Here is your Friday update, covering:
- Road closures for the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon on October 6th
- More plans for more homes
- The Rainbow Federation commended by Estyn for strong leadership and effective collaboration
- New ‘Cardiff Music City' funding to support grassroots music venues
Road closures for the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon on October 6th
With the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon taking place on Sunday, October 6th, the city is expected to be exceptionally busy, so residents and visitors are advised to plan and leave plenty of time for their journey.
On Wednesday October 2nd the following road closures will be put in place at the Civic Centre to set up and dismantle the race village for the event.
More plans for more homes
Plans for another 280 new council homes for the city, to help ease the extreme housing pressures facing the council, have been announced today.
More people than ever before are seeking homelessness support and the city's temporary accommodation is all full.
As part of its rapid response to this housing emergency the Council is proposing to acquire three more properties in the city that would provide a further 280 units of accommodation. This is in addition to the property and land purchases already in process to help tackle demand.
The new plans, which involve acquiring an existing student accommodation block of 103 apartments, an operational hotel providing more than 150 units and a 20-bed House of Multiple Occupation, will be discussed by Cabinet at its next meeting on September 26.
Work is already in process to deliver the 250 new homes approved by Cabinet in May with 33 of the 99 high-quality, family accommodation units in two Cardiff Bay buildings expected to be ready by March next year, while the rest will follow later in 2025. Progress on the rapid deployment of 120 highly energy-efficient, pre-fabricated modular homes, on a 1.87 acre vacant plot on Pierhead Street is also being made.
Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: "The plans we announced earlier this year to increase the range and sufficiency of accommodation in the city are moving along well, but these alone will not be enough to meet the pressures we're experiencing now, and what's ahead over the coming year.
"Fresh challenges are emerging all the time, so it's vital that we are constantly looking for new options to boost the availability of affordable housing."
The Rainbow Federation commended by Estyn for strong leadership and effective collaboration
Glan-Yr-Afon and Bryn Hafod Primary Schools in Llanrumney, have been commended by Estyn for their strong leadership, effective collaboration, and positive impact on pupil well-being and learning across through partnership under the Rainbow Federation.
The curriculum provided at both primary schools was praised for providing a broad and stimulating range of learning experiences, enabling pupils to engage enthusiastically and make significant progress. The federation's collaborative approach ensures equity of provision for all pupils, with staff from both schools benefiting from shared professional learning opportunities. This has contributed to consistent progress in areas such as improving pupils' reading skills and supporting those with additional learning needs (ALN).
Key strengths identified in the report include the strong relationships between staff, pupils, and their families, and the focus on creating a safe, supportive environment. Pupils were noted for their positive behaviour and engagement with learning and teachers were praised for their clear goals and effective use of questioning to enhance learning.
A positive report, Estyn recommends improvements in providing opportunities for younger pupils to develop their skills through independent exploration and play, as well as more focused use of numeracy skills across wider learning.
In response to the inspection, the federation will develop an action plan to address Estyn's recommendations. Estyn has also invited The Rainbow Federation to prepare a case study on its leadership of collaboration across the two schools, to be shared on Estyn's website as an example of best practice.
New ‘Cardiff Music City' funding to support grassroots music venues
New funding support for Cardiff's grassroots music venues has been announced by Cardiff Council as part of its ‘Cardiff Music City' work to help protect and enhance the city's music scene, which also sees the first ever Cardiff Music City Festival begin later this week.
The fund, which is open to all grassroots venues in the city, offers capital grants of up to £10,000 towards venue improvements.
Council Leader and Chair of Cardiff Music Board, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "Cardiff's grassroots venues play a vital role in the city's music scene. They provide important opportunities for local artists to develop and build audiences, act as a focal point for communities, and help make Cardiff the vibrant, exciting place that we know and love.
"The support offered by this fund, alongside the other work being delivered through our music strategy - including the new Cardiff Music City Festival, our support for the redevelopment of Clŵb Ifor Bach, the help we gave to Porters and Sustainable Studios when they needed to find new homes, and our new Little Gigs talent development scheme - all aims to help ensure they can overcome the challenges facing venues across the UK and continue to thrive at the heart of Cardiff's music scene."
The Grassroots Venue Fund is supported by the UK Government.
For more information about Cardiff Music City, visit:https://cardiffmusiccity.wales/