Cardiff Council's cabinet approved a refreshed advertising and sponsorship policy, responded to the Panel Performance Assessment, and agreed to proceed with proposals to extend the age range of Ysgol Gymraeg Coed-Y-Gof. The cabinet also received reports on the visitor levy, the well-being report, the digital strategy, budget monitoring, the budget strategy, and the annual property plan.

Budget Strategy and Medium-Term Financial Plan

Cabinet discussed the budget strategy for 2026/27 and the medium-term financial plan, agreeing on budget principles and a timetable for the budget process.

Councillor Chris Weaver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance, reported that the council needs to address an estimated budget gap of £38.4 million for 2026/27 and £126.9 million across the period of the medium-term financial plan.

The cabinet agreed that directorates would work with portfolio cabinet members, in consultation with the Corporate Director Resources and the Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance, to identify potential savings. Authority was delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation & Performance, to implement any saving proposal in advance of 2026/27 where no policy recommendation is required or where a policy decision has already been taken.

Councillor John Lancaster raised concerns that the intention to publish funding settlements three years in advance had been dropped, and that there was a £6.73 million shortfall due to a lack of compensation from the Welsh Government for national insurance contributions. Councillor Weaver responded that the shortfall had been taken into account in this year's budget, and that the council had made a prudent assumption about the level of compensation it would receive.

Panel Performance Assessment

The cabinet approved the council's response to the findings of the Panel Performance Assessment (PPA), which was undertaken in July 2025. The PPA assessed how effectively the council is using its resources, and whether its governance arrangements are fit for purpose.

Councillor Huw Thomas, Leader of the Council, said that the panel concluded that Cardiff is a well-run council with strong political and managerial leadership. The assessment made three recommendations, which the cabinet agreed to accept in full:

• To evolve scrutiny arrangements further, creating more space for thematic reviews and increasing opportunities for public engagement.
• To be more explicit in how delivering sustainable and inclusive growth in Cardiff is central to improving the quality of life of residents and communities.
• To strengthen the links between the council's change programme, medium-term financial planning, and workforce strategy.

Advertising and Sponsorship Policy

The cabinet approved a revised advertising and sponsorship policy, which aims to provide a clear framework for managing advertising across council-owned assets. The policy includes a list of prohibited adverts, such as those for violence, payday loans, e-cigarettes, pornography, escort agencies, drugs, and fossil fuel vehicles. There is also a list of restricted issues and items, such as foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar¹, and alcohol, which are not automatically banned but require approval and oversight.

Councillor Dan De'Ath, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Strategic Planning & Transport, said that the policy includes an escalation mechanism for problematic ads to go up the officer chain and possibly to cabinet if necessary. He also said that there will be training and guidance for officers to ensure the guidelines are executed clearly and as intended.

Councillor John Lancaster raised concerns about the restrictions on advertising high fat, sugar, and salt foods, and about the policy's approach to adverts with a religious nature or religious connotations. He quoted from an older version of the report:

greater sensitivity is required for non-Christian faith due to a higher risk of offence.

He asked why the council was applying a different standard to non-Christian faiths, and whether this breached the Equalities Act. Councillor De'Ath responded that the latest version of the document had been amended, and that the wording Councillor Lancaster quoted was taken verbatim from the Advertising Standards Authority website.

Councillor Catherine Farrell said that she had received many complaints about the council logo appearing on adverts, as it gave the impression that the council had paid for the advert. She also said that there needs to be a little bit of sympathy as far as the strategy about where the adverts are placed, so as not to cause any disruption in the community.

The updated Advertising and Sponsorship Policy was approved, including the removal of the Cardiff Council logo from advertising banners, and the introduction of an identifier to indicate that an advertisement has been approved in line with council policy and planning requirements, while making clear that the council is not endorsing the product, service, or organisation being advertised.

Fairwater Community Campus

Cabinet received an update report on the Fairwater Community Campus, which is part of the council's sustainable communities for learning programme. The campus will replace the Cantonian School building and expand the school from six to eight forms of entry. It also involves the expansion of the specialist resource base for learners with autism spectrum condition and the relocation and enlargement of Woodland and Riverbank special schools.

Councillor Sarah Merry, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Education, reported that ISG Construction entered administration a year ago, but that the council had taken swift action to keep disruption to a minimum. She said that the arrangements with ISG administrators to appoint bezel on an emergency basis directly saved hundreds of jobs and protected the works completed so far by making payments of nearly £9 million to the existing subcontractors and suppliers for works already completed.

The cabinet noted that the procurement process to appoint a replacement main contractor to complete the works at Fairwater Community Campus has ceased, and agreed that the current arrangements continue with the existing contractor, to minimise disruption and provide increased capacity for both mainstream and ALN pupils.

Ysgol Gymraeg Coed-Y-Gof

The cabinet authorised officers to proceed to publish proposals to extend the age range of Ysgol Gymraeg Coed-Y-Gof from 4-11 to 3-11 by establishing a nursery unit as part of the school from September 2026. Councillor Peter Bradbury declared a personal interest in this item as a family member attends the school and his wife is the Chair of Governors, and left the meeting during the discussion of this item.

Councillor Merry said that the proposal was supported by over 90% of respondents to the consultation, and that establishing the nursery will support the council's aims of growing the opportunities for pupils to learn through the medium of Welsh.

Digital Strategy

The cabinet approved an updated version of the council's digital strategy, which was last published in 2018. Councillor Weaver said that the updated strategy takes into account a review from Audit Wales, as well as the Panel Peer Assessment. He said that the strategy makes it very clear that the citizen is at the heart of this, and that the use of technology is there to serve the needs of the city.

Councillor John Lancaster raised concerns about security, saying that it did not appear anywhere in the initial four principles in the report. Councillor Weaver responded that cyber security and the security of the council's systems is an incredibly important piece of work that the council undertakes, and that it is something that is thought about and acted on daily.

Annual Property Plan

The cabinet approved the annual property plan for the coming year, which sets out how the council will manage its land and property assets to support service delivery, regeneration, and financial objectives, whilst also advancing the cause of decarbonisation and modernisation.

Councillor Lancaster raised concerns about the community asset transfer aspect of the plan, and the sports pitch strategy, particularly in relation to Thornhill football fields.

Visitor Levy

The cabinet received the inquiry report of the Economy & Culture Scrutiny Committee regarding the visitor levy and regulations. Councillor Wong said that the inquiry sought to understand key stakeholder views about a visitor levy, particularly in Cardiff, and to identify useful lessons learned from the introduction of that levy in places elsewhere.

Well-being Report

The cabinet received the Cardiff Council Statutory Well-being Report 25/26. Councillor Thomas said that the report offers a clear and honest picture of where the council stands, what's working well, where pressure is building, and where the council must focus its energy to improve outcomes for the people of Cardiff.

Councillor Lancaster said that the things that residents contact him about are still failing, such as recycling, street cleanliness, and active travel. He also raised concerns about poor sickness absence, which he said has been below target for many years.

Senior Management Update

The cabinet approved the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Senior Management Team structure, following a consultation process. Senior officers with the exception of the Chief Executive declared a personal although non-pecuniary interest, and left the meeting during the discussion of this item.

Councillor Weaver said that the proposals include the deletion of three posts and the creation of four posts, at a net cost increase of £77,000 to the general fund. However, he said that this is within the context of wider management savings that will generate savings of up to £800,000.

Councillor Lancaster asked why the objectives could not have been met under the existing structure, and what the new posts will achieve that the current ones cannot.