·       Council Announces Year-Round Garden Waste Collections

·       Neurodivergent friendly resources at hubs and libraries

·       New Trusts Committee of Cabinet meets for first time

·       Cardiff Council and organisations across Wales sign charter for families bereaved by public tragedy

·       New strategy sets out commitment to support adults with learning disabilities

Cardiff Council Announces Year-Round Garden Waste Collections

Cardiff Council is announcing a major change in its waste management services - the resumption of fortnightly garden waste collections will now be year-round.

Garden waste collections across the city began again this week following the winter break, but now residents will be able to have their garden waste collected every fortnight for 50 weeks of the year. That’s 25 garden waste collections a year - up from 18 a year.

The service will pause for two weeks over Christmas to redirect resources and manage the increased amount of recycling caused by the festive season.

Councillor Norma Mackie, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene & Environmental Services, said she was delighted to be able to extend the service: “We are investing in these services after listening to feedback from our residents. They asked and we are delivering for them. The improved budget settlement received from Welsh Government has enabled us to do this, and I’m really happy that we can make these changes. This will help residents with leaf clearance - which is becoming more variable each year due to climate change - and it will also help those green-fingered enthusiasts who are seeing their gardens go on for longer in the autumn and then start up earlier in the spring.

“Our hope is that this will support gardening enthusiasts and improve garden waste recycling at the same time. Cardiff is one of the best recycling cities in the world and garden waste collections help the city reach its recycling targets, but it’s important residents use the service in the right way, recycling only the correct materials. To keep our compost high quality, I ask everyone to only put organic garden waste in their bins. Please remove any non-garden waste items before collection and help us push Cardiff even higher up the recycling charts."

Residents are also reminded that any extra waste left next to containers won't be collected. Please follow these guidelines to help the council ensure a smooth and efficient collection process.

Read more here

A set of sensory resources to help make Cardiff Council hubs and libraries more accessible for customers during their visit are now available in facilities across the city.

As part of the Council’s work to make Cardiff a more neurodivergent-friendly city, the new set of resources have been collated to ensure that people with sensory needs have a better experience of accessing the facilities and services at hubs and libraries across the city.

This Neurodiversity Celebration Week (March 17 – 23), the Council is encouraging customers to borrow the resources which include a range of objects, including fidget toys, ear defenders, lamps, back rests and fans, desk dividers, coloured overlays, extra lighting, timers and more, to use during their visit.

Read more here

A new Cardiff Council Committee of Cabinet met for the first time this week (Thursday, March 20).

The Committee, which consists of five Cabinet Members advised by three independent members of the Standards and Ethics Committee, forms part of new governance arrangements established by the Council to manage decision making for assets which are subject to Trust arrangements.

Trusts are legal relationships that often arise when a donor has gifted or transferred land or property to the Council on the condition it is used for a public purpose, but may also be financial investments or other funds, often for the purpose of awarding grants to the community. Trustees are responsible for the affairs of the trust and must act in its best interests, ensure that its assets are used in line with the trust’s objectives.

Council Leader, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: “The Council takes its responsibility as a Corporate Trustee incredibly seriously. A significant amount of work has been done recently to increase awareness at all levels of the Council of any Trust arrangements related to assets held by the Council, so that they can be considered and factored into decision making at the earliest opportunity.

“These new committee arrangements will ensure a clear separation of this role from the Council’s ordinary statutory functions and ensure that any conflicts of interest that may arise in the future are effectively managed, in line with Charity Commission guidance.”

The first meeting saw committee members agree a new ‘Trusts Conflict of Interest Policy’ developed in line with guidance from the Charity Commission.

All significant decisions related to Trusts will be taken by the committee however, to ensure timely and effective decision making, some will need to be delegated to officers. These arrangements were also agreed at the meeting, along with a plan of forthcoming Trust decisions.

Full details of the arrangements discussed by the Trusts Committee of Cabinet, and a webcast of the meeting, are available here: Agenda for Cabinet Trust Committee on Thursday, 20th March, 2025, 3.00 pm : Cardiff Council

In a significant move, Cardiff Council has joined organisations across Wales in signing the Charter for Families Bereaved by Public Tragedy.

Publicly stating a commitment to respond to public tragedies with openness, transparency, and accountability, the charter calls for a cultural shift in how public bodies engage with bereaved families, ensuring that the lessons from the 1989 Hillsborough disaster are learned and applied to prevent future tragedies from causing similar distress.

A launch event held in Merthyr Tydfil on March 18 was attended by Bishop James Jones KBE, who authored the charter as part of his report on the Hillsborough tragedy. He was joined by bereaved families and survivors of public tragedies, including those from Hillsborough, Aberfan, Grenfell Tower and Manchester Arena.

Speaking at the launch event, Bishop Jones said: “Today the nation of Wales is leading the way with over 50 of its public bodies signing the charter. In doing so the culture of the organisations has begun to change and there is a renewed commitment to public service and to respecting the humanity of those we are called to serve.

“The charter represents a promise that after any future tragedy no one will be left to navigate their grief and survival alone. That no one will endure again the 'patronising disposition of unaccountable power'.

“This is a pivotal moment in the life of the nation as we embrace the principles of the charter and pledge to respect the humanity of all its citizens which should be at the heart of all public service.”

The charter has been signed by a wide range of organisations, including Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government, other local authorities, police forces, the Welsh Ambulance Service, and fire and rescue services.

The Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: “Signing up to the Charter for Families Bereaved by Public Tragedy is a significant step for Cardiff Council. This charter represents our unwavering commitment to supporting families across our community with openness, transparency, and accountability.

“The lessons from the 1989 Hillsborough disaster and its aftermath have taught us the importance of a cultural shift in how public bodies engage with bereaved families. By signing this charter, we pledge to learn from past tragedies and ensure that bereaved families are treated with care and compassion, not only at the time of emergency and tragedy but in the weeks, months, and years that follow.”

Cardiff Council's commitment to delivering quality services for people with learning disabilities is outlined in a new strategy.

The Living Well with a Learning Disability Strategy for Adults 2024-2029 sets out a clear direction in delivering local priorities whilst being fully aligned with regional partnership plans, national legislation and the Council's Stronger, Fairer, Greener corporate plan.

The vision is Promoting Independence and Improving Lives and there are four principles that the strategy focusses on:

• Prevention: Promoting prevention and early intervention. Supporting people with learning disabilities to live the lives they want to lead and have independence, choice, and control
• What matters to me: Listening and working with people to jointly find solutions to meet their needs. 
• To ensure high quality care: Developing quality services that deliver value for money solutions which meet care and support needs.
• Home First: Supporting people to live locally where they "feel good and well" and are connected to their communities.

Read more here