skip to main content

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH

Contact: Eirian Roberts  01286 679018

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

CHAIRMAN

To elect a Chairman for 2018/19.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Annwen Hughes was elected chair for 2018/19.

 

Councillor Annwen Hughes signed a declaration accepting the post of Chair of Gwynedd Council for 2018/19.

 

2.

VICE CHAIRMAN

To elect a Vice-chairman for 2018/19.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Edgar Wyn Owen was elected vice-chair for 2018/19.

 

Councillor Edgar Wyn Owen signed a declaration accepting the post of Vice-chair of Gwynedd Council for 2018/19.

3.

APOLOGIES

To receive any apologies for absence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillors Eric Merfyn Jones, Dilwyn Morgan, Nigel Pickavance and Peter Read.

 

4.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 464 KB

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 8th March, 2018 be signed as a true record. (attached)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 8 March, 2018 as a true record.

 

5.

DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members had received a briefing note from the Monitoring Officer in advance about item 13 on the agenda – Financial Remuneration for Elected Members.  Because of the nature of the report, and in order to comply with the requirements of the Code of Conduct, the Chair declared a personal interest in the item on behalf of all members present but, as it was not a prejudicial interest, members would have the right to participate in the discussion and vote on the matter.

 

Councillor W. Gareth Roberts declared a personal interest in item 17(b) on the agenda - Notice of Motion by Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd, as his son-in-law worked for the Youth Service.

 

The member was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and he withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item.

 

6.

THE CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

To receive any Chairman’s announcements.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Sympathy was extended to the families of the following:-

 

·         Beryl Ellis, a staff member from the Environment Department for many years, who had passed away recently.

·         The former councillor, Tecwyn Thomas, who had been a member of this Council between 1999 and 2004.  Councillor Sion Jones paid tribute to him.

 

It was also noted that the Council wished to express condolences to everyone in the county's communities who had lost loved ones recently.

 

The Council stood as a mark of respect.

 

Best wishes were extended to Councillor Eric Merfyn Jones, who had been ill recently and would be undergoing surgery today.

 

Councillors Dilwyn Lloyd and Stephen Churchman were congratulated for raising £440 towards the Air Ambulance by publishing and selling a humorous calendar of Gwynedd Councillors in December last year.  The money had been presented to the charity at Caernarfon Airport in February.

 

Councillors Dilwyn Lloyd and Stephen Churchman noted their thanks to everyone, especially those who had agreed to have their photographs included.

 

The choirs from Gwynedd who had been successful at the Pan Celtic Festival recently were congratulated.

 

 

7.

CORRESPONDENCE, COMMUNICATIONS OR OTHER BUSINESS

To receive any correspondence, communications or other business brought forward at the request of the Chairman.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None to note.

8.

URGENT ITEMS

To note any items which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chairman so they may be considered.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None to note.

 

9.

QUESTIONS

To consider any questions the appropriate notice for which have been given under Section 4.19 of the Constitution.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

(The Cabinet Members' written responses to the questions had been distributed to the members in advance).

 

(1) Question from Councillor Mike Stevens

 

"As a result of the fact that Kingdom's trial period came to an end prematurely and where an attempt was made to deal with a problem described by Welsh Government as environmental crimes, e.g. generating litter, fly tipping and the most concerning, dog fouling, what steps do Council officers intend to take to prevent Gwynedd residents from drowning under a mountain of dog mess?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal, Councillor Gareth Griffith

 

"This matter was submitted to the Communities Scrutiny Committee a fortnight ago today, and consequently the scrutiny committee has proposed to examine three steps:-

 

i) Collaborate with other neighbouring counties to improve the provision.

ii) Reconsider the existing staffing levels in the Street Enforcement Unit.

iii) Extend the interdepartmental collaboration where staff from other Council departments receive delegated street enforcement rights."

 

A supplementary question by Councillor Mike Stevens

 

"What can we do to ensure that officers act on these recommendations?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal, Councillor Gareth Griffith

 

"You are a member of the Communities Scrutiny Committee, but from what I remember, you were not present at the meeting in question.  In the short period of time since the scrutiny committee, I have met with the head of department on Tuesday morning and I can say that a meeting will soon be held with Anglesey, which is one of the closest councils to us.  In terms of the six wardens currently employed by the Maritime Department, I can also say that this matter has been taken a step further.  Once training has been provided and systems put into place, we hope to roll this out, and obviously this would also include your area as you are on the coast, and during the short time since the scrutiny committee, the Council has made progress with this."

 

(2) Question from Councillor Sion Jones

 

"What discussions between members, officers and Welsh Government have and are taking place to ensure that Gwynedd is protected after leaving the EU, and to ensure continuation of jobs for our citizens and EU-funded investments for the county?"

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"A very timely question.  It's a very worrying time for us in the Welsh countryside.  The uncertainty and the lack of answers to quite basic questions is causing concern.  A list is included in the written response of various committees, working groups and meetings that have been held in the past.  I can assure you that one of my main aims as Council Leader is to be a voice for rural Wales.  This is why I was appointed Joint Chair of the Welsh Local Government Association Rural Forum and I hope to use this forum as a strong voice, not only for Gwynedd, but also for the Welsh countryside.  Therefore, courageous efforts are being made in very complex circumstances.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

WELSH GOVERNMENT GREEN PAPER - "STRENGTHENING LOCAL GOVERNMENT: DELIVERING FOR PEOPLE" pdf icon PDF 245 KB

To submit the report of the Leader  (to follow).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - the Leader's report inviting a discussion on a series of principles the Council should adopt in terms of any future discussion so that a response to the consultation paper could be formulated which was consistent with the Council's viewpoint.

 

During the discussion, it was noted that:-

 

·         It was not possible for community councils to take on more responsibilities without increasing their precepts, and in turn, this would place an additional financial burden on families that were already finding it difficult to cope.

·         Some community councils were likely to be more willing to help than others and how could this be resolved?

·         It was a difficult time to realise these proposals as there were more cuts and challenges on the horizon.  Also, the process of merging councils was costly and it was unclear where money for that would come from.

·         No evidence was seen that merging would be better than the current system.

·         It was a shame that the Williams Commission had not examined the public sector in its entirety.

·         There was an opinion that Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board was too large and that this was why it faced so many problems.  If they had to merge, it should be done so in a meaningful and relevant manner for our citizens.

·         Merging councils and centralising everything would deprive people across Wales of the power to make decisions locally and that collaboration between authorities was the way forward.

·         The document was very vague.  The contents could be interpreted in a number of different ways, more direction was needed and the aims should be clearer. 

·         The document focused on merging instead of collaborating.

·         A radical change in how community and town councils in Wales worked was needed, with consideration give to the type of powers they required in order to act for their communities.

·         A concern regarding the impact of cuts on the third sector and the need to drive a clear message to the Boundary Commission and the Government stating that the time had come to end re-organisation and to collaborate and focus on people within our communities.

·         Gwynedd Council was very willing to listen to the voice of young people. 

·         The principle of a voluntary merger with Isle of Anglesey County Council instead of being forced to merge with more councils was supported.  This would save money and avoid the duplication of work and it must also be borne in mind that many existing councils had a larger population than Gwynedd and Anglesey combined.

·         There were arguments in favour of merging councils and savings could possibly derive from it, but more evidence of this would initially need to be seen.

·         Too many orders came from the centre, and councils themselves should be free to decide what the best arrangement was, be it a merger or collaboration with others, and also the level  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC SERVICES' ANNUAL REPORT pdf icon PDF 525 KB

To submit the report of the Head of Democratic Services  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - the annual report of the Head of Corporate Support Department on behalf of the Democratic Services Committee with regards to the support that had been proposed for members thus far over the term of this Council, along with the elements that were still being developed.

 

The Head of Department thanked the chairman of the committee, Councillor Dewi Roberts, and the remaining committee members for their support and also the team that was being led by the Democracy Manager.

 

He also noted that the work undertaken, and the provision to support members in their roles, had been independently assessed by the Welsh Local Government Association this year and that he was pleased to report that Gwynedd Council had been awarded "The Wales Charter for Member Support and Development", informally known as the Members Charter.

 

The Chairman of the Democratic Services Committee, Councillor Dewi Roberts said a few words, and thanked the Head of Corporate Support Department, the Democracy Manager, committee members and team members for their work.

 

During the discussion, it was noted that:-

 

·         It had been noticed that webcast viewing figures showed that the extraordinary meeting of the Council in July last year to discuss the Joint Local Development Plan had been of particular interest to the public.

·         Lack of response to e-mails from officers was unacceptable and that the protocol on contact between members and officers should now be in place.

 

12.

APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN OF THE DEMOCRATIC SERVICES COMMITTEE

To appoint a Chairman of the Democratic Services Committee.

 

[In accordance with the requirements of Section 14 of the Local Government Bill (Wales) 2011, the Chairperson of the Democratic Services Committee shall be appointed by the Full Council and it cannot appoint a member of a political group which is represented on the executive.]

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council was invited to appoint a chair for the Democratic Services Committee for 2018/19.

 

RESOLVED to elect Councillor Dewi Owen as Chair of the Democratic Services Committee for 2018/19.

 

13.

FINANCIAL REMUNERATION FOR ELECTED MEMBERS pdf icon PDF 346 KB

To submit the report of the Leader  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - a report by the Head of Democratic Services asking the Council to determine the higher salaries to be paid for the coming year, and the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee, Councillor Dewi Roberts, proposed the recommendations of the Democratic Services Committee.

 

During the discussion, it was noted that:-

 

·         It was not believed that it was wise for members to accept any salary increase, especially considering that staff had not received much of an increase in their salaries.  In response, the Chief Executive explained that staff would be given a minimum increase of 2% in their salaries this year, with those on the lowest salaries receiving up to 9%.  Members would receive an increase of 1.49%.  He had seen a comment recently which meant that members would actually be paid below the minimum wage after taking into account all of the hours they worked.

·         There was a need to pay fair salaries to councillors, especially if the Council was going to attract people from deprived backgrounds to become members.

·         The recommendation to set the civic salary for the Chair of the Council at Level 1 was a step too far in the current climate and an amendment was proposed and seconded to retain the Chair's salary at Level 2.  To the contrary, it was noted that the Chair represented the Council on all types of important occasions and therefore, the post's salary deserved to be set at Level 1.

·         It was dangerous to start putting pressures on councillors to accept a reduction in their salaries and that the increase, although small, was justifiable.

·         The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales had stated themselves, according to the index, that a councillor should receive a basic salary of £15,000.

·         Councillors would not have to keep the extra £200 and that anyone was free to contribute the amount towards activities in their community if they so wished.

·         The duties of the Chair of the Care Scrutiny Committee were much broader than those listed in Appendix 1.

 

A vote was taken on the amendment to retain the salary of the Chair of the Council at Level 2 and it was passed.

 

RESOLVED

(a) Continue to pay senior salaries to the 18 roles listed in paragraph 2.2 of the report.

(b) Civic salary for the Chair of the Council should be at Level 2 (£21,800).

(c) Civic salary for the Vice-chair of the Council should be at Level 2 (£16,300).

 

 

14.

POLITICAL BALANCE pdf icon PDF 240 KB

To submit the report of the Head of Democratic Services  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - a report by the Head of Democratic Services on the Council’s political balance and relevant matters.

 

A member referred to the fact that two members of the United Independent Group for Gwynedd had stated that they did not wish to serve on any committees.  In response, the Monitoring Officer explained that these seats would be offered to the groups, and the Council would be able to review the situation if those seats had not been not filled after three weeks.

 

RESOLVED

(a)     Adopt the seats allocation in accordance with what is noted in the appendix to these minutes.

(b)     Delegate the power to the Head of Democratic Services to make appointments to the committees based on political balance and in accordance with the wishes of the political groups.

(c)     Allocate the chairpersonships of scrutiny committees on the basis of political balance as follows:

 

          Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee                       Independent

          Communities Scrutiny Committee                                          Plaid Cymru

          Care Scrutiny Committee                                                         Independent

 

15.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION pdf icon PDF 441 KB

To submit the report of the Monitoring Officer  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - a report by the Monitoring Officer inviting the Council to adopt the amendments to the Planning Delegation Scheme, Section 13 Appendix 3 Part 11 Head of the Regulatory Department in accordance with what was noted in Appendix 1 of the report.

 

During the discussion, it was noted that:-

 

·         It was believed that what was being proposed was reasonable but there was a need to ensure that local people had an input into any planning application.

·         there was concern that the opinions and rights of individuals and councillors were being undermined.  In response, the Monitoring Officer explained that the right of members to call-in an application remained.

·         Some applications were submitted to the Planning Committee unnecessarily and that was why these minor changes to the delegation scheme would make a difference.

·         It was not a matter of officers being given more powers, rather a matter of regulating the situation and that the Communities Scrutiny Committee had asked officers to be given more responsibilities for efficiency reasons.

 

RESOLVED to adopt the adaptations to the Planning Delegation Scheme, Section 13 Appendix 3 Part 11 Head of the Regulatory Department, in accordance with what is noted in Appendix 1 of the report.

 

16.

GWYNEDD AND MON WELL-BEING PLAN pdf icon PDF 218 KB

To submit the report of the Leader  (to follow).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - a report by the Leader inviting the Council to approve the Gwynedd and Anglesey Well-being Plan.

 

RESOLVED to approve the Gwynedd and Anglesey Well-being Plan.

 

 

17.

NOTICES OF MOTION

Additional documents:

18.

Notice of Motion by Councillor Judith Humphreys

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Judith Humphreys will propose as follows:-

 

 

“This Council notes:

·         that European Union Citizenship gives individuals the right to travel, study and work anywhere in the EU

·         that the range of rights and protections afforded to individuals as European Union citizens are integral to a person’s European identity.

·         that thousands of people in Wales have voiced concern about losing their European Union Citizenship as a result of the decision to leave the EU.

·         That a substantial majority of the population of Gwynedd voted to Remain in the EU.

·         the study released by Jill Evans MEP and carried out by Prof. Volker Roeben of Swansea University entitled 'The Feasibility of Associate EU Citizenship for UK Citizens Post-Brexit'.

 

This Council further notes the main findings of this report:

·         that continued European Union Citizenship for Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and English citizens is possible under European and International law.

·         that this can be achieved through EU legislation and the withdrawal agreement between the UK and EU.

·         that no revision of EU Treaties is be needed to achieve this.

·         that people cannot be stripped of their citizenship against their will.

This Council welcomes:

·         that a Plaid Cymru motion calling on the UK Government to ensure that UK citizens’ right to European Union Citizenship is retained was passed by the House of Commons.

This Council calls:

·         on the UK Government to put forward the proposal of Associate European Union Citizenship during Brexit negotiations

·         on the Welsh Government to demand, through the Joint Ministerial Committee (European Negotiations), that the UK Government includes Associate EU Citizenship in its negotiating position.”

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(A) Submitted - the following notice of motion by Councillor Judith Humphreys, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:-

 

This Council notes that:

 

·         That European Union Citizenship gives individuals the right to travel, study and work anywhere in the EU.

·         That the range of rights and protections afforded to individuals as European Union citizens are integral to a person’s European identity.

·         That thousands of people in Wales have voiced concern about losing their European Union citizenship as a result of the 2016 EU Referendum decision to leave the EU and the UK government's decision to leave the EU.

·         That the vast majority of the population of Gwynedd voted to Remain in the EU.

·         A study was released by Jill Evans MEP and conducted by Professor Volker Roeben of Swansea University entitled "The Feasibility of Associate EU Citizenship for UK Citizens Post-Brexit".

 

This Council further notes the main findings of this report:

 

·         That continued European Union Citizenship for Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and English citizens is possible under European and International law.

·         That this can be achieved through EU legislation and the withdrawal agreement between the UK and EU.

·         That no revision of EU Treaties is needed to achieve this.

·         That UK citizenship law is flexible and accepts the principle that people should not be stripped of their citizenship against their will.

 

This Council welcomes:

 

That a Plaid Cymru motion calling on the UK Government to ensure that UK citizensright to EU citizenship is retained was passed by the House of Commons.

 

This Council calls on:

 

·         the UK Government to put forward the proposal of Associate European Union Citizenship during Brexit negotiations.

·         the Welsh Government to demand, through the Joint Ministerial Committee (European Negotiations), that the UK Government includes Associate EU Citizenship in its negotiating position.”

 

During the discussion, several members expressed support for the proposal on the grounds that they felt that they had European identity and the right as European citizens to travel and study in Europe and to be protected by European rights, and that they were unwilling to be stripped of those rights.

 

Others noted, although they had no objection to the proposal as such, that they believed that it would not change anything.

 

RESOLVED to adopt the motion.

 

18a

Notice of Motion by Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd will propose as follows:-

 

“That this Council requests the Council Cabinet to re-consider the future of the County’s Youth Service with a presumption in favour of retaining youth clubs and continuing with the financial support given traditionally to voluntary organisations such as the Urdd and Federation of Young Farmers.”

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(B) Prior to commencing a discussion on this item, Councillor Jason Parry presented a petition to the Chair.  The Chair thanked the member for the petition, noting that she would pass it on to the relevant department.

 

Submitted - the following notice of motion by Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:-

 

“That this Council request that the Council Cabinet re-consider the future of the County’s Youth Service with a presumption in favour of retaining youth clubs and continuing with the financial support given traditionally to voluntary organisations such as the Urdd and Federation of Young Farmers.”

 

The proposer of the notice of motion further noted:-

 

·         That he was proposing the motion in light of the Cabinet's decision to close all Gwynedd youth clubs and to set a new county arrangement in its place, one which had not been proven to be viable or of any value.

·         The county club would involve losing the expertise of experienced youth workers and increase the central full time officers from the existing five to nearly 20.

·         It appeared that the consultation with young people was invalid, and possibly illegal, as there had been no mention in it about the possibility of closing existing clubs.

·         The consultation with community councils had been insufficient, with some being deprived of any correspondence on the matter.

·         If any policy ever needed to be remitted or reconsidered, this was it.

·         The Council was willing to keep youth clubs open on the condition that a contribution was made by community councils toward this, but he could not see that the new county service had any faith that this would succeed.

·         There was no record of informal discussions with the police and agencies involved with lawbreaking when formulating the new county model.

·         He was concerned that the new system was discriminatory and created an elite system and went against the ideals of the founders of the service.

·         The Council took pride in the successes of the county's young people at the Urdd Eisteddfod and the Young Farmers' Eisteddfod; therefore, where was the justification in preventing some money from going to those organisations?

·         The contribution of these organisations to the viability of the Welsh language in our communities and to the establishment of the Language Charter had been critical, and it would also be progressive to extend the Charter to youth clubs.

·         The petition received showed that over 6000 people were dissatisfied with the changes to the service.

 

During the discussion, it was noted that:-

·         It was essential that the Cabinet reconsider, as children and young people built confidence within these organisations.

·         The service fulfilled a crucial function and that closing youth clubs was an attack on future generations.

·         It was not appropriate to locate these clubs in schools and that buildings were required for them.

·         Could the 11,000 students in Bangor, who do not contribute anything towards Council funds, contribute in any way, e.g. by increasing their rents?

·         Everyone wanted to ensure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18a

19.

Notice of Motion by Councillor Catrin Wager

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Catrin Wager will propose as follows:-

 

“This Council recognises that sanitary items are as essential as toilet paper for the personal hygiene of female pupils, and welcomes the revenue funding offered by the Welsh Government to provide free sanitary provision in schools.  However, the Council notes that the £29,497 of funding offered for 2017/18 is unlikely to meet the cost of provision in Gwynedd.  The Council requests the Cabinet Member for Education to investigate the implied costs and the best possible means of making sanitary items freely available to school age women, giving all young women in Gwynedd access to essential sanitary items without embarrassment, and regardless of family income.”

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(c) Submitted - the following notice of motion by Councillor Catrin Wager, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:-

 

“This Council recognises that sanitary items are as essential as toilet paper for the personal hygiene of female pupils, and welcomes the revenue funding offered by Welsh Government to provide free sanitary provision in schools.  However, the Council notes that the £29,497 of funding offered for 2017/18 is unlikely to meet the cost of provision in Gwynedd.  The Council requests that the Cabinet Member for Education investigate the implied costs and the best possible means of making sanitary items freely available to school age women, giving all young women in Gwynedd access to essential sanitary items without embarrassment, and regardless of family income.”

 

Support for the motion was expressed by several members on the grounds that young women felt very embarrassed to raise the subject and that they preferred to go home from school rather than ask teachers for sanitary items.  Hope was expressed that funding would also be available for appropriate disposal equipment.

 

The Cabinet Member for Education noted that he would be very willing to look into this matter along with the detailed research undertaken by the proposer.

 

RESOLVED to adopt the motion.