This short report explains how children and young people’s views helped shape Cardiff Council’s scrutiny work in 2025. Scrutiny is how councillors examine services, ask questions, and make recommendations to improve what the Council does. Feedback from children and young people helped highlight the issues that mattered most and influenced what scrutiny committees chose to look at during the year.
What children and young people said mattered most
The feedback shared by children and young people pointed to a number of clear priorities. These included school meals and the wider school experience, parks and playgrounds, safer streets and better youth provision, environmental issues such as recycling and clean streets, and walking and cycling routes across the city. These were all issues that affected everyday life, and they helped shape discussions about what scrutiny should focus on.
How this influenced scrutiny work
Children and young people’s views were used to guide questions, reviews and recommendations. For example, the Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee carried out a policy review on playgrounds and play areas in October 2025, looking at issues such as maintenance, refurbishment, inclusion and how children, young people and families are involved in shaping these spaces. Public information from the Council also shows that scrutiny considered the Active Travel Network Map in March 2026 as part of wider work on walking and cycling routes, while Environmental Scrutiny received updates during 2026 on issues linked to nature, climate and city improvement. More broadly, scrutiny in Cardiff is designed to focus on issues that matter to residents and to drive service improvements across the Council.
Help shape the next workplan
Some of the issues raised in 2025 have already shaped scrutiny activity, and others are still important for future work. By taking part in the 2026 survey, children and young people can help decide what councillors should look at next. This is another chance to make sure the workplan reflects the things that matter most to young people in Cardiff.