the explanation provided on behalf of the applicant that the current door restriction was imposed more than two decades ago in different regulatory circumstances, and that subsequent planning decisions had permitted later use of the Westgate Street entrance. The Sub?Committee also acknowledged the applicant’s position that extending the operational hours of that entrance would improve customer flow and support effective management, particularly during peak times, without undermining the licensing objectives.
However, the Sub?Committee also acknowledged the concerns raised by the local ward member on behalf of residents, particularly in relation to the unique characteristics of Westgate Street, its proximity to the Principality Stadium and Cardiff Arms Park, and the limitations faced by some residents due to conservation area restrictions preventing the installation of double glazing. The Sub?Committee accepted that residents regularly experience elevated levels of disturbance during major events and that the reopening of an additional access/egress point could potentially increase the risk of public nuisance if not carefully managed.
The Sub?Committee had regard to the fact that the objections centred primarily on the prevention of public nuisance and considered whether the proposed variation, if granted, would adversely impact that licensing objective. In doing so, the Sub?Committee took account of the applicant’s assurances regarding continued responsible operation, the existing use of door staff, and the willingness of the applicant to adopt additional controls through a formal management plan.
Balancing all the evidence, the Sub?Committee concluded that the premises had demonstrated a history of compliance, that responsible authorities had raised no objections, and that the proposed variation could be permitted without undermining the licensing objectives, provided that additional safeguards were applied. The Sub?Committee therefore considered it appropriate and proportionate to grant the variation subject to additional conditions designed to address concerns relating to public nuisance, particularly on major event days.
Accordingly, the Sub?Committee resolved to GRANT the application subject to the following additional conditions:
• There will be no exiting from the doors on Westgate Street on major event days after 9pm.
• The premises shall operate a documented door management plan designed to minimise disturbance to nearby residents. The plan must outline procedures for controlling entry and exit, managing external areas, preventing noise from patrons, and addressing any incident that may impact local residents. The plan shall be kept on the premises and made available for inspection by authorised officers.
The Sub?Committee further noted that the application sought to include the following wording:
“The entrance doors to the Westgate Street frontage shall not be used by customers or staff for the purpose of exit/egress to and from the premises between the hours of 23:15 and 09:00 Monday to Saturday and between 22:45 and 09:00 on Sundays except in the case of emergency.”
For clarity, the Sub?Committee resolved to amend this to read:
“entrance/egress to and from the premises.”
The Sub?Committee considered that these conditions struck the appropriate balance between supporting the needs of the business and addressing the concerns of local residents. The Sub?Committee concluded that, with these measures in place, the licensing objective of preventing public nuisance would be promoted.
RESOLVED: that
1) the strategy set out in the report and at Confidential Appendix 1 for delivery of a permanent car park at the ISV site be approved and authority be delegated to the Director of Economic Development in consultation the Cabinet Member for Investment & Development, the Legal Officer and the Section 151 Officer to:
a. Deal with all aspects of the procurement of a contractor/energy developer to deliver the car park and any associated energy infrastructure.
b. Deal with all aspects of the disposal of the area of land set out at Confidential Appendix 1 in accordance with independent valuation advice to fund any financial contribution required by the Council following the procurement process set out at (a) above, with a further Cabinet decision required if the scale of Council contribution exceeds the value of this land.
2) a soft market exercise be approved as set out at Confidential Appendix 4 to consider the potential disposal of the Cardiff Ice Arena (CIA) and return to Cabinet to consider the market response.
3) a soft market exercise be approved as set out at Confidential Appendix 4 to consider the external operation and/or disposal of the Cardiff International White Water (CIWW) and return to Cabinet to consider the market response.
4) Subject to approval of the parking strategy at (1) above, the amendment to the Option Agreement with Cardiff Peninsula Consortium Limited to include the land indicated on the plan at Confidential Appendix 2 for the delivery of obligations set out at Confidential Appendix 1 be noted.
5) a disposal or long-term lease of the Toys R Us building to the current sub-tenant of the Cardiff Ice Arena be approved subject to independent valuation advice and in accordance with the draft Heads of Terms attached at Confidential Appendix 5.
6) Subject to the formal agreement of residents, the Council taking ownership of the boardwalk at the ISV site be approved, as illustrated by the plan attached at Appendix 6 and in line with the financial plan outlined at Confidential Appendix 1.
AGREED: that the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, writes to the Cabinet Member conveying the observations and recommendations of the Committee when discussing the way forward.
RESOLVED: that
1) Authority be delegated to the Director of Economic Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks, the Section 151 Officer and Director of Governance and Legal Services, to deal with all aspects of the proposed procurement (including determining delivery model, setting the evaluation methodology, commencing procurement and to deal with any ancillary matters) and thereafter to report the outcome at a future Cabinet meeting for approval of award of contracts.
2) It be agreed, subject to interest in the opportunity, to advertise the proposed disposal of the land as indicated within the attached plan at AppendixB, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 and to report back the outcome at a future Cabinet Meeting.
RESOLVED: that
a) support for the submission of the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup bid be approved.
b) the submission of the the Host City Agreement and all associated guarantees be approved for submission to UKSport and the FAW by the deadline of the 31st October 2025 subject to written confirmation of an ‘in principle financial support’ being available as set out in Confidential Appendix A
c) Delegate authority to the Director of Economic Development in consultation with the Cabinet Member (Culture Sport and Parks), Monitoring Officer and S.151 Officer to consider any further matters relating to or arising from the bid.
RESOLVED – That the following matters be dealt with as indicated:
(1)
Application 1
The Sub Committee was asked to determine if a driver remained a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that upon renewal of his licence there was an issue with the DBS process.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the driver’s representative explained that the driver had not been informed of the DBS issue when he most recently renewed his plates in April, and had not received any correspondence from the council either. His updated DBS had arrived at the end of May and he had provided it to the council in September but not had any confirmation that they had received it.
The driver presented his full DBS certificate to the Sub Committee. The driver’s representative noted that there were no new matters to report on the certificate, and in their view the matter was closed.
RESOLVED – that no further action be taken.
(2)
Application 2
The Sub Committee was asked to determine if a driver remained a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that he had declared six penalty points on his licence.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the driver explained that he had picked up two passengers in town and taken them to Roath, before being told by a licensing officer that he shouldn’t have taken the fare because he was a private hire driver and lacked the correct insurance. He acknowledged his mistake and apologised, explaining that he was on autopilot during a busy night.
The driver added that he had received six points and paid a £940 fine for the offence. Members noted that the papers referred to a fine of £350, which the Legal Officer clarified was likely to have been one part of a combined penalty for the separate offences of plying for hire and driving without the appropriate insurance.
The driver’s representative noted that the driver had already been punished for the offence in court, and emphasised that it was an honest one-off mistake after more than 30 years of driving taxis with a clean record. The driver also acknowledged that he should have informed the licensing authority as soon as he received the points.
RESOLVED – that the driver receive a written warning.
(3)
Application 3
This item was deferred to the next meeting.
(4)
Application 4
This item was deferred to the next meeting.
(5)
Application 5
The Sub Committee was asked to determine if a driver remained a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that the Licensing Department had received six complaints regarding refusal of fares between 2018 and 2025, and that during the investigation of the most recent complaint on the 23rd June it was alleged that the driver may also have provided a statement contrary to CCTV obtained.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the driver’s representative emphasised that the driver was not plying for hire, but was rather waiting to pick up his daughter after a concert. It was a very busy night after a Millennium Stadium event and many roads were closed, so he parked on Mill Lane opposite the taxi rank with his light off to wait for his daughter.
The representative suggested that the evidence provided by the licensing department was inaccurate, as the vehicle was not at the front of the queue as it wasn’t in the official rank. He suggested that rather than accepting a fare from a passenger he didn’t know, as the statement from Licensing alleged, he had picked up his daughter’s friends before driving to pick up his daughter from outside a takeaway restaurant. He emphasised that if the driver had been plying for hire, he would have parked on the other side of the rank and put his light on. He also disputed the witness’ suggestion that the driver had been rude to her.
Members asked whether the driver felt Mill Lane was a suitable pickup spot for a journey back to Gabalfa. The driver’s daughter explained that she was not very familiar with the roads in Cardiff, so it seemed easier to pick her up from the place where he normally worked from. The driver added that a lot of roads were closed because of the concert.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the witness explained that she hadn’t realised how difficult it would be to get a taxi after the concert, having moved away from Cardiff some time ago. She and her friends had followed the crowds towards the Mill Lane rank to try and get a ride back to Penylan, and tried asking the taxi drivers there after they had no luck with Uber. She asked the driver in question if he was available, but he ignored her.
The witness added that she then saw the driver talk to other people who needed a ride and type their postcodes into his phone before turning them down, which made her think he was cherrypicking fares. One of the friends she was travelling with was neurodivergent and disabled, while the other had a young child and was desperate to get home.
The Sub Committee viewed CCTV footage of the taxi rank and confirmed that the vehicle had been parked on the other side of the road to the main rank, and that the light on top of the vehicle was off. Members viewed the taxi driving off after two women got in, whom the driver’s daughter confirmed were her friends.
The driver’s representative emphasised that it had not been the driver’s intention to refuse or offend anyone, and that he wasn’t plying for hire because he was waiting for his daughter.
RESOLVED – that no further action be taken.
(6)
Application 6
The Sub Committee was asked to determine if a driver remained a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that the driver had declared nine penalty points on his licence.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the driver explained that he had committed three speeding offences in the same 30mph zone on Western Avenue by the Gabalfa interchange.
RESOLVED – that the driver receive a written warning.
(7)
Application 7
The Sub Committee was asked to determine if a driver remained a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that he had declared nine penalty points on his licence.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the driver explained that he had 14 years’ experience as a taxi driver and worked for Uber as well, and felt he was a good driver. He had committed three speeding offences, with the first occurring in June 2023.
He wasn’t sure of the details of all of the offences, but recalled that one of them was for going 27mph in a 20 zone near Pentwyn Leisure Centre, and noted that the 20 sign there was very close to the corner so it was easily missed.
RESOLVED – that the driver receive a written warning.
(8)
Application 8
The Sub Committee was asked to consider an application for the grant of a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that the applicant had a conviction contrary to the guidance.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the applicant explained that the conviction was for an incident that happened 35 years ago, when he was in his early 20s, and he hadn’t been in any sort of trouble since. He had been imprisoned for 18 months and released after six for good behaviour.
He added that when he applied for his licence, he didn’t realise he needed an enhanced DBS disclosure and instead applied for a basic one. He had been under the impression that if it happened more than ten years ago, it did not need to be disclosed, but realised now that he had been mistaken.
He added that he had spent the last decade working across the UK in the gas industry for various companies, but had decided to come home and do a different job. He had always worked in customer care and liked working with people.
RESOLVED – that the application for a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s License be granted.
(9)
Application 9
The Sub Committee was asked to consider an application for the grant of a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that the applicant had motoring convictions contrary to the guidance.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the applicant explained that he had been disqualified from driving last year after driving a friend’s car when he didn’t realise he wasn’t insured on it. On another occasion since then he had been stopped by the police because his brake light wasn’t working, and they found an issue with his tyre.
Members noted that he had been disqualified due to totting up points, and asked what other offences were involved. The driver clarified that there had been two insurance offences, both of which involved the same car that belonged to his friend. The second offence had happened before he was informed about the insurance issue.
RESOLVED – that the application for a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence be refused.
(10)
Application 10
The Sub Committee was asked to determine if a driver remained a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence given that he had declared nine penalty points on his driving licence, as well as one pending speeding offence which would bring his total points to twelve.
Addressing the Sub Committee, the driver’s representative clarified that the pending offence had now been confirmed, so the driver had twelve points on his licence. He had been driving taxis since 2001, and though there were two matters reported in that period, neither had been upheld.
He explained that he had received six points for accidentally driving through a red light in 2024 and had committed two speeding offences in January 2025, both at the junction of Newport Road and Claremont Avenue. All of the offences had occurred in the early hours of the morning after he had dropped off customers.
The driver’s representative added that when the case went to court, the driver had pleaded exceptional hardship as he was the principal breadwinner for his family, and supported his wife and child as well as his parents, which had enabled him to continue driving despite the twelve points. He was a law-abiding driver of long standing who was aware that any further offences would result in the loss of his licence.
RESOLVED – that the Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Driver’s Licence be suspended for 7 days.
Vale of Glamorgan, Governance and Audit Committee,
RESOLVED –
(1) T H A T SLT’s consideration of the responses to the Governance and Audit
Committee’s comments (Annex B to the report) be noted.
(2) T H A T the Quarter 1 position of corporate risks (April 2025-June 2025)
outlined in the Risk Summary report (Annex A to the report) be noted.
(3) T H A T the following comments from the Committee be referred to Cabinet
for their consideration and/or endorsement in terms of corporate risk:
• Further clarification and consideration was required on the position of
the delivery of major regeneration projects such as Barry Marina and its
centrality to these in light of ABP withdrawing from the delivery of a
marina as part of the Vale’s Levelling Up Programme and the
acquisition of land (the Mole) earlier in the process and amend the
other parts of the scheme including the park and Ocean Water Sports
training facilities to compensate for the loss;
• Further clarification and consideration was required on issues regarding
the Cardiff Region City Deal and the impact of the legal settlement
relating to Aberthaw Power Station;
• That the national report on temporary accommodation, housing and
homelessness be shared with Cabinet and the Governance and Audit
Committee in due course, with the Council’s response to its
recommendations, as well as outlining the potential legislative and
financial impact / responsibilities of these for the Council;
• The importance of adequately monitoring contract over runs and
overspends for some projects where the costs had doubled from initial
estimates, particularly in the context of those undertaken under
Delegated Powers.
Reasons for decisions
(1&2) Having regard to the contents of the report and discussions at the meeting.
(3) To ensure Cabinet receives the comments of the Governance and Audit
Committee when considering corporate risk.
RESOLVED: that
1. the introduction of a car parking charging regime at the ISV site based on Option 4 of the report attached at Appendix 3 be approved subject to securing the required budgets as outlined at Confidential Appendix 9.
2. the Evaluation Criteria set out in Confidential Appendix 2 be agreed and the implementation of a procurement process to deliver the Energy Strategy set out in the report and at Confidential Appendix 2 and Confidential Appendix 7 be approvedand authority be delegated to the Director of Economic Development in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Investment and Development, Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to deal with all elements of the procurement process with the final negotiated terms, reported back to a future meeting of Cabinet for approval.
3. the HOTs to enable the delivery of a primary sub-station at the ISV site as set out at Confidential Appendix 10 be approved and authority be delegated to the Director of Economic Development in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Investment and Development, Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to deal with all associated legal and financial matters.
RESOLVED:
-
To note the contents of the Internal Audit and Investigation Team Progress Reports;
-
To approve a correction to the Audit Plan 2025/26, to include a 15 audit of ‘Welsh Language Standards’, replacing the duplicate entry of ‘Homelessness – Temporary Accommodation’;
-
That the Audit Manager meet with the Head of Democratic Services to agree the principles for notifying Scrutiny Officers where there are audit reports with impaired Audit Opinions.
RESOLVED: Council AGREED:
1.
To approve the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2024/25 (attached as Appendix A) prior to formal publication in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards (Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011).
RESOLVED: that Council be recommended to Approve the Welsh Language Standards Annual Report 2024/25 (attached as APPENDIX A) prior to formal publication in accordance with the Welsh Language Standards (Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011).