Council

Council received one petition: Presented by Number of relevant signatures Nature of petition Judith Beck 625 Calling for a new pedestrian crossing in Llandaff near the Heathcock pub.

A full list of mayoral engagements had been circulated to Members prior to the meeting. The Lord Mayor highlighted the Cardiff Half Marathon as a great event for the city, raising more than £4m for charities across the board, and thanked Cllr Stubbs for running in support of the Lord Mayor’s Charities. He invited Cllr Lloyd Jones, the previous Lord Mayor, to give an update on last year’s chosen charity. She reported that £14,412.76 had been raised for Cardiff Food Bank, and thanked all those who had contributed. He added that there would be a quiz night on 1st November at Cardiff Castle, and that Cllr Williams would be hosting a coffee morning on 15th November with details to follow.

Council was asked to consider the 16th Local Authority Social Services Annual Report, as required under Part 8 of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 (SSWB Act). The report was proposed by Cllr Lister and seconded by Cllr Thomson. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before moving to the vote. FOR (67) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Berman, Boes, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Brown-Reckless, Burke, Carr, Carter, Chowdhury, Cowan, Cunnah, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Driscoll, Elsmore, Ferguson-Thorne, Gibson, Goodway, Green, Gunter, Hopkins, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Lloyd Jones, Keith Jones, Kaaba, Lancaster, Latif, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Mackie, McGarry, Merry, Michael, Molik, Moultrie, Naughton, Owen, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Shimmin, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Taylor, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Topham, Waldron, Weaver, Williams, Wood and Youde AGAINST (0) ABSTAIN (0) RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To approve the Local Authority’s Social Services Annual Report for 2024/25

Council was asked to approve the 9th Cardiff Local Development Plan Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) for submission to the Welsh government by 31st October 2025. The report was proposed by Cllr De’Ath and seconded by Cllr Stubbs. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before moving to the vote. FOR (62) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Berman, Boes, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Carter, Chowdhury, Cunnah, De’Ath, Derbyshire, Elsmore, Ferguson-Thorne, Gibson, Goodway, Green, Gunter, Hopkins, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Lloyd Jones, Keith Jones, Kaaba, Latif, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Mackie, McGarry, Merry, Michael, Molik, Moultrie, Naughton, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Shimmin, Simmons, Singh, Stubbs, Taylor, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Waldron, Weaver, Wood and Youde AGAINST (8) Cllrs Brown-Reckless, Cowan, Driscoll, Lancaster, McEvoy, Owen, Topham and Williams ABSTAIN (0) RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To endorse the 9th AMR for submission to the Welsh government by 31st October 2025.

Council was asked to consider the Statement of Accounts for 2024/25, to meet the requirements of the Accounts and Audit (Wales) Regulations 2014 (as amended). The report also included the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) which was required to be approved by Council. The report was proposed by Cllr Weaver and seconded by Cllr Thomas. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before moving to the vote. FOR (60) Cllrs Abdul-Sattar, Ali Ahmed, Saleh Ahmed, Ali, Anderson, Ash-Edwards, Berman, Boes, Bowen-Thomson, Bradbury, Bridgeman, Burke, Carr, Carter, Chowdhury, Cunnah, Derbyshire, Elsmore, Ferguson-Thorne, Gibson, Goodway, Green, Gunter, Hopkins, Humphreys, Hunt, Jenkins, Lloyd Jones, Keith Jones, Kaaba, Latif, Lent, Lewis, Lister, Littlechild, Livesy, Mackie, McGarry, Merry, Michael, Molik, Moultrie, Naughton, Palmer, Parry, Pocknell, Proctor, Reid-Jones, Sangani, Shimmin, Simmons, Stubbs, Taylor, Thomas, Thomson, Thorne, Waldron, Weaver, Wood and Youde AGAINST (7) Cllrs Brown-Reckless, Cowan, Driscoll, Lancaster, Owen, Topham and Williams ABSTAIN (0) RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To approve the audited Statement of Accounts 2024/25 – Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority (Appendix 1); 2. To approve the audited Statement of Accounts 2024/25 – Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund (Appendix 2); 3. To approve the Annual Governance Statement 2024/25 (Appendix 3); 4. To note the Audit of Accounts Reports (ISA 260) from Audit Wales on the Statement of Accounts of Cardiff Council, Cardiff Harbour Authority and Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund for the year ending 31 March 2025 (Appendices 4, 5 and 6); 5. To approve the Cardiff Port Health Authority Annual Return 2024/25 (Appendix 7); 6. To note the final Letters of Representation for Cardiff Council, Cardiff Harbour Authority and Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund included within Appendices 4, 5 and 6; 7. To note that the following documents will be signed following the conclusion of the meeting: Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Council – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources; Statement of Accounts for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Corporate Director Resources; Statement of Accounts for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund - Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources; Annual Return of Cardiff Port Health Authority – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources; Annual Governance Statement – Leader of the Council and Chief Executive; Audit Certificate for the Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority – Appointed Auditor, Audit Wales; Letter of Representation for Cardiff Council - Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources; Letter of Representation for Cardiff Harbour Authority – Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources; Letter of Representation for Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund - Lord Mayor and Corporate Director Resources.

Council was asked to note the annual report of the Standards & Ethic Committee. The report was proposed by Jason Bartlett, Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee. The Lord Mayor invited debate on the report, before the recommendation was agreed. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To note the Standards & Ethics Annual Report for 2024/25.

Leader’s Statement Cllr Thomas responded to questions in relation to: - promoting community cohesion; - retention of business rates by the Cardiff Capital Region; - next steps following visits to the Cardiff United Synagogue and Cardiff Reform Synagogue; - Hate Crime Awareness Week. Finance, Modernisation & Performance Statement Cllr Weaver responded to questions in relation to: - the Welsh government’s Draft Budget; - the Alloy back-office system for reporting waste management; - the use of new technology to reduce workloads. Housing & Communities Statement Cllr Bridgeman responded to questions in relation to: - the Grangetown Family Fun Day; - bringing empty homes back into use; - engaging with residents who report antisocial behaviour. Investment & Development Statement Cllr Goodway responded to questions in relation to: - footfall in the city centre; - the impact of possible parking levies. Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Statement Cllrs Thomson and Sangani responded to questions in relation to: - challenges facing social care and recruiting locally; - supported living at Albany Road Baptist Church; - the Neurodivergent Friendly Cardiff Strategy. Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Statement Cllr De’Ath responded to questions in relation to: - the Greener Whitchurch flood alleviation scheme; - the ReCYCLE project; - potholes in Old St Mellons; - the Solar Together scheme. Deputy Leader and Education Statement There were no questions on Cllr Merry’s statement. Children’s Services, Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People Statement Cllrs Lister and Bradbury responded to questions in relation to: - the Youth Service’s work with vulnerable young people. Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Statement Cllr Mackie responded to questions in relation to: - communication with utility companies undergoing works; - improving public spaces; - spreading Tidy Towns grant funding across Cardiff; - replacing open-top bins in Pontprennau. Culture, Sport & Parks Statement Cllr Burke responded to questions in relation to: - the UK’s bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup;

There were 22 oral questions. 1. Cllr Berman to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport The proposed surcharge for oversized vehicles in the City Parking Plan proposals, as agreed by Cabinet, has been widely reported in the media for the impact it will have on SUVs, but because it is being based on vehicle weight, it will also impact on the cost of permits for other vehicles such as small vans. Whilst owners of SUVs may have the option to switch to smaller cars, many others, such as tradespeople who need to park a van near their home which they may require for their work, may not have the same option to switch to a smaller, lighter vehicle to avoid this surcharge. Do you share my concern that this could unfairly impact on such tradespeople, and will you therefore review the way in which it is being proposed this surcharge will be levied? Reply – Cllr De’Ath You’re correct that there are some vans and light goods vehicles that could be affected by this. The rationale is, a transit van can be up to seven metres long, your average car is 4.5 metres, so if you’re taking up one and a half parking spaces it’s not unreasonable to pay a little bit extra. I would imagine, if it’s an unavoidable business expense, you might be able to offset that against your tax, but also, it’s important to remember that under these proposals, if you’re a white van man-type tradesman you can actually use your tradesman’s permit to park more easily in the zones, so there are upsides for small businesspeople. I wouldn’t rule out reviewing it, but we’re not planning to in the immediate future. Supplementary – Cllr Berman I just detect that there’s a subtext in there that you’re going to have a bit of a war on white van men, which I think is a bit unfortunate, and I think you could just look at doing something where you define specifically what’s in scope and what’s not in scope, beyond just basing it on the weight of the vehicle, and having all vehicles of a certain weight being classed as the same. So, what I’m saying is, could you go and look at this again? Reply – Cllr De’Ath As I’ve said, I absolutely wouldn’t rule out reviewing it. I mean, there’s been lots of support for basing these measures on weight. I don’t know if you take the Spectator but they were actually quite supportive of what we were doing in a recent article, which was a huge surprise to me. They actually advocated reducing council tax and absolutely cranking up the charges you have on vehicles based on their size. A collection of civil organisations and NGOs have written to the Leader calling for a vehicle charge based on weight, and one of those people was the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Cllr Carter. And they urged us to follow Paris by introducing fairer parking charges in the city that are based on the weight or the size of the car. This is an opportunity, they say, to lead the way in the UK and deliver a more equitable transport policy that reduces harmful emissions, creates more public space and supports the health and wellbeing of residents. So, the Spectator agrees, Joe agrees, so that’s what we’re doing. 2. Cllr Williams to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport Cllr De’Ath, whilst you claim this SUV parking tax surcharge is about cutting emissions and promoting fairness, isn’t this really just another regressive tax on working families, many of whom rely on second-hand SUVs for practical reasons like childcare or shift work? What assessment has the council actually done to ensure this policy doesn’t simply punish those who can’t afford to replace their car, rather than meaningfully reduce pollution, and if the latter, why are electric SUV vehicles included in the parking tax surcharge? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I completely reject the premise that some Tory members of Cardiff are trying to pursue, that what we’re doing isn’t family friendly, or it’s penalising families, and this kind of discourse. I don’t consider types of vehicles that, if they hit a normal person, there’s a 44% chance they will kill or injure them, above and beyond being hit by a normal car. If you hit a child when you’re driving an SUV, you’re on about this being family friendly, so I’ll tell you, if you hit a child when you’re driving an SUV, that goes up to 80%, and if you hit a child under 10 there’s a 120% greater chance you kill or injure them. We haven’t banned them, have we? We want to charge slightly more for a permit, that’s what we’re doing. To come to this chamber and defend a form of vehicle after hearing what it can do to a child, that’s not very family friendly, is it. I don’t know how you can justify the position you take, I think most right-minded people agree with what we’re doing. When we consulted on this, the majority of people supported it as well, so I’d really reflect on where you’re coming from with this because I don’t think it reflects very well on you or your group. Supplementary – Cllr Williams The Cabinet Member’s logic is flawed and his argument is specious, quite frankly, because if you tell us it’s so disastrously bad, SUVs, why don’t you just ban them? The reason why is, you want to make money, you want to raid the people of Cardiff for as much money as you can get your hands on, so just be open and tell us that’s what this is all about. Because actually, people in Cardiff tell me this is all about the thin end of the wedge. What they’re worried about is what comes next, more taxes, more permit price increases. So just be open with the people of Cardiff, tell us your agenda, so then we can make up our minds on whether we want to support you. Little clue is, more taxes are probably less likely to get support. Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’m not sure what the question was there, I think we’ve been very, very, clear about what we’re doing, we were very clear about why we’re doing it. And I know you’re the opposition, I know you’re going to oppose what we’re doing, but on this particular issue, members of your group have argued it’s safer to hit get by an SUV than a normal-sized car. I’m not saying you, I’m saying some members of your group. And I think that’s so obviously not true as to sound absurd. I appreciate you want to have a pop at us, but on this particular issue, I think you’re so, so wrong. And in this dialogue, I’m not the one who sounds like a kind of left-wing guy, a Marxist, all of you sound mad, you sound ridiculous, you sound absolutely ridiculous. 3. Cllr Livesy to Cllr Weaver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance What progress update is there on the Palestine-related motions from November 2024 and July this year? That is, contact with the Foreign Secretary following November last year, and progress to the resolves or resolutions in the July 25 motion, or the July motion of this year. Reply – Cllr Weaver Following the motion last November, the council wrote to, I think, both the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary. A reply was received in January from the UK government which provided an update on the efforts to secure a ceasefire at that time. Following the motion that was agreed in Council of July this summer, the Chief Executive formally wrote to both the Pension Committee, the pension fund for Cardiff and the Vale, but also the Chair of the Wales Pension Partnership Joint Governance Committee, and copied in the host authority for the Wales Pension Partnership as well. This was discussed following the Wales Pension Partnership meeting in September, with chairs, officers and advisors. A number of other councils within Wales submitted similar motions, or motions on similar themes. Work is ongoing between officers, chairs and advisors on how we will review and approach our engagement, escalation and exclusions policy, and there will be further meetings, informal ones through November, there’s a formal JGC meeting in December, and there will be a further Cardiff and Vale Pension Fund meeting later in November as well where this will also be discussed. Supplementary – Cllr Livesy I understand that the council may be conducting some work on its estimated full exposure to investments complicit in potential war crimes. What is happening with this, and will the Chair of Cardiff’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign be getting a response to the letter he sent to you and the Pensions Committee in early August? Reply – Cllr Weaver The Chair will, and there is correspondence still to reply to. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign wrote to all pension funds expressing the legal position as well, the Scheme Advisory Board has written to the UK government for a position on that legal position. But as I said, this is being actively discussed, and just to reiterate, it is not the council looking at this, it is the pension fund, and in order to do that we have to do so with our partners across the Wales Pension Partnership, because the vast majority of our investments are pooled. 4. Cllr Reid-Jones to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport Given the longstanding concerns about traffic congestion and infrastructure strain, does the Cabinet Member agree that St Mellons Road is no longer fit for purpose, and does he have sympathy with road users experiencing daily delays? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I recognise this is quite a treacherous bit of road, really narrow, really rural, so absolutely I have sympathy with people driving along there. There are changes planned to the operation of St Mellons Road in the future, which have been agreed as part of both the Churchlands and the North East Cardiff planning approvals. A bus gate will be installed between Lisvane village and the Churchlands site to prohibit traffic, except buses, and to deter traffic movement through the village. The North East Cardiff planning approval proposes the introduction of a peak period bus gate on St Mellons Road to prohibit east-west and vice versa commuter traffic between Lisvane and Pontprennau. As part of the North East Cardiff approval, St Mellons Road will be closed to vehicular traffic, except for access, and replaced by a new spine road through the site, so I hope that’s of some use to your residents when that infrastructure comes alive. Supplementary – Cllr Reid-Jones In February 2023, I stood alongside my council colleagues to oppose the Strategic Site F planning application. Not because we objected to the principle of building much needed housing, but because we were warned in no uncertain terms that the infrastructure simply wasn’t in place to support it. We specifically highlighted St Mellons Road, a narrow rural B-road known locally as Lisvane Lanes. Although marked at both ends as unsuitable for HGVs, it was regularly being blocked by construction traffic. Now, two and a half years later, nothing has changed, except that the problem has worsened. Residents are still facing daily gridlock, with HGVs blocking the road and causing long delays. St Mellons Road has become a critical route for residents across north Cardiff to reach school, the A48 and the M4. Not by design, but by default, due to the absence of proper infrastructure, and while we’re told that in time this road will become access only, that promise does nothing to address the chaos happening right now. So, I ask the Cabinet Member, will you as a matter of urgency instruct Highways officers to bring forward immediate and enforceable measures to stop construction traffic from using St Mellons Road before the situation deteriorates even further? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’m absolutely sympathetic to the situation you and your residents are facing, I’m more than happy to discuss it with the team and provide you with an update based on those conversations. 5. Cllr Pocknell to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport In March, the Cabinet Member confirmed in his Cabinet Statement to this Council that the stretch of Newport Road containing both exits from Llanrumney would be restored to 30mph. I am pleased to see that the necessary Traffic Regulation Orders were laid on October 7th. As this is a key arterial route for residents leaving the ward, could the Cabinet Member provide a clear timeline or update on when this change is expected to be fully implemented? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I know this is a really important issue to you and your residents, and Cllr Bridgeman has raised it with me a number of times in the past. As you know, the Traffic Regulation Order has recently been launched. These things, frustratingly, can take some time, they can take up to 12 months, I’m sure it won’t take that long in this instance, but it will be some time. I would estimate that the changes will come into effect around springtime next year, but we’re doing what we can to try and make sure that happens as quickly as possible. Supplementary – Cllr Pocknell Are there any steps that can be taken to expedite the process for residents and road users? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’m afraid unfortunately there’s nothing more we can do really to what we’re doing already. These things have legal process, you can’t really speed them up beyond making sure that everything’s submitted on time, and done to the letter of detail. But I think this is a really interesting and illustrative case study, because it absolutely shows why the Welsh government have set the default speed limit at 20mph rather than going road-to-road through this long, laborious, complex legal process. Doing it the way they have has saved a huge amount of money, a huge amount of effort, so I know it was a struggle to do but it was absolutely worth doing, such an important thing for our city, and the lives and money it’s saved our NHS absolutely made it worthwhile. 6. Cllr Shimmin to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks It was disappointing to hear about the recent closure of the New Moon venue in the city centre. While it’s reassuring to know that the council remains committed to supporting grassroots music and cultural venues, and that officers have made every effort to assist, we also recognise that attendance and engagement ultimately depend on public interest. With that in mind, could you please provide an update on how many grassroots venues are currently receiving support from the council, and how many are expected to benefit from funding or assistance in the upcoming round of support? Reply – Cllr Burke I’m pleased to report that seventeen grassroots music venues have received funding in the first round of our Grassroots Music Fund, which was released towards the back end of last year in conjunction with the inaugural Cardiff Music City Festival. This is in addition to the wider range of ongoing support and assistance from our music team through our Cardiff Music Strategy work. This month, the council also delivered its second annual Cardiff Music City Festival, working with partners to stage over 69 gigs across Cardiff, at more than twenty grassroots music venues in the city and collaborating with over 200 musicians. Tens of thousands of people attended those concerts, providing much-needed economic boost to our venues. New grassroots venues included Canopi and the new Porters, with the council playing an instrumental role in supporting their delivery. We also for the first time had worked with the Cardiff Market to open that up to provide free music, and I know that food retailers as well benefitted tremendously, I think 7,000 people passed through the market from Thursday through to Saturday evening, to attend that element of the event. We expect a significant number of grassroots music venues to apply for this year’s funding round, which launched within the last two weeks, and we’re currently scoping other initiatives to support venues across the city. That work continues to go on through the Cardiff Music Board. Supplementary – Cllr Shimmin In a recent interview with Wales Online, Cllr Burke, you stated that the grassroots support initiative is being supported through revenue generated by the council from the Blackweir Live concert series. You also mentioned that repairs to the Blackweir Fields were paid for using these funds. The Cabinet Member has repeatedly described the concert series as a major success, not only in terms of attendance but also in the financial return to the public purse. Despite these claims, the administration has yet to confirm how much income was actually generated from the Blackweir Live events. Rather than waiting several months for the budget to be published, please can the Cabinet Member give us a clear figure now on how much profit the council made from this year’s concerts? Reply – Cllr Burke I’m afraid I’m not able to, because elements of it are commercially sensitive, but in relation to the Grassroots Music Fund, while some of that funding did come from the Blackweir Live music events, part of it also came from the SPF funding that was available. 7. Cllr Driscoll to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport In previous questions at Council to Caro Wild, the former Cabinet Member for Transport, who also did a wonderful job like you, Dan, I asked, when would the construction of the cycling highway up through Llandaff start. The response was September 2025. Clearly that was wrong, so can you update me on the current situation? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I think we’ve always caveated our predictions of when these things would start, it’s dependent on receiving the money from the Welsh government and, going forward, the region. There’s lots of work gone on with this project behind the scenes, detailed design work will become finished next year and we’d imagine construction would happen during the 27-28 financial year. But if I may just take this opportunity to thank yourself and Cllr Jenkins for the really open, positive way you’ve engaged with this very complicated project. Supplementary – Cllr Driscoll I have to say, it is a bit disappointing that it is going to be so far off, because the area is already well-used in summer months, and when it’s dry, but almost unpassable this time of year when wet. Will you meet with me in Llandaff and walk the route with me, just to see the issue and provide any assistance to improve things for cyclists and pedestrians, and anything we might be able to do now to mitigate literally people being up to their shins, some up to their knees, in mud, when walking? The residents are asking, why are they replacing cycle infrastructure in Pontcanna Fields and Hailey Park when it already exists, and some may even say why are they spending millions in Roath Rec which the residents say they don’t even want, but I won’t go down that route. Reply – Cllr De’Ath I was going to say yes until you mentioned Roath Rec. That’s not an unreasonable request, I’m happy to have a conversation with you about that, that’s fair enough. 8. Cllr Youde to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks The flooding at Leckwith Droves allotments in my ward has devastated what has become a real community. Plotholders have experienced ruined crops and soil, they’ve lost sheds, tools, machinery and more. They are dissatisfied with the length of time it took to get help, and concerned about the volume of water continuing to drain onto the site from surrounding buildings including the House of Sport. Can the Cabinet Member comment on the response time, and can a review of the discharge of rainwater onto the site from the surrounding buildings be considered, as this is what plot holders are asking for? Reply – Cllr Burke I absolutely acknowledge the considerable impact of the flooding on the Leckwith Droves allotment community, and appreciate the concerns raised both of the extent of the damage and the impact that it’s having on their plots. I’m working with officers, keeping that high on the agenda, and I’m also aware that officers are working collaboratively across departments to identify the root cause of this complex issue, and it appears that an outlet pipe from the reen within the allotments, which connects to a pipe running westward toward the Ely River, is blocked. Cameras are being utilised to identify the exact location of the blockage, and the council’s Drainage Team is liaising with private landowners to obtain permission to access manhole chambers, enabling them to remove the blockage and address any collapsed pipework as necessary.Once these investigative works are complete, an evaluation of potential solutions aimed at mitigating future risk will be undertaken.Officers have kept, and will continue to keep, the Allotment Committee and local members informed of progress. Supplementary – Cllr Youde It did take a number of weeks before the first person from any department of the council was on site to review the issue, and I acknowledge the complexity of the problem and the somewhat mystery initially as to the cause of the flooding on this occasion. I suppose I’m looking for a note of reassurance or confidence in terms of preparedness for things like this happening again for whatever reason, that departments can work together quite quickly and effectively to respond to issues like this. Reply – Cllr Burke Yes, absolutely. That collaborative working across departments, I think, certainly has been improving year on year. Certainly, in the time I’ve been a councillor, they may have appeared quite disparate previously, but I think all departments across the council now recognise where they can help out in things and best speed things up. Nothing’s perfect, and it is always a journey of progress. What I would say is, obviously, this particular allotment site is particularly landlocked, surrounded by a lot of concrete, it is a bit of an oasis in the area. We had an exceptionally dry summer, and then I think we had the most significant period of rain through September, I think it was something like the wettest September on record. What we’re aiming to do is to obviously work with the private landowners locally and to work across departments to ensure that where we can mitigate the impact of this work, or certainly lessen the impact of this work now, but ensure that it doesn’t happen in the future, that work is being undertaken. 9. Cllr Littlechild to Cllr Thomson, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Public Health & Equality Given the rising rates of male suicide in Wales, and with men three times more likely to take their lives than women, what action is this council taking, in partnership with health and community services, to identify and support men most at risk, particularly those who are isolated or disengaged from traditional services? Reply – Cllr Thomson Thank you for your thoughtful and important question regarding the unfortunately rising rate of male suicide in Wales. I’m able to answer what the council and its partners are doing, but there will be more as well in addition to my answer that I give you here. Free, round the clock mental health support is available on a 24/7 basis now via NHS 111, press 2, their new system. Alongside this, the Sanctuary service is open every evening from 5pm and provides a safe space for anyone in emotional distress. The Sanctuary can also be accessed via the previous number. Council initiatives particularly include a Suicide Prevention Support Guide that has been shared with staff, really highlighting the elevated risk among men and offering tools to identify signs of distress and encourage early engagement. The council’s Community Wellbeing Service also provides one-to-one mentoring to help individuals access advice, support and local activities, and mentors can then help connect men to a range of different services and opportunities that reduce isolation and help build confidence. Our service also works closely with Cardiff Mind, who offer access to counselling and social groups. We also work with a range of community and third sector organisations, including Brawd, which offers targeted support for men. There are also a number of, I’m sure you’ll know them, Men’s Sheds projects in Cardiff, which are great, great organisations, which focus on creating community spaces where men can engage in practical activities, socialise, and support each other. That’s the overall commitment that we have at the moment. Supplementary – Cllr Littlechild It’s just a request really, that the council uses its social media to highlight the issue, and where people can access help. Reply – Cllr Thomson Yes, thank you, a very good point, and I would point you also to the Cardiff and Vale Health Board’s Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Strategic Plan that has recently come out. You’ll see there, actually, that evidence, data gathering and also communications around these things, are absolute objectives in that plan, so I really think that we’ll be seeing more about this into the future. It is such an important topic, thank you for raising it. 10. Cllr Ali to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Can the Cabinet Member provide an update on the current availability of burial spaces across Cardiff’s cemeteries? Reply – Cllr Mackie Based on current burial numbers, we have the potential total of 63 years of future burial space available across our cemeteries. This ranges from 5 years to 27 years depending on the site. Officers are currently working on a long-term burial strategy for the city to identify where future burial space will be required, and a report to Cabinet on this issue is expected to be considered next year. Supplementary – Cllr Ali The Muslim section at Western Cemetery is nearly at full capacity. Are there any plans to extend the Muslim burial area within Western Cemetery? Reply – Cllr Mackie While we haven’t got the plans yet, as I said we’re looking at the long-term strategy, and the Muslim section of Western Cemetery will certainly be a factor in that. We’ll maintain that offer to the Muslim community. 11. Cllr Wood to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport Can the Cabinet Member confirm when the long-awaited consultation on zonal residential permit parking for residential roads between Whitchurch Road and North Road in the Gabalfa ward will take place? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Now we’ve passed the City Parking Plan, officers are working on the engagement documents to go out to your community. I would anticipate that we’d be consulting early in the new year, if that’s alright, and I can I just take this opportunity to stress that if your residents are very unhappy with what they’re proposing, we’re not going to force it onto them. Supplementary – Cllr Wood Thank you for that, that’s reassuring, because as I say our residents have been waiting for this for quite some time. Obviously we had the C4 changes brought in which I think were broadly positive, but obviously the other half of our ward wasn’t included at the time, obviously there were capacity issues, so that’s a positive, and we’ve heard over the years we’ve been told that this was likely to come forward in 23, 24/25 and then 26, so that’s good. Would you be able to just give us your best thing on whether it will actually take place next year, how certain are you that it’s going to happen? Reply – Cllr De’Ath How certain am I that the consultation will take place? It will absolutely take place next year, I’d be loath to give you a particular month but it should take place early in the new year. 12. Cllr Cowan to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport Please can the council undertake surveys to look at problematic parking in Heol Isaf and the surrounding roads in Rhiwbina? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I’d be more than happy to ask officers to do that. It would be useful to have a bit more information about precisely about what problematic parking is taking place, so please either provide a bit more info in your supplementary or, which is probably easier, drop me an email. Supplementary – Cllr Cowan In respect of the issue that I raised last month, and I know this isn’t about the substantive question, but perhaps officers would be able to give me an update on that issue, which is still problematic, and I’ll outline in my response to you in an email which issues residents are facing in respect to the parking arrangements on Heol Isaf. Reply – Cllr De’Ath Sure thing. 13. Cllr Gibson to Cllr Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services Could the Cabinet Member please investigate the ongoing hit and miss waste service the residents are receiving along Garth Hill, Gwaelod y Garth? There appears to be a lack of consistency and this has been a big problem now for many months, probably for years. Reply – Cllr Mackie I am aware of recent inconsistencies in the residual waste and compost collection services within your ward due to the incorrect logging of completed collections, as well as access challenges along the collection route. The issues were limited to residual waste and compost collections; and collection services for glass, food and other recycling remained unchanged during that period. I can confirm that all waste was collected as scheduled on Tuesday 21st October, and we anticipate a return to the regular collection schedule moving forward. Supplementary – Cllr Gibson I wanted to emphasise how disappointed the residents are, they’ve lost faith in the waste department in that particular area. I can say that in July and the month before there were 8 weeks of no glass collection which was reported, and the residents had problems reporting because every time they went onto the app, it was reported there that the waste had been collected, when it evidently hadn’t. So that was one issue I wondered if you could look at because it’s important you should be able to report these things. I just want reassurance really that the residents will have their waste collected and this will be resolved permanently. Reply – Cllr Mackie As I said to you in our letter and just now, there was an issue with somebody putting on the computer that they had picked up the collection and that wasn’t the case. That has been addressed and we wouldn’t expect it to happen again. 14. Cllr Elsmore to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks I want to commend the Parks and Highways departments for the speed of officers' responses during Storm Amy to the situation within Thompson Park when a large beech trunk came down over Romilly Road. Residents were impressed too. Last week, Parks officers returned, and the beech was taken down section by section. I witnessed officers taking time out to explain to residents what was happening. I know the Cabinet Member understands that residents care deeply about our park trees, especially ones more than 125 years old. Therefore, what assurances is she able to provide residents that decisions about removal of trees will only be taken following careful analysis, risk assessment, and evaluation? Reply – Cllr Burke I know we’re very early into the storm season so far, but I can give you a sense of the scale of the operation from last year, when I think on one occasion we had more than 47 callouts for Parks officers to attend branches or larger trees that had come down in the storms. As I mentioned earlier, trees are assessed continually. We have a huge number of trees across the city, 500,000. That would mean that every Ranger we had would be responsible for over 100,000 trees themselves as individuals. We visually assess, and trained and qualified individuals within the Parks team are responsible for doing that assessment, and if a further assessment is needed we then drill into the tree. We do not cut down healthy trees. We have that maintenance schedule for over three years, and if it’s needed we would go back and reassess, based on drilling into the tree or further assessment, that is then done. Decisions about taking down trees are not taken lightly, we’re very strong on that point. Thank you for your feedback on officers, they are out in all weathers doing good hard work, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by councillors or residents, but it’s always very nice to have it verbalised. Supplementary – Cllr Elsmore You may have mentioned it, but in terms of a supplementary I’m interested in the frequency of tree inspections. Reply – Cllr Burke As I mentioned, it’s a 3-year schedule, and if it’s assessed from a sight inspection that there may be something that warrants further investigation, they will go back. A second visit will be scheduled. There are very technical ways that they drill into a tree to see how the body of the tree is looking, they will climb up into the tree to have a look at the branches, and then if they need to carry out extensive works they will be scheduled in. But that visual maintenance will go on a 3-year schedule, and then they’ll revisit as they need to over the course of the period. 15. Cllr McEvoy to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks What does the Cabinet Member advise residents who have suffered damage to property caused by tree roots from trees not adequately managed by the council? Reply – Cllr Burke The council has a well-established procedure for dealing with such matters. Residents who believe their property has been damaged by roots should, in the first instance, contact their property insurer to assess the situation. The council does not cut tree roots to prevent encroachment onto private land. However, under common law, residents may cut back roots that cross their boundary, to the point of that boundary, but no further. Prior to carrying out such works, residents are advised to first check to ensure that the tree in question is not protected by a Tree Preservation Order or located in a Conservation Area. If a resident believes that tree roots have damaged their property, they may make a claim for damages that can be submitted to the council’s Insurance Team, with supporting evidence. If structural damage is confirmed, the council will consider the information and respond accordingly, which is on a case-by-case basis. Supplementary – Cllr McEvoy Thank you, it’s a positive answer. I know residents have been considering using public nuisance legislation, but what I can do now is go back and inform them that you’ve advised they can make claims, so will you accept my thanks for the answer. Reply – Cllr Burke Yes. 16. Cllr Carter to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport Residents living on the Llanedeyrn side of Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Cyncoed campus have faced a growing number of cars from students and staff parking narrowing the roads and making the roads dangerous. Could the council expand double yellow lines around the campus and work with the university to increase parking capacity and reduce car use? Reply – Cllr De’Ath If you want to stop students from parking you’ve come to the right place, I’m your man. If we can find the resources I will send in the fun police and we’ll knock it on the head. Supplementary – Cllr Wood Thank you for that amusing response and your keenness to involve yourself in this situation. The reality that we face in Llanedeyrn is a growing number of vehicles parking around our streets and estates year on year linked to the university. We see an awful lot of double yellow lines on the Cyncoed side, very few on the Llanedeyrn side. Would you commit to allowing officers from your department to meet with councillors on the Llanedeyrn side to look at these issues, and to look at a long-term solution with the university? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Joking aside, I recognise it is a serious issue, so yes, I will ask someone from the team to make contact. 17. Cllr Driscoll to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport With the new parking reforms being approved by Cabinet, how many drivers on low incomes will be affected by this policy and what scoping exercises have been undertaken to identify those on low incomes who will be affected by these proposals? Reply – Cllr De’Ath It’s a really interesting question, and the changes we’ve brought in will massively affect drivers and communities who live on low incomes. I mentioned at last month’s meeting Daviot Street in my ward, a street mostly of social housing, a guy living there got a job, driving in, can’t park his car because there’s a halls of residence at the end of the road. There’s people living on this street forced to park all the way on the pavement the parking pressure is so intense. Those people are really looking forward to it coming in. I get regular emails from people asking when zonal parking will come into effect. More broadly, the effects the parking plan will have on low income, working class communities are really important and really positive. A lot of people talk about Splott, Butetown, Cathays, and Roath, like they’re just massive open air car parks that everyone has a right to park in. I’m saying that they don’t. These are important working class communities. It’s not just about your right as a driver, what about the rights of people living in these often deprived areas? So, I think the effects will be mostly positive. We’re regularly emailed by people asking for this. I know I’m often accused of trying to foist it on people, the amount of emails we get, from people saying when’s this coming in, it’s not coming in soon enough, is immense. Clearly people want it. All our proposals have been equality impact assessed, so there’s nothing in there we think will cause detriment to people on low incomes, and I genuinely think they are positive, and people will welcome them. Supplementary – Cllr Driscoll I acknowledge you have said in some previous statements there will be support for any vulnerable people who may be affected by it, but with 68% of vehicles sold in the UK being SUVs, many families use and need these vehicles. Not only that, a lot of families use them to drop off their kids at kids’ clubs, classes, events, also parents and guardians with pushchairs and car seats will be affected because they need to have these SUVs and bigger vehicles. You say it will cost around £700,000 to introduce the proposals, which you said at scrutiny, and the money left over will be invested in transport projects. Can you give examples of some of these transport projects? And if I may, Lord Mayor, you mentioned to Cllr Williams, you said being hit by an SUV, was it 10 times more likely to result in serious injury or fatality? Because it seems, as long as you pay the surcharge, then that’s ok. Reply – Cllr De’Ath There’s a lot to unpack there. I thought initially you were talking about the parking plan as a whole, you seem now to be talking specifically about SUVs. We need to be clear, the proposals we put forward with regard to SUVs, they will only apply to the heaviest, top of the range, American style SUVs, the top 5%. No-one has to buy, no-one’s forced to buy a massive SUV that’s capable of travelling off-road to pootle around Whitchurch Village or wherever, you’re making a choice to do that. We’re not talking about SUV-shaped cars, we’re not talking about big family cars, we’re talking about massive, tank-like SUVs. So I think the argument that people have no other choice but to buy these cars just isn’t true. We’re not banning them, we’re asking people who choose to buy cars that are massively polluting, that damage our roads, that often take up more than one parking space, to pay a little bit more, the same way that if you hire a large hotel room you pay more than hiring a small one. It’s not bizarre or odd, I know you might find it odd but I think most people don’t. In terms of the injuries that can be sustained by being hit by an SUV, to me it seems so obvious that if someone is hit by a car weighing one tonne, that’s less dangerous than being hit by a car weighing 2.5 tonnes. I think these are fair proposals, you know how I feel about it, and I hope in time you will come to support them. Point of information – Cllr Driscoll As an 8-year-old I was crushed under a car on Wyndham Crescent, crossing the road to school, so I know that feeling of being under a car and crushed. 18. Cllr Ali to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport Can the Cabinet Member provide an update on the rollout of electric vehicle charging points on lampposts across Cardiff? Reply – Cllr De’Ath We are rolling out 80 lamppost-based chargers as we speak, they should be finished in a couple of months’ time. We’ve then got plans for 100 more chargers to be installed in the new year. Also, the Cardiff Capital Region is installing various bits of kit at various locations. There’s lots of stuff going in, so in about 18 months’ time we’re going to be almost awash with provision. 19. Cllr Gunter to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning and Transport Residents in West Close, Butetown, are understandably very concerned about the frequent occurrences of irresponsible parking, particularly on junction corners and narrower parts of the road. They are causing safety hazards to pedestrians and road users, obstructing driveways and blocking access for emergency vehicles. Councillors have requested that bollards be installed on particular areas of that road to stop this happening. Can you please provide an update? Reply – Cllr De’Ath Unfortunately, it can often be very difficult and expensive to install bollards, so it’s something we can explore but I’m not necessarily sure it’s something we’re going to be able to offer you. We can look at the possibility of double yellow lines in strategic locations. But I will ask the team to update you on where they are with it. Supplementary – Cllr Gunter I understand we currently have a TRO in process but obviously that process takes a long time, so that would include double yellow lines. Given that it is, in our view, a very unsafe area because of that parking, would you be happy to come and visit and see it yourself? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I absolutely would. If there’s a TRO already underway I can find out when that will be sealed. But I’m more than happy to come out and meet with you. 21. Cllr Elsmore to Cllr De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport Appreciating as I do that parking is a finite resource, I was pleased to read in the City Parking Plan that all future parking decisions will be made transparently and applied with consistency. Given the plan's first key objective is to re-organise on-street parking into key administrative areas, so that parking rules meet the needs of local communities, are you able to say when residents of Canton will recognise and feel the benefits? Reply – Cllr De’Ath I think the Parking Plan proposals will have a really positive effect for Canton, Riverside, all the areas around the city centre. But obviously it’s a 10-year strategy, so it won’t all appear in one big bang. At the moment we’re looking at areas like Cathays, Plasnewydd, Riverside, Pontcanna, and of course Butetown. But after those areas are in, then Canton will absolutely be one of the areas that we will then prioritize. It will be a year or two, I won’t give you a precise year and month, but absolutely Canton will be up there after those areas have been introduced. 21. Cllr Abdul-Sattar to Cllr Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport & Parks Can the Cabinet Member outline investment into the City’s parks since 2022, particularly in Grangetown, and plans for the future? Reply – Cllr Burke In the context of the council’s Capital Programme, I can confirm that from the financial year 2022/23 through to the end of the current financial year in March next year, I anticipate that total investment of around £13.2 million will have been made within our parks, green spaces and associated infrastructure. For the 2026/27 financial year, I currently anticipate investment of around £2m. As you may be aware, the council has established a comprehensive Parks Improvement Programme covering a wide range of projects and areas. Within parks we cover playground refurbishments, skate parks, calisthenics areas, allotments sites, park restorations, and we also have plans to enhance bridges, footpaths, fences and signage. Over this period, the Grangetown ward has benefited from a play area refurbishment and footpath improvements in Grange Gardens, with investment of £280,000. Looking to the future, officers will be developing a masterplan for the Marl which ultimately will see investment of around £1 million over time. Supplementary – Cllr Abdul-Sattar Our residents rightfully love their green spaces and want to make the most of them. How can residents near smaller parks like Pentre Gardens work with the council to see future improvements? Reply – Cllr Burke Local residents can always get in touch with their local ward members who are best placed to advocate on their behalf. Some of the work that we’ve been able to do is to support, where we’ve got formal Friends groups in places or maybe even sometimes informally we can work with local residents’ groups, to identify where there is Section 106 money available, that’s across the city, but particularly in Grangetown, we can have a look at what Section 106 and urban regeneration schemes are available, dependent on budgets of the future. If there’s anything in particular that people have in mind I’d always encourage them to get in touch with their local councillor, and we can certainly work with members across Grangetown to support that.

There was no urgent business.

Council was asked to receive nominations and make appointments and nominations of Members to outside bodies which were required for the 2025/26 municipal year. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: 1. To receive nominations and approve the appointment as listed below: Organisation Party Group Nomination Cardiff Bus 1 x Liberal Democrat Councillor Naughton 2. To delegate authority to the Corporate Director (Resources), in consultation with the Director of Governance & Legal Services and Monitoring Officer, to proceed with the public advertisement and convening of a Member Appointment Panel (referenced in recommendation 3 below) for an appointment to the independent Non-Executive Director position on Millennium Stadium Plc; 3. To approve the establishment of a Member Appointment Panel, comprised of three Labour; one Liberal Democrat and one Conservative Members, with delegated authority to interview suitable candidates and make an appointment to the independent Non-Executive Director position on Millennium Stadium Plc.

Council was asked to note its revised political composition and the subsequent changes required to the Members’ Schedule of Remuneration and allocation of seats on Committees respectively. RESOLVED: Council AGREED: a. To note the revised political composition of the Council as set out in the report; b. To approve the updated Members Schedule of Remuneration attached as Appendix A; c. To delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to update the Members’ Schedule of Remuneration in the Constitution; d. To approve the updated Allocation of Seats for Committees at Appendix B; e. To receive nominations from Party Groups in respect of any changes to the seats allocated to each Group as attached at Appendix C; f. To appoint Members to each Committee where the political allocations have changed, in accordance with the nominations received from the relevant Party Groups as detailed on the amendment sheet; g. To request the Monitoring Officer to make appointments in respect of any remaining vacancies in accordance with any further nominations or changes received from the relevant political groups following this meeting (under her delegated authority reference LD17 within the Scheme of Delegations) and to report to the next Council meeting the details of all appointments to committees for information.

In accordance with Council procedure Rule 17 (f), the Written Questions received for consideration and their responses were attached to the minutes.