Venue: Virtual Meeting (At present, members of the public are unable to attend the meeting)
Contact: Annes Siôn 01286 679490
No. | Item |
---|---|
APOLOGIES Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet Members
and Officers were welcomed to the meeting. No apologies were
received. |
|
DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of personal interest were received from the following
Councillors: Dyfrig Siencyn, Nia Jeffreys, Catrin Wager, Gareth Thomas, Dilwyn
Morgan, Ioan Thomas and Cemlyn Williams as their children or grandchildren
received school meals. It was not a prejudicial interest, and they were able to
be present for the item. |
|
URGENT ITEMS Additional documents: Minutes: There were no urgent
items. |
|
MATTERS ARISING FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY Additional documents: Minutes: There were
no matters arising from overview
and scrutiny. |
|
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 3 NOVEMBER 2020 PDF 126 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair accepted the minutes of the meeting held on 3 November 2020 as
a true record. |
|
Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Cemlyn Williams Additional documents:
Decision: Not to raise primary, special and all-through school meal price in
January 2021, and to commission the Head of Education Department to look at a
long-term policy for school meal price and to report back to the Cabinet. Minutes: The report was presented by Cllr Cemlyn
Williams DECISION Not to raise
primary, special and all-through schools’ meal price in January 2021, and to
commission the Head of Education Department to look at a long-term policy for
the price of school meals and to report back to the Cabinet. DISCUSSION The report was submitted
noting that although it was a brief report, it spoke volumes about the
Council's priorities. It was noted that the costs of providing school meals had
increased in 2020/21, and to meet those costs, the price of school meals would
need to be increased to £2.60, an increase of 4%. Attention was drawn to
Appendix 1 which compared Gwynedd school meal prices with the remainder of
Wales highlighting the fact that Gwynedd was the fifth highest county in terms
of school meal prices. It was expressed that
without increasing the price of school meals, the education department would be
under additional pressure to fund the financial deficit. Nevertheless, the
challenges that families had been facing over recent months were highlighted
along with the Council's priority of reducing inequality. It was expressed that this report was now
submitted every year. The need to look at the matter in the long-term was noted
and that further work was needed to look at the price of school meals. Observations arising from
the discussion ¾ The report was welcomed
and it was noted that the decision not to increase the price was to be
welcomed. Sadness was expressed that there had to be an income target for
school meals whilst 1 in every 3 children lived in poverty. It was emphasised
that for some children, this was the only hot meal they ate during the day. ¾ The need to look at the matter in the long-term was noted and to go a
step further perhaps and to aim to provide free school meals for every child.. ¾ It was expressed that
a number of children were eligible for free school meals noting that the
process might be a barrier for some. The need to promote free school meals was
highlighted. Attention was drawn to free school meals arrangements noting that
further work was needed to ensure that all those who were eligible were
receiving it. ¾ It was noted that it
would be great to be able to offer everyone free school meals. However, there
was a need to consider long-term plans for the future. ¾ It was expressed that the
department had flexibility this year in moving forward but there was a need to
look at the budget when considering options.
Awdur: Bethan Griffith |
|
Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Nia Jeffreys Additional documents:
Decision: The need to
undertake further work to consider possible options in the future for
Hunaniaith, the Gwynedd Language Initiative, was agreed. Establish a
task force of Council officers to identify the necessary steps that need to be
followed to create a robust business case for the possible options. Minutes: The report was presented by Cllr Nia Jeffreys. DECISION The need to undertake further work to consider
possible options in the future for Hunaniaith, the Gwynedd
Language Initiative, was agreed. Establish a task force of Council officers to
identify the necessary steps that need to be followed to create a robust
business case for the possible options. DISCUSSION The report was submitted noting that the Welsh
language was very close to the Cabinet member's heart. It was expressed that Hunaniaith carried out excellent work in safeguarding the
Welsh language and the Welsh Language Charter had highlighted this good work.
It was emphasised that it was now time to reconsider the focus and to move from
working strategically to working within the community. It was noted that a Strategic Group had been
looking at the situation and had commissioned Cwmni Iaith to proceed with the task of reviewing Hunaniaith's work. It was expressed that the company's
report was interesting and exciting and that it acknowledged the good work that
had been achieved. It was added that the report provided a firm foundation to
proceed and recommended creating a taskforce to discuss and plan work to move
forward and to work effectively and efficiently. The Chairman of the Strategic Group added that
the report of Cwmni Iaith
was comprehensive and balanced and he highlighted the three options in the
report. Support for option 3 was noted, namely to create an independent entity.
It was explained that this had financial and staffing implications. The need to
proceed was noted and to reduce pressure on the Council along with an
opportunity to add crucial funding for the initiative to extend its work within
communities. The need for the taskforce to work to a tight schedule was
emphasised in order for the work to progress. Observations arising from the discussion ¾ It was noted there was
a need for the language initiative to work within the community and to be
sustainable to continue with the good work that Hunaniaith
was doing. It was emphasised that this
was an opportunity to build on the good work and not to get rid of Hunaniaith. ¾ Attention was drawn to the arrangement for funding Hunaniaith
with 70% of the budget coming from the Government and 30% from Gwynedd Council.
As the budget from the Government was grant funded, it was currently difficult
to plan for the future. ¾ There was support for
looking at the situation noting that it was timely to proceed and to give Hunaniaith the opportunity to stand on its own two feet. ¾ Creating a
small entity within the community was supported. Years ago, it had been noted
that it was a good idea for the language initiative to operate within the
Council but that it now needed to evolve. ¾ Gratitude was expressed for the Hunaniaith
Teams' hard work. ¾ It was emphasised that much work was needed before an option could be chosen but there was a need to consider ... view the full minutes text for item 7. Awdur: Vera Jones |
|
NORTH WALES GROWTH DEAL PDF 519 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn Additional documents: Decision: ¾ The Overarching Business Plan was formally
confirmed and it was recommended for the Council to approve it as the document
that sets out the arrangements for delivering the North Wales Growth Deal as
the basis for completing the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the Grant
Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments. ¾ The provisions in Governance Agreement 2 weres
confirmed, which formally involves the executive functions and recommends that
the Council approves the provisions involving non-executive functions and that
it (the Cabinet) specifically adopts the delegations and the Terms of Reference
in "Governance Agreement 2: Appendix 1" as the basis for completing
the Final Deal Agreement and acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter with the UK
and Welsh Governments. ¾ Subject to completing Governance Agreement 2,
that Gwynedd Council agrees to act as the Host Authority and the Accountable
Body and signs the letter of the Grant Funding Proposal on behalf of the
Partners through the Chief Finance Officer. ¾ It was formally confirmed and recommended that
the Council approves the method used to calculate the cost of borrowing which
is required in principle to facilitate the negative cash flow for the Growth
Deal, and to include a provision within the Council Budget to pay this
contribution and the established core and supplementary contributions as set
out in GA2. ¾ That the Chief Executive, in consultation with
the Leader, the Monitoring Officer and the Section 151 Officer, be granted
delegated authority to agree minor changes to the documents with the Partners
as necessary to complete the agreement. Minutes: The report was presented by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn. DECISION ¾ The Overarching Business
Plan was formally confirmed and it was recommended for the Council to approve
it as the document that sets out the arrangements for delivering the North
Wales Growth Deal as the basis for completing the Final Deal Agreement and
acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments. ¾ The provisions in
Governance Agreement 2 were confirmed, which formally involves the executive
functions and recommends that the Council approves the provisions involving
non-executive functions and that it (the Cabinet) specifically adopts the
delegations and the Terms of Reference in "Governance Agreement 2:
Appendix 1" as the basis for completing the Final Deal Agreement and
acceptance of the Grant Funding Letter with the UK and Welsh Governments. ¾ Subject to completing
Governance Agreement 2, that Gwynedd Council agrees to act as the Host
Authority and the Accountable Body and signs the letter of the Grant Funding
Proposal on behalf of the Partners through the Chief Finance Officer. ¾ It was formally confirmed
and recommended that the Council approves the method used to calculate the cost
of borrowing which is required in principle to facilitate the negative cash
flow for the Growth Deal, and to include a provision within the Council Budget
to pay this contribution and the established core and supplementary
contributions as set out in GA2. ¾ That the Chief Executive,
in consultation with the Leader, the Monitoring Officer and the Section 151
Officer, be granted delegated authority to agree minor changes to the documents
with the Partners as necessary to complete the agreement. DISCUSSION The report was submitted noting that it was the
culmination of three years of hard work on the Growth Plan. The programme team
was thanked for working hard to create the documents and the business plans to
complete the Final Deal Agreement. The Programme Manager highlighted the main aim
of the Growth Plan to build a thriving, sustainable and robust economy in north
Wales. It was expressed that the methods would deliver growth in an inclusive
and sustainable way that could be extended in line with the Well-being of
Future Generations Act. The funding sources which included investment from the
Private Sector and the Public Sector were emphasised. Attention was drawn to the Growth Plan’s
regional benefits which included growth in regional prosperity and creating
better quality jobs for the labour market. The benefits for Gwynedd
specifically were emphasised and they included improving digital connectivity
for businesses, residents and visitors; access to innovative research and
support with sustainable farming techniques; an investment of £20m in the
infrastructure of the Trawsfynydd site and
opportunities to develop strategic sites as part of the long-term Land and
Property programme. The Overarching Business Plan was outlined, emphasising that it set out the arrangements for implementing the North Wales Growth Deal, including an overview of the programmes and projects in order to secure the approval of all partners to the Funding requirements to implement ... view the full minutes text for item 8. Awdur: Sioned Williams and Alwen Williams |