Cardiff Council Update: 1st September

1/9/20

Welcome to the latest update from Cardiff Council, covering: A£500,000 technology boost for Cardiff Council creative industry plans, Extinction Rebellion in Cardiff and 70,000 face masks for distribution to schools in Cardiff for the start of term.

£500,000 technology boost for Cardiff Council creative industry plans

Following a successful bid for funding, the Welsh Government is providing £500,000 to Cardiff Council to improve the infrastructure which transports fibre optic broadband around the city.

The work in Cardiff, which will be completed next year, will join up with ongoing investment in the duct network along the M4 corridor, bringing benefits across the South Wales region.

Across Wales more than 95 per cent of premises can access superfast broadband following the Welsh Government's Superfast Cymru programme. In addition a further rollout of gigabit speed fibre broadband is taking place in those areas which are not yet able to receive it, with a recent extension focussing on areas with less than 90 per cent coverage.

Businesses and organisations in Cardiff's fast-growing creative industries sector have been working closely with Cardiff Council for the past 18 months and together they have identified the need for the city to expand its existing fibre optic duct network. This is in order to increase the capacity of the ‘Cardiff Creative Network' aimed at providing the gigabit broadband speeds required by the sector.

Extinction Rebellion Arrives in Cardiff

Extinction Rebellionarrived in Cardiff on Friday (August 28^th) to campaign against Climate Change and the threat to the city from rising sea levels.

Marquees and stalls were put up by the campaigners in the Hayes and Working Street and information was provided to the public, as they passed by.

Over the weekend, the protestors did not cause any disruption, other than placing some banners across a number of highway bridges in the city and at one point, on the walls of Cardiff Castle for a photo which was subsequently removed.

Today, marks the beginning of Extinction Rebellion's national campaign which is taking place in London, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Leeds.

This morning campaigners took up camp on City Hall Lawn, without the authority of the Council. Although prevention measures were put in place to stop vehicles getting onto Cardiff's parkland, it is impossible to stop people walking into Cardiff's parks or open spaces to set up camp.

The Council issued a statement on Friday, which clearly outlines our position and can be read here:https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/24615.html

The protest action by Extinction Rebellion will continue all this week, with the final day of action taking placed on Saturday September 5^th.

70,000 face masks prepared for Cardiff schools

Ahead of the start of the autumn term this week, 70,000 face masks have been sorted at County Hall and distributed to schools across the city.

This comes after last week's announcement thatthe Council strongly recommends that all school-based staff and mainstream secondary school pupils wear face coverings when moving around corridors, in communal areas such as lifts, stair wells and toilets and in situations where social distancing cannot be observed.

The Council will be supplying every member of school staff and every mainstream secondary school pupil with two re-useable masks for the start of term.