07/07/23

Here's your Friday update, covering; Cardiff's Summer Reading Challenge; Greenhill Special School praised by Estyn; An update on Cardiff's indoor arena and the council reveals shortfall in latest budget forecast.

Ready, Set, Read!' Cardiff's Summer Reading Challenge starts this July

The Summer Reading Challenge is back - this year themed around the power of play, sport, games and physical activity with lots of free activities for families.

This summer holiday, children aged four to 11 are being encouraged to join a superstar team and their marvellous mascots, characters brought to life by children's author and illustrator Loretta Schauer.

The ‘Summer Reading Challenge 2023: Ready, Set, Read!' is part of a fun-packed summer of activities and events in Cardiff libraries and hubs where young readers will navigate a fictional summer obstacle course and track their reading as they go, rewarded by free incentives including stickers along the way.

Through activity challenge cards from the Youth Sport Trust, and an exciting, themed book collection, the Summer Reading Challenge aims to keep imaginations moving over the school holiday. By participating in the challenge young people will have the opportunity to explore new reading material, develop skills, and discover new interests.

Hubs and libraries across the city will be launching this year's Summer Reading Challenge, which is presented by The Reading Agency and delivered by public libraries and hubs across the country every year, on Saturday July 8 with lots of fun activities. Visit https://cardiffhubs.co.uk/ to find out what's on. 

More here:https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/31711.html

Greenhill Special School in Rhiwbina, has been recognised by Estyn for its unwavering commitment to fostering a supportive atmosphere that significantly contributes to the wellbeing, personal development and achievements of all learners.

During its recent visit, inspectors for the Education Inspectorate for Wales found that the school takes great pride in offering a diverse array of learning activities, with a strong focus on outdoor education. The thoughtfully designed curriculum aligns with students' interests and aptitudes, ensuring an engaging and personalised educational experience.

The report also notes the positive and trusting relationships formed between the staff, pupils, and their families and the school's dedication to offering a range of beneficial interventions that cater to students' additional learning needs is also commended.

Shane Mock, Headteacher at the school, expressed his deep appreciation for the entire team at Greenhill Special School, acknowledging their exceptional efforts before, during, and after the inspection. "Their tireless dedication has provided outstanding opportunities for all students and staff share my immense pride in the report's findings. I would like to extend my personal gratitude to the Inspection Team for their professionalism and courtesy throughout the inspection process.

Building work is expected to start on Cardiff's new 15,000-capacity indoor arena site by the end of this year.

Cardiff Councill's Cabinet will discuss the progress of the project with recommendations to approve a range of legal agreements at its meeting on 13 July, so that both the indoor arena and the regeneration of the Atlantic Wharf site can take a further step forward.

The Cabinet report recommends that the Atlantic Wharf regeneration site is split into two specific areas, with one area being put out to tender to deliver a specific development and the other to undergo further market testing to attract investment interest the project. These areas are:

Site A: The County Hall site. This includes County Hall and areas of the car park which are not taken up by the Arena's footprint. The proposal is to put this land out to tender in order to deliver a specific development, which could include a new production and rehearsal space for the creative sector, alongside new offices, all with a shared foyer.

Site B: The Atlantic Wharf site - which includes the Red Dragon Centre, the car park and Hemmingway Road is proposed to undergo further market testing, to attract further investment interest from the private sector.

The results of both the tender exercise and the market testing exercise will be reported back to Cardiff Council's Cabinet at a later date, for a decision to proceed.

More here:https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/31725.html

Council reveals funding shortfall in latest budget forecast

Pressures including rising inflation, increased demand for services and anticipated pay awards for its staff have led Cardiff Council to predict a £36.8m gap in its budget for 2024-25, a new report has revealed.

The Council's latest Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), which will be reviewed by the Cabinet at its meeting on July 13, outlines in detail the predicted cost of delivering its services next year, including running schools, caring for vulnerable people and operating libraries and venues.

It also estimates how much Welsh Government funding it will receive.

For 2024-25, the council estimates additional costs of £53.6m. Set against additional funding of £16.8m, the budget gap is now £36.8m

The report explains how the additional costs have arisen:

• Estimated price inflation (£9.7m)

This includes increases in the price the Council pays for securing care for vulnerable children and adults as well as levies it pays to organisations like the fire service;

• Demand increases (£7.6m)

This reflects an increase in people needing the Council's support, particularly for care, as well as education costs including home-to-school transport;

• Estimated pay awards (£21.5m)

Inflation is also affecting workforce costs through pay awards for teachers and other council staff. Pay awards for the current financial year are not yet finalised and are adding uncertainty to the planning process;

• Other pressures (£14.8m)

This includes sums that reflect emerging pressures in areas such as social care, homelessness, school catering and waste collection. It also includes costs associated with financing the Council's capital programme (building new schools etc) and maintaining current assets.

More here:https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/31727.html