Cardiff Council Update: 10th March 2023

10/03/23

Here is the latest update from Cardiff Council including: Cardiff's plan for a ‘Stronger, Fairer and Greener' future through the latest Corporate Plan; next year's budget which was voted through by elected members last night; and a new electric bike grant scheme for care workers.

Cardiff's plan for a ‘Stronger, Fairer, Greener' future agreed

Cardiff Council has published its latest Corporate Plan - a blueprint outlining its vision of how the city will develop over the next three years and beyond.

The plan commits the Council to a wide-ranging programme of work across all areas and sets out in detail how it will improve the lives of all its residents, setting measurable targets by which its performance can be judged.

It was discussed initially by the Council's Scrutiny committees, before being agreed by Cabinet.The plan was debated and voted through at yesterday's meeting of full Council.

Council leader Cllr Huw Thomas said: "The report contains seven clear well-being objectives which demonstrate what public services in Cardiff want to achieve and reflect our shared aspirations and the common understanding of the challenges facing the city.

"This plan sets out how we will make Cardiff a stronger, fairer, greener capital city. We have made good progress since my administration was elected in 2017, and even though we are dealing with the cost-of-living crisis and the legacy of the pandemic which are hitting our services and our communities, we are confident we can deliver on our commitments in the months and years ahead."

Next year's Budget voted through at meeting of Full Council

A budget which safeguards schools and education, helps create new jobs, builds much-needed council homes, and is designed to help Cardiff become a Stronger, Greener and Fairer city - was last night voted through by Elected Members of Cardiff Council.

Earlier in the year the council consulted citywide on how it could bridge a £24m funding shortfall in its budget. Residents were asked for their views on several cost-saving proposals and money-generating ideas which could help safeguard the services they felt were most important to them.

Almost 6,000 people took part in the six-week consultation which asked a wide range of questions, including:

Whether libraries, hubs, and recycling centres should close on certain days or reduce hours to save money
Whether they supported allowing an external promoter to run St David's Hall - which could save up to £0.8m a year in annual subsidies
Turning the Museum of Cardiff into a mobile operation to save £266k
Raising charges on items like residents' parking, and burials and cremations.

Now, following that consultation, Full Council voted through proposals which will bridge the £24m funding shortfall in the council's budget while focussing on what residents say is most important to them.

The budget includes setting any Council Tax rise at 3.95% - well below the rate of inflation and around £1 a week for a Band D household. This would be one of the lowest council tax increases seen in Wales this year.

On their bikes - happier, fitter care workers deliver improved services

A new initiative to improve the capacity of the city's domiciliary care support service is boosting the health and wellbeing of some of the city's most essential workers, as well as helping tackle the climate emergency.

The Council's electric bike grant funding scheme for care workers has been hailed as a resounding success with those taking part feeling happier and fitter, as well as financially better off, having to spend less money on fuel.

With funding from Welsh Government, the Council invited care providers across the city to apply for grants to purchase electric bikes for staff to travel between clients' homes. A total of £41,000 was awarded to 14 domiciliary care providers in the city to buy 41 bikes for their staff.

Care providers who took part in the scheme reported that they could increase the number of care calls they could make due to reduced travel times between clients, and more services were being delivered on time, with a positive impact on those individuals receiving care and support. Some providers also said the scheme had a positive impact on staff retention.

The Council is about to launch a third electric bike grant funding scheme due to the success of the first two and in addition it is developing a driving lesson scheme, that will provide financial support to pay for care workers to learn to drive, covering the cost of lessons, a provisional driving licence and both the theory and practical test, up to the value of £570.