March 2025 – County Councillor Reports
Below are the monthly reports from your County Councillors for the Radyr & Morganstown Ward.
Cllr Calum Davies – March report
Received by the Web Team on 1 April 2025
Budget
The Council’s passed its budget for the next year, with a planned Council Tax increase of 4.95%. I voted against this budget and for the alternative budget put forward by the Conservatives. Our alternative would have increased Council Tax by only half that rate and we would have scrapped Labour’s plans to scrap free parking at Council-owned car parks in district centres like Canton, Llandaff, and Whitchurch. I remain concerned that the Council is still in the dark over whether it would be fully compensated for the British Government’s decision to hike national insurance.
Radyr Weir & Radyr Rangers
I attended a meeting with the Cabinet Member regarding activities at Radyr Weir after the landing stage was removed a couple of years ago. I know that the site is popular with canoeing groups and similar, so it is important to understand the feasibility of restoring that activity there given safety concerns. I will continue to engage with decisionmakers at the Council to find a balanced solution.
I also once again met with representatives from Radyr Rangers and the Council to advance plans for improving facilities at Mound Field. It is essential that young people have what need here to enjoy playing football and live fun and healthy lives. I look forward to their festival in June.
School Deficits
Following a recent meeting of the Children & Young People Committee that I sit on, I am concerned about the number of schools in Cardiff that are in deficit. The number has grown significantly in the last year and it has not been adequately explained what is being done to tackle this troubling state of affairs, where schools are essentially managing their underfunding by the Council. This is all the more glaring considering the Council’s desire to promote the money they are putting education, but are actually just going towards meeting pay obligations and the national insurance increase. I have asked the Committee to take a deeper look specifically at deficits to provoke action from the Council.
St David’s Day
It was a pleasure to attend Radyr Methodist Church’s coffee morning, followed by the city’s civic service to celebrate St David’s Day at the start of March. It was great to see lots of people in attendance at both to celebrate our national day.
VE Day
Thursday 8 May 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, which was celebrated at the end of World War II in Europe. The plans for VE Day events being held across the UK to celebrate this historic occasion are being supported by The Together Coalition. On 5 May, which is a Bank Holiday Monday, communities can come together and celebrate VE Day – like people did 80 years ago – by holding street parties, community events and informal gatherings.
The Council will waive the costs associated with closing roads for VE Day community street parties, provided the event is non-commercial in nature, with no products or entertainment being sold to attendees. The Council is therefore calling on any residents interested in organising a VE Day street party in Cardiff, which would require a road to be closed, to submit an application by email to: highwaysnetworkmanagement@cardiff.gov.uk. As part of the VE Day commemorations, the Council is also planning to hold a family picnic event on 5 May at Cardiff Castle.
Replacement Local Development Plan
I was pleased to attend a meeting on the RLDP at the New School Rooms in March, where the Council’s Head of Planning was able to inform attendees of progress on the plan the ways the community can make its voices heard. Thank you to the Community Council and R&M Local Development Group for arranging.
The Deposit Plan – which means the final plan as it stands – does not include the three sites in the ward that were feared to be vulnerable to development. These are land to the north-west of the Golf Club, the rail station car park, and Cwm Farm.
To ensure that remains the case, people are asked to submit their comments as part of the consultation that closes on 8th April. More information via the link Cardiff’s Proposals for Radyr & Morganstown – an update | Radyr & Morganstown Community
Written Questions
Ahead of every Council meeting, I have the chance to table five written questions to the Cabinet. I aim to use up my allocation each and every month to find out information useful to myself as a representative of Radyr & Morganstown but also in my other roles on the Council, including the Conservatives’ education spokesperson. This month I asked:
- How much has the Council spent on consultants in the last five financial years?
- Now that every UK Government department has left Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme, will the Council look to end its association with the controversial organisation?
- Will the Council provide a table detailing unallocated s106 funds for Radyr & Morganstown, alongside which development and developers are proving them?
- Will any of the bus shelter funding allocated in the budget be spent in the ward?
- Since its rollout in 2022, how many replacement recycling caddies and sacks have had to be distributed to residents? Please breakdown by reason, if possible (e.g. stolen, broken, etc), by bin type, and by ward.
Answers can be found here on the written questions section of the Council meeting agenda.
Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones – March Report
Received by the Web Team on 6 April 2025
General Items
Buses FIRST PRIORITY
Buses and TfW Transport for Wales
For those of you who read through last month’s report, there was mention of making the train ticket the same for Taffs Well as for Radyr to reduce numbers of cars coming to Radyr Station.
This is not an option for TfW because there is significantly less parking available in Taffs Well than there is in Radyr.
The need for a bus to link up with Radyr Railway station.
Councillors have had the opportunity to bid for some regeneration funds, Cllr Davies has bid for funding to look at Station Road which would include Kings Road and the bit of Heol Isaf between the two. If the bid is successful that may give us the way forward to getting a location for a bus stop, one by the shops and one where Station Road reaches the station. So, the dream continues.
Drovers’ Way
Parc Radur Management Company is willing to fund an extra light for us if the cost is within their budget. They have had a site meeting with the relevant officers in the council, so progress is being made. Hopefully by the time the nights draw in again we will have a light to stop us tripping over the fork in the footpaths.
St Philbert St
Was promised progress. Hadn’t noticed any last time I went past.
Clos Parc Radur
No reports of smells this month.
Radyr Cricket Club
We have had a site meeting with National Grid and our MP Alex Barros Curtis. This was very helpful. National Grid have told us that 900 plus customers could lose electricity if the river washed more of the bank away in a storm.
We also had a site meeting with National Resources Wales (NRW) to work out what needs to be done. There are consents needed for working on riverbanks. That meeting too was very helpful.
The next step will be to link National Grid with the relevant people in NRW. We expect then the two organisations will work together to keep the electricity supplies secure.
Morganstown
Radyr Rangers (RR) SECOND PRIORITY
We haven’t yet heard if the FAW will help towards the cost of draining the pitch on Mound Field There has also been another meeting of a working group towards progressing the Changing Rooms and the overall vision of a Club House which went well.
Skatepark Mound Field
Having taken advice, I’ve applied to the Neighbourhood Regeneration Grant for an upgrade to the Skatepark.
The fields that belonged to Cwm Farm
We have been advised that the fields can not be used for development and that the owner is simply improving his land. Interestingly on another site visit (have been busy this month) a drainage engineer commented that the work has been done well. It was in the RLDP as a candidate site but has been taken out for various reasons.
If you haven’t gone to Cardiff Council’s website and looked for Consultation Replacement Local Development Plan Candidate Sites please do so and please object to the candidate sites still shown, for Cwm Farm, for Goitre Fawr and for the Railway Station Carpark.
It is important that we do this. Just because the Council has taken a piece of land off the LDP doesn’t stop a developer applying to use that land. The more of us that flag up our objections, the more the planners are able to resist the pressure.
Please remember that we are one of the most deprived areas in Wales for physical environment. We have got to the stage where we need to keep every bit of green space we have.
Morganstown Village Hall
Still things to solve. The existing trustees would welcome help. Let me know if you are interested.
Radyr and Morganstown
Litter Picking
There is an active group of litter pickers. Please contact peter.fortuneuk@gmail.com for details. The more the merrier.
Radyr Woods Wardens
We are lucky to have such dedicated volunteers. They would love to have more. Contact clerk@radyr.wales if you’d like to help too. I often flag up working parties in the Woods on my Facebook page.
I have a Facebook page Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones Do please follow me.
Replacement Local Development Plan
Huge thanks to all the people who worked so hard to put together a very good response on the Replacement Local Development Plan. Not possible to name all of them but special mention to Angela Gray and Peter Fortune seems appropriate. Please note my comment on Cwm Farm and go on-line and register your objections to the Candidate sites, Cwm Farm, Goitre Fawr and Radyr Railway Station Car park
Youth Work THIRD PRIORITY
The Cardiff Youth Services CYS holds a Youth Club for Year 7,8 and 9 at Radyr Comp on Fridays which started this month. The Thursday Session will continue to be held in the Radyr Hub. Huge thanks to the Community Council for the commitment they have shown to providing Youth facilities in the ward.
Flooding under the M4 bridge
Was promised work would be done this Summer. Haven’t noticed anything happening yet but it is still Spring.
Flooding by Pughs Garden Centre
Was promised remedial work would happen this Summer. It would start from Cwm Farm Pind and follow the stream down to Ty Nant Road. Did think one log had been moved from the point where the water goes from Ty Nant to the other side of the road but it still looked as if it needed work to be done.
Green Waste Collections
So pleased. Hurray! We are going to have Green Waste Collections right through the year apart from the Christmas fortnight. The Vale and Powys County Council charge for Green Waste collections so we are very lucky.
Police Incidents
When we ask for a regular police patrol, we get told there aren’t enough incidents to justify their presence. Please use swp101@south-wales.police.uk and flag up any incident if you witness one.
Goldies
Goldies is every first Friday of the month in the New School Rooms by Christchurch 2pm – 4pm. Next will be May 2nd. Everybody is welcome to come and sing along with the Karaoke.
Radyr Weir Landing Stage
Slow but steady progress is being made and hopefully we will get a landing stage back, ideally designed to high accessibility standards.
Please note that water sports on rivers are dangerous and the water quality can not be guaranteed as safe.
Cardiff National Park City
This is at the embryo stage. If anyone would like to be involved, please let me know.
The Budget
I chaired the Full Council Budget Meeting in March. It really has helped Cardiff Council that the Welsh Government had a better settlement from Westminster than it used to get. Still difficult decisions but not as many and some potential for bidding for regeneration funds,
Lord Mayor Duties
I have just returned from celebrations in Grangetown for the approach of the Sri Lankan New Year. It was a pleasure to be with them. This weekend also saw me at the Hindu Temple in Splott who put on a fund raiser (thank you all ever so much) for the Lord Mayor’s Chosen Charity, Cardiff Foodbank and celebrating Ardwyn Choir’s 60th birthday.
The week before included a visit to a performance of Matilda by Howardian Primary School which was superb and a Children’s Concert in Llandaff Cathedral with children singing from Radyr Primary School, Brynderi Primary School and Penrhys Primary School.
I am proud to tell you that whatever the statistics may say about the standard of education in Wales, with my own eyes and ears I have witnessed high quality teaching and outstanding work from our children during my time in office. Time to give praise to all involved children, parents and teachers. Thank you.
Radyr and Morganstown Festival
Looking forward to the Festival in May. The Radyr and Morganstown Association (RMA) have told me they would be glad of volunteers. So, if you can help, even for one slot, please get in touch with Richard Wales on rma@radyr.org.uk