A councilor has criticized cuts in Cardiff, announced just months after the city council approved the construction of a multi-million pound stadium. At a cabinet meeting on Monday 8 January, Cardiff Council’s Liberal Democrat leader Rodney Berman criticized a number of proposals, including reducing the frequency of black bag collections.

The cuts to services and rate rises are part of the council’s plan to resolve a £30m budget deficit caused by a range of factors including high inflation, pressure on wages and increased demand for services. Supervisor Berman called plans to eliminate community dumpsters on residential streets, which are also part of the budget proposals, “ridiculous” and said he believed it could make the dumping problem worse.

The councilor said: “What a contrast to the November cabinet meeting when it looked like the money could be spent at that time [on a new indoor arena]. “We now face appalling cuts to council services.” The £138 million cost of Butetown’s new 15,000-capacity indoor stadium will be paid by the council. For more information about Cardiff, sign up to our newsletter here.

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Council leaders acknowledged there were risks to the development but insisted it was affordable. £138 million will be recovered from stadium operator Live Nation through annual lease payments over the 46-year lease.

The members of the Council of Ministers gave the go-ahead for the start of works at a meeting held on November 23rd last year. Cllr Berman said he was aware of the difficulties the council faces due to a lack of funding from the UK and Welsh governments, but still questioned the need to invest heavily in capital projects such as the stadium when the council is struggling financial.

Regarding the council’s budget proposals in general, he added: “From what we’re seeing, I think there’s going to be a lot of community outrage. We’ve already seen that.” Chris Weaver, Cardiff Council’s cabinet member for finance, said the stadium was a capital and investment to keep the project going, which would ultimately make money.

He added: “There will be significant costs to the council. We continue to be a multimillion-dollar authority… [as a] City Council, we will continue to provide a large number of services in the city and will continue to do so [capital projects]. I think it’s important that we do this. “The long-term investment in the city cannot be ignored.”

Cllr Weaver went on to say that investment in projects like the stadium plays a “crucial” role in ensuring the council is prepared for the future and that the indoor stadium is an opportunity the town would be very unwise to pass up. He and the leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Hugh Thomas, have appealed to the public to take part in a public consultation on the budget proposals, which runs until Sunday 4 February. You can find out more information and access the quote consultation here.