Splott including Jack Brooks, who served two terms as Leader of South Glamorgan County Council. Since May 2017, the ward has been represented by Welsh Labour Councillors Jane Henshaw, Ed Stubbs, and Huw Thomas. Huw Thomas is also the current Leader of Cardiff Council. In the UK Parliament, Splott is part of the constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth. Its most prominent MP was former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan. The current MP is Labour's Stephen Doughty, first elected in 2012. In the Welsh Assembly, Splott is part of the constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth, whose current AM is Labour's
Cathays under the Freedom of Information Act show that over 70% of the houses in Cathays are now HMOs. The buy-to-let market has deterred young couples, families and first time buyers from setting up home in the area. Cathays High School is an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school that started as a boys Grammar school in 1903 and became a comprehensive high school in 1973. Despite the urbanisation of Cathays there is extensive parkland around the civic centre, including Gorsedd Gardens, Queen Alexandra Gardens, Bute Park and Blackweir. The area is served by Cathays railway station in the east of the area