Agenda item

Proposed by Councillor Rodney Berman

Seconded by Councillor Joseph Carter

This council notes that:

1. many residents and communities within Cardiff do not currently feel the local authority consults them appropriately prior to making key decisions that impact on their lives and on services they use and depend upon.
2. council consultations are often not advertised effectively to residents who may be affected by decisions, in part due to an over-reliance on consultations predominantly being promoted on digital platforms.

This council believes that:

1. whilst consultation should not be seen simply as a veto, good and appropriate use of consultation undoubtedly leads to better decision-making.
2. for consultation to be seen as meaningful, it should as far as possible be carried out prior to decisions being taken, including when decisions are taken in-principle.
3. there should be an assumption that consultation will be carried out prior to all key decisions which impact on residents and communities.

This council therefore calls on the Cabinet to put the principles outlined above firmly into practice and to revise the council’s participation strategy accordingly in order to give Cardiff’s residents more confidence that their views will be taken into account when future decisions are made by the council’s administration