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H O Jones: Councillor report for full Council meeting

• In May I was elected as Chair of the community council. I see this as a great honour and look forward to working as hard as I can for the benefit of the community. If you have any ideas or issues you would like me to consider you can contact me via the council's office.
• I worked with other councillors to transfer ownership of the old, community website, to the RMA. The old website was owned by the community council - which now has a new website devoted specifically to council business. I continue to develop our new website: www.radyrandmorganstown.org.
• I attended a meeting on 18 April with Redrow, Cardiff Council, the Clos Parc Radur Management Committee and R&MCC to secure a funding package to improve and restore the children's playground at Drover's Way. £30k has been secured (£5k R&MCC, £15k from Cardiff Council, £5k from the Committee and £5k from a WG fund). I pressed for an urgent site inspection by engineers able to provide advice with regard to preventing mud and water flowing onto the site (which led to the playground equipment footings rusting away). That inspection took place a week ago - and a report is expected soon. I also worked with a local resident, Jamie Grundy, to assist with his launch of a crowd-funding campaign to 'fill the final quarter' of the playground circle. That campaign has reached £1,075 of its £2,500 target. I congratulate Jamie on his excellent work.
• I continue to lead with regard to the council's lunch club, which is held at Radyr Golf Club twice a month. Further details can be found here: https://www.radyrandmorganstown.org/the-lunch-club.html
• I arranged a meeting with Natural Resources Wales and Cardiff Council on 3 May to discuss the litter and plastic bags that pollute the River Taff's banks as it flows through Radyr and Morganstown. Following the meeting, both organisations agreed to prepare a document setting out how the problem will be tackled in future. We wait to see the draft. Further details can be found here: https://www.radyrandmorganstown.org/news/cleaning-the-river-taff-and-its-banks-part-2
• I attended the Civic Service on 5 May - and read a passage from the Bible in Welsh, during the service. The event was well attended - and followed by a civic reception at the Old Church Rooms, which was attended by local people who work hard for the benefit of the community, including Mark Drakeford AM and Kevin Brennan MP.
• I was appointed as a local authority Governor for Plasmawr School, which provides an education for many pupils from Radyr and Morganstown.
• I am also a governor at Ysgol Gwaelod y Garth (which, like Plasmawr, provides an education for many pupils from Radyr and Morganstown). I served recently on the panel which appointed Catrin Evans as the school's new head-teacher.
• I continue to serve on the Old Church Rooms Hall Management Committee. We are busy buying a new piano for the hall, replacing the Garth Room floor carpet, building a new retaining wall at the rear of the building, reparing the roof and gutters. I am also rolling out the new hall-booking system, called Hallmaster: https://www.radyrandmorganstown.org/book-the-old-church-rooms.html
• I attended a planting ceremony for the new Liquidambar tree planted at Windsor Gardens, following the destruction of the old tree by vandals.
• I have arranged for the council to meet with officials for Cardiff Council's planning department to discuss how the community in Radyr and Morganstown can best ensure that its voice is heard as planning and development issues are considered.
• I attended a meeting of the Road Safety Working Group on 3 June to discuss the proposed new zebra crossings, the 20mph speed limit, village-ification and more
• I attended the council's environment committee on 6 June
• I met our new vicar, Vicky Burrows, on 11 June to further discuss working in partnership. We discussed working with the elderly and with young people - and more.

H O Jones
​17 June 2019