A former Cardiff Council leader has been elected as the new group leader of the Liberal Democrats. Cllr Rodney Berman, who was the leader of Cardiff Council between 2004 and 2012, was elected after former group leader Cllr Rhys Taylor decided to step down.
Cllr Taylor, who is the ward member for Gabalfa, was group leader for the Liberal Democrats at Cardiff Council for over two and a half years. Cllr Berman said following his reappointment that he was "honoured to once again be given the opportunity to lead my Liberal Democrat colleagues on Cardiff Council."
He said he felt it was "important for opposition groups such as ourselves to stand up" to those voicing opposition to some current Cardiff Council proposals including a privatising St David’s Hall, relocating the Maindy Velodrome and downgrading the Cardiff Story Museum. "Labour increased their majority at last May’s local elections, but that just makes the need for their proposals and actions to be properly scrutinised all the more important," he added.
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Cllr Berman also thanked his predecessor Cllr Taylor, who is stepping down in his role as group leader to devote more time to his young family. He will be continuing in his role as a local councillor for Gabalfa.
Cllr Taylor said: "It has been a privilege to lead the Liberal Democrats on Cardiff Council over the last two and a half years. I'm proud of our record in holding the Labour administration to account, standing up for our communities, and championing a new kind of politics. Rodney is a hugely experienced councillor and a great champion for Cardiff, and will be a strong voice for communities as group leader."
Cardiff Council has proposed a number of measures to help it save more money as it faces a £23.5 million budget gap. These include finding an alternative way of operating St David's Hall and the Museum of Cardiff. When the council's budget consultation was launched in December cabinet member for finance, performance and modernisation, Cllr Chris Weaver said: "The 9% budget increase received from Welsh Government means that we will be able to better protect important services like social care and school budgets.
"We are looking at increasing school budgets by £25 million next year, a 9.2% rise, and we will do everything we can to protect social services and the most vulnerable in our communities. It also means that many of the harder-to-face options we were having to consider are off the table for now, but we know there are still tough choices to be made, which is why it's so important residents take part in this consultation and tell us what really matters to them."
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