To receive any Chairman’s announcements.
Minutes:
Condolences
Condolences were expressed to the family of Jo Cox, MP, who was recently murdered in horrific
circumstances in Yorkshire and Councillor
Gwen Griffith paid tribute to her.
Condolences were extended to the family of the late Professor Gwyn Thomas, poet, scholar and literary
critic.
It was noted that the Council wished to express condolences to everyone within the county’s communities who had lost loved
ones recently.
The Council stood in
silence as a mark of respect.
Congratulations
All of the children and young
people from Gwynedd who had been competing
at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Caerphilly were congratulated.
Elin Thomas, originally from Llannor, Pen
Llŷn, was congratulated for
representing Wales and singing the Welsh national anthem
at the start of three recent international rugby matches between
New Zealand and Wales, and she was wished
every success for the future.
Other Matters
Local Government Reorganisation
It was reported that Mark Drakeford, Welsh Government's
Cabinet Secretary for
Finance and Local Government, had published a statement on 23 June which confirmed that:-
·
Local councillors
elected in the May 2017 election would serve a five-year term (May 2017
to May 2022) and that this would coincide
with the Welsh Government's
electoral cycle, which was also now five years.
·
Electoral boundaries
would not be reviewed prior
to the election in May, which meant that
75 elected members would continue to serve on Gwynedd Council from May 2017 onwards.
More information regarding local government reorganisation would be available by the autumn term.
Plaque Unveiling
It was reported that everyone
was welcome to attend a ceremony at Plas Llanwnda, Castle Street,
Caernarfon at 11:45am on Friday,
1 July, to unveil a memorial plaque for Major Lionel
Wilmot Brabazon Rees, who was the only person from Gwynedd to be awarded the
Victoria Cross during the First World
War.
Commemoration of the Battle of Mametz Wood
To mark a century since the Battle of Mametz Wood, the First Battle of
the Somme during the First World War, an invitation
was extended to everyone to
the Official Opening of the
Great War's Memorial Garden at Caernarfon Castle at 12:00pm on Thursday, 7 July. It was noted
that other activities would also be held as
part of the Opening of the Memorial Garden with the North
Wales Rugby Choir and the
Band of the Royal Signals taking part.
Council at its Best Ceremony
It was noted:-
·
The
Council at its Best Ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate all of the excellent work of the 7,000 staff members who work for
Gwynedd Council to provide
a range of services that make a difference
to the county's residents,
staff members who go beyond their job description to put the people of Gwynedd central to what they do.
·
The
five awards presented during the Ceremony were related
to the Council's values namely Value for Money, Positive, Working as a Team, Respect
and Serve, namely five values
which are central to Council principles and lead its way
of working by highlighting what is important if the best services are
to provided for the people of Gwynedd.
·
A
large number of nominations had been received for the awards, which were
for staff from every Council department,
and that nominations had been made by colleagues
of the staff nominated.
In order to provide a taste of the good work being achieved,
a short video clip of the nominees in the Value for Money category was shown.
Word of Thanks
A member noted his wish to thank the majority of Gwynedd electors who had voted in
favour of remaining a part of the European Union in the recent Referendum.