В Кардиффе только 13 из 79 советников присутствовали на всех заседаниях за год

Only 13 Cardiff councillors turned up to every meeting over a 12-month period Of Cardiff Council's 79 councillors, 17 turned up to less than 75% of meetings over the course of a year Only 13 councillors in the Welsh capital attended all the meetings they were supposed to in a 12-month period, it can be revealed. Data compiled by Local Democracy UK, a local government transparency watchdog, between May 2025 and May 2026 has highlighted the Cardiff Councillors with the lowest attendance rates. According to the council, each Cardiff councillor is currently entitled to a basic salary of £21,044 per year, with higher salaries for cabinet members, committee chairs, group leaders and the council leader. During the year the data was collected, the basic salary for councillors was £19,771. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here. In that time frame, of Cardiff’s 79 councillors, 17 turned up to less than 75% of meetings they should have attended. However, 13 councillors achieved a perfect attendance record in the same period. The councillor with the lowest attendance was Caro Wild, a member of Welsh Labour, the council’s ruling party, who represents the Riverside ward. He only attended 37% meetings. In response to the figures, councillor Wild told Wales Online: "I have attended every full council meeting for the past four years (other than one or two when I have had a family emergency). "With regards committee meetings, I have been unable to attend as they clash with work commitments. "I meet with residents and community groups on a weekly basis as well as keeping in touch with residents via email and phone daily. "We also hold advertised local ward surgeries for residents to attend." Councillor Wild is followed by councillor Sian-Elin Melbourne, who represents the Lisvane and Thornhill ward for the Welsh Conservatives, who had an attendance record of 47%. She is followed by councillor Claudia Boes, another member of Welsh Labour, who represents the Fairwater ward and only attended half of the meetings she was supposed to between May 2025 and May 2026. On average, Cardiff Councillors turn up to 86% of council meetings they are supposed to attend, which ranks them 51 out of the UK’s 274 councils for attendance, according to Local Democracy UK. This figure puts Cardiff Council third in Wales behind Monmouthshire Council (ranked 4th at 92%) and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (ranked 27th at 88%). In response to having the councillor with the second lowest attendance, Conservative group leader at the council, councillor John Lancaster, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “While it is important that statistics like this are made publicly available, it is also important to understand the context behind them. "Councillors are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds from around the whole community. Some members hold down full-time jobs as well as undertaking their council work. “Councillor Melbourne is also a high school teacher; while this can sometimes give rise to attendance clashes due to unavoidable or unexpected work commitments, councillor Melbourne is the only Cardiff councillor to also be a full-time schoolteacher, which brings a unique perspective to an important aspect of the council’s work in education. "It is also important to encourage a diversity of representation and professional experience amongst elected representatives. “ A spokesperson for the council’s Labour group said: “The Labour Group won’t be commenting on individual members' personal circumstances, and attendance data without context doesn’t provide a complete picture of councillors' work, much of which takes place outside of formal meetings.”