18/02/22 

Cardiff Council's latest proposals to shape the way the authority can help create a ‘Greener, Fairer and Stronger' capital city have been published.

The Council's Corporate Plan sets out all the actions that the council will take to improve the lives of its residents and measures how it has performed against its targets over the past five years. The plan will go to the next meeting of the authority's Cabinet on Thursday, February 24, and if agreed will be taken to Full Council on March 3 for approval.

Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "When elected in 2017, my administration set out our ‘Capital Ambition' - a five-year plan for Cardiff to become a greener, fairer and stronger capital city. This Corporate Plan shows the progress we have made, areas where we have more work to do, and how we will deliver on the next stages for our residents.

"Like any good business plan it sets out where we want to go and our strategies for getting there. It is measurable, affordable within our budget, and collects key performance data to ensure we are on track to deliver on our vision."

Cardiff's full Corporate Plan will be available to view here (https://cardiff.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=151&MId=6662&Ver=4) but key priorities include:

• Leading the city's economic recovery;
• Investing in schools and education;
• Tackling the city's housing crisis, delivering 2000 new council homes;
• Rebuilding Cardiff's cultural scene;
• Reducing congestion and air pollution;
• Keeping our streets and communities clean;
• Using the One Planet Cardiff strategy to deliver a green recovery for the city. 

Cllr Thomas added: "The past five years have seen this council make some huge strides forward across a wide number of areas. Children and young people have been at the heart of our plans as we work towards becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City. As part of this approach, we have demonstrably prioritised investment in schools and improving outcomes for children and young people. Since 2017, our Education Service has seen significant and sustained improvements - with new schools delivered across the city and performance amongst the highest in Wales. The latest Estyn inspection report recognised the "bold and ambitious vision for learners", the work undertaken to make "education everyone's business in Cardiff" and the excellent service being delivered.

"But we haven't just concentrated on schools. As part of one of the UK's most ambitious Council house-building programmes we have built the first council houses in Cardiff in a generation and we have now raised our aspirations to deliver 4,000 new Council homes by 2030, up from our earlier target of 2,000.

"We are continuing to support the delivery of key Transport White Paper projects, including expanding on the Metro plans for new tram-train routes and stations across the city and our work to support the Cardiff economy continues to deliver opportunities for the people of Cardiff and the wider region. Cardiff saw a net increase of 7,000 in employment during the five years before the pandemic hit in 2020, accounting for 77.8% of the net increase across Wales as a whole. With almost four out of every five net new jobs in Wales created in Cardiff, this work is of national economic significance.

"Clearly, we have made great progress since first launching our vision in 2017, and this has been delivered despite the impact of the Pandemic, and the work we've done in response to it. Thanks to the vaccine programme we can begin to hope that the worst of the Pandemic is behind us, and so the Council will be turning its attention to leading a city wider recovery - setting our ambitions for Cardiff even higher. I remain confident that we can emerge even stronger post-Covid-19, and deliver a better future for our citizens, our businesses, and for the Capital Region and Wales."

As part of the Council's business plan a budget designed to create new jobs, build new council homes, and improve opportunities for children and young people, while protecting the least well off as the ‘cost-of-living crisis' takes hold, has also been revealed by Cardiff Council.

Cardiff Council's Cabinet is bringing forward proposals that could see millions spent helping those most in need as the city looks to leave the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic behind it.

The proposals are part of the 2022/23 budget report which will go to Cabinet for approval on Thursday, February 24. If agreed, Full Council will vote on the budget proposals at its next meeting on March 3.

If Full Council passes the Budget proposals, Cardiff's schools would receive an extra £9.3m; adults and children's services an extra £23.9m; and youth services and spending on young people an extra £2.4m. Council Tax would be set at 1.9%, down from last year's 3.5% increase (equivalent to 48p a week for a Band D household).

You will be able to read more about the Council's budget for 2022/23 here (https://cardiff.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=151&MId=6662&Ver=4)

The next stage of the Corporate Plan covers 2022-25. It is considered annually by the Full Council. The document outlines the organisation's strategic policy and performance priorities and discharges the Council's responsibilities under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.