Cardiff Council attack easy targets

Cardiff council  have announced a Council Tax Freeze plan amid £22m of budget cuts by going for savings which will see people losing jobs and amenities.


CITY MANAGEMENT – SAVE £2.3M



£150,000 – Stop all visits to Flat Holm Island and sell the island to a third party

Who can afford it 

£100,000 – Stop the Big Weekend music festival and music element at Calennig

Will the loss in Visitors cost the local economy more?

£160,000 – Cut subsidised bus routes and County Hall Park and Ride

So people without own transport are likely to sufer

£160,000 – run Mansion House as a commercial operation without subsidy

OK may work and worth a try

CITY SERVICES – SAVE £3.7M

£101,000 – new £15 charge for collecting bulky items

Will this leads to illegal dumping and prove more costly


£92,000 – close public toilets on The Hayes

These are historic and may be subject to preservation order

£200,000 – process garden waste in-house

Probably should have been done in the first place

COMMUNITIES – SAVE £3.1M

£500,000 – The St Mellons and Jasmine Enterprise Centre Service to stop as council-funded service

We will have to see the case for this 

£149,000 – Close Splott Pool in second half of year

Seems to be an attack on a less well off part of the City


£120,00 – Reduce full-time library services from six to five days at Canton, Cathays, Ely, Fairwater, Grangetown, Llandaff North, Llanedeyrn, Rhiwbina, Rhydypennau, Roath, Rumney and Whitchurch

Closing libraries time. Never a good idea

£65,000 – Close Plasnewydd Community Hall

There may be a case for this depending on how its used

£30,000 – Close all leisure centres, except Llanishen, at 6pm on Sunday evenings

Seems a small amount of saving . How many use them after 6pm though?

£22,000 – Close Cardiff Riding School

A small  saving for a valid asset 

EDUCATION – SAVE £4.1M

£151,000 – Increase Cardiff and Vale Music Service charges from £30.50 to £34
Seems reasonable

£173,000 – Cut funding for Music Development Fund projects used last year by 2,816 pupils

This is a terrible idea we need to increase music among pupils 

£760,000 – reduce management and support jobs

Clearly not senior management though where a hand full would save this amount.

SHARED SERVICES – SAVE £3.8M

£487,000 – Cut security costs by reducing operating hours at eight council buildings
So reducing operating hours then..  Security just an excuse

£118,000 – Close Connect to Cardiff (C2C) Help Centre at Cardiff Library
May be the right idea if it not meeting its purpose

£19,000 – Reduce number of Capital Times published each year from 13 to 12
Why not reduce it to 0

ADULT SERVICES – SAVE £1.7M

£500,000 – review staff provision within existing care contract arrangements at Hafod Care

Cutting care under the euphemism of reviewing 

£690,000 – Review all external services and grants to voluntary organisations

Another euphemism where review means cuts.

£200,000 – Review management structure and supervision of internal day service for learning disabilities
Care must be taken that children are not put at risks here

CHILDREN’S SERVICES – SAVE £560,000

£100,000 – Stop grants for Families Need Fathers/Both Parents Matter
A pity but should a council be funding this?

£80,000 – Respite overnight stays for parents of disabled children reduced
Awful,Awful Awful

£8,000 – Reduction in support for Cardiff Women’s Aid and South Riverside Centre
Not a good idea to cut aid to abused women.


£22 Million is not a great deal these days and with the Council freezing Tax it looks like this council are saving small amounts of Money whilst committing huge amounts  to projects like the house building plan which its committing  £33 Million.

It looks like cuts that will affect the most vulnerable or in need whilst Senior Management and Councilors make no sacrifice.

Theres no doubt cuts from central government have a great deal of influence in this but it looks like by freezing council tax and going for easy targets Cardiff's Labour Council are willing partners in the Con/Lobdem attack on those with little voice to defend themselves.