Back
Cardiff Council Update: 5 January 2024
05/01/24
Here is your Friday update, covering:
- Cardiff residents urged to take part in far reaching budget consultation
- Strike to impact some waste collections in Cardiff
- New parking plan for Cardiff
- Cardiff celebrates Huw Stephens' new 6 Music radio show broadcasting from Wales with free Clwb Ifor Bach gig.
Cardiff residents urged to take part in far-reaching budget consultation
Cardiff residents are being urged to take part in a far-reaching budget consultation which could see services cut and charges increased as the council looks to find £30.5m to balance the books in 2024/25 amidst a public sector funding crisis.
Several factors including inflation, demand pressures, and expected pay increases for teachers, carers and other public sector workers, mean the council's budget for delivering day-to-day services like education, social care, refuse collection, parks and libraries is set to cost £56m more next year than it will this year.
Welsh Government's recently announced 4.1% grant uplift for Cardiff - less than half of what the council received for the current year's budget - will bring in an additional £25.5m, leaving a budget gap of £30.5m. This gap will now need to be filled by cuts to services, efficiency savings, and increases in charges like council tax.
A public consultation on a series of possible service changes which could help make savings and raise income will open on Monday, January 8, and run for around four weeks until midnight, Sunday, February 4. In it, residents will be asked for their views on possible changes to services which could help bridge the gap.
Strike to impact some waste collections in Cardiff
Some waste collections in Cardiff are likely to be impacted following Unite's decision to strike between Thursday, December 28, and Thursday, January 25.
Cardiff Council is putting a plan in place to maintain services and we apologise in advance to residents for any inconvenience.
Unfortunately, due to the strike the council will be unable to collect Christmas trees this year.
To help residents dispose of their trees, a Christmas tree drop-off point will be provided at Heath Park on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th January 2024, between 10am and 4pm.
Alternatively, residents can bring their Christmas tree to either Lamby Way or Bessemer Close Recycling Centres - without making a booking through the online system.
New parking plan for Cardiff
The proposal - to introduce ‘parking zones' within Parking Management Areas - would give residents a better chance to park on their street, or on adjoining roads close to their home - while reducing opportunities for commuter parking.
As well as increasing the number of parking spaces available to residents, blue badge holders, cycle & car clubs, and local businesses could also benefit from the plan.
Under the new scheme all on-street parking bounded within the areas south of the A48, west of River Rhymney, north of Cardiff Bay and east of the River Ely would be split into four distinct parking management areas with different restrictions in place for each.
They will be the City Centre, Cardiff Bay, Inner and Outer Parking Management Areas. Each area will be made up of a number of parking zones.
The proposals would bring Cardiff into line with most major cities in the UK, and if Cardiff Council's Cabinet gives the go-ahead at its meeting on 18thJanuary a 6-week consultation will take place with the public early in the New Year.
Cardiff celebrates Huw Stephens' new 6 Music radio show broadcasting from Wales with free Clwb Ifor Bach gig
To celebrate the launch of Huw Stephens' new weekday show on BBC Radio 6 Music, Cardiff Music Board are supporting a free gig at Clwb Ifor Bach, headlined by fast-rising psych-rockers CVC.
With their Welsh Music Prize nominated album described by the NME as "a cracking debut album of feelgood, uber-retro gems" and by The Times as "remarkably fully formed," CVC were one of the break-through acts of 2023.
The six-piece musical collective from Church Village, just outside Cardiff, will play Clwb Ifor Bach on Thursday January 11th, alongside two other Cardiff-based artists, hotly-tipped by Huw Stephens to break through in 2024.
Tickets are free, and only available on the door, so the advice is to arrive early to avoid missing out.
