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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting - Zoom

Contact: Eirian Roberts  01286 679018

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES

To receive any apologies for absence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillors: Anwen Davies, Alan Jones Evans, Dylan Fernley, Louise Hughes, Eric Merfyn Jones, Peter Read, Mair Rowlands and Hefin Underwood.

 

2.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 358 KB

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Council held on 13th May, 2021 be signed as a true record.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair signed the minutes of the annual meeting of the Council held on 13 May, 2021 as a true record.

 

3.

DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Executive declared a personal interest in item 10 on the agenda – Electoral Registration Officer / Returning Officer - as the report referred to him, and withdrew from the Chamber during the discussion on the item.

 

4.

THE CHAIR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

To receive any Chairman’s announcements.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Best wishes for a speedy recovery were sent to Councillor Eric Merfyn Jones following his recent surgery.

 

Councillor Gwynfor Owen, the new member for Harlech / Talsarnau was congratulated and welcomed to the meeting.

 

Everyone from Gwynedd who had been competing and who had been successful at this year's Urdd Eisteddfod T was congratulated.

 

5.

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.

6.

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 Owain Williams

 

"What response will Gwynedd Council give to the presumptuous statement from the Westminster Government, and the Conservative Party in particular, namely their order to drape the 'Union Jack' flag on the side of the buildings of the 'Empire', namely the UK, here in Wales?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, Councillor Nia Jeffreys

 

"These are not orders, but guidelines and encouragement to raise the Union Jack flag on buildings in British nations. The Council is responsible for raising banners on its own buildings, and we already have a policy for this. I have forwarded the details of this policy to members for information."

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Owain Williams

 

"I ask this Council to contact the UK Prime Minister's Office and ask for an explanation and an apology for insulting and belittling our nation."

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, Councillor Nia Jeffreys

 

"I also agree that the attitude is presumptuous and insulting.  I believe we are doing everything within our ability within this Council. For example, British Ministers recently wanted to hold a 'UK Day' and wanted children to sing a particular song in schools about the union and the strength of the United Kingdom.  I am very grateful to the Football Association of Wales for having the idea that children in Welsh schools could sing the national anthem on the same day, and I was very proud to see on the news and social media, following guidance from the Head of Education Department in Gwynedd, that children across Gwynedd schools did this.  Therefore, as a Council I believe we do everything within our ability to promote our Welsh culture and identity."

 

(2)     A question from Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd

 

"Bearing in mind that the 'Housing Action Plan' labels the Help-to-Buy Scheme as a "very popular" one and that the money invested in the scheme can be "recycled", and considering the cost associated with the construction of new housing, and that we cannot build ourselves out of this crisis in any case, is it necessary for the Council to promote a much broader use of equity provision schemes such as the 'Homebuy Wales' scheme, which is much more cost efficient and an alternative method to help people to live in their local areas?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Craig ab Iago

 

"We are in the middle of a real housing crisis and each one of us have stories or examples in our wards of unfairness and house prices that are too high, or buildings being lost to people from outside Wales who wish to make a quick profit.  The situation is becoming more desperate every day. We heard recently that our house prices had increased the most in Britain. These are things that we are all concerned about and I would say that this is the highest priority for us  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 212 KB

To submit the report of the Chair of the Standards Committee.

Additional documents:

Decision:

To accept the report.

Minutes:

Dr Einir Young, Chair of the Standards Committee, was welcomed to the meeting to present the committee's annual report for 2020/21.

 

When presenting the report, it was noted that no complaints of breaching the Code of Conduct had been referred to the Standards Committee for a decision, and that this reflected well on the culture across the county. It was understood that some would be disappointed that the threshold for referral was too high, but as explained to the Council in the past, the Standards Committee did not decide which cases were referred to them.  The Committee had noted the concern that had been raised previously by elected members with regard to this, and when the North Wales Standards Committee Forum would reconvene, this would be a topic for discussion.

 

Dr Einir Young thanked Committee members, the Monitoring Officer, the Senior Corporate Solicitor and the Democracy Service Officer for all their assistance.

 

Members were then given an opportunity to make observations and ask questions.

 

A member expressed his disappointment in hearing that no investigation had been held again this year and he questioned whether the Ombudsman's Office offered value for money.  He also suggested that it would be beneficial for councils to record their meetings so that evidence would be available should any problems arise at any time.  In response, it was noted that this was a matter that was raised annually at the Council meeting and that the public interest test was currently under consideration as part of the Code of Conduct review. It was explained that the test allowed the Ombudsman to attribute his resources to investigate matters in areas, such as health. However, this raised a question regarding the suitability of the model for community councils because, if the threshold was so high, should there not be a different model available that responded to the requirements of community councils, instead of them being measured in the same way as a county council or health authority? As a result, there was a need to hold this discussion as the review progressed.

 

Dr Einir Young was thanked for her presentation.

 

RESOLVED to accept the report.

 

8.

GWYNEDD COUNCIL ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 125 KB

To submit the report of the Council Leader.

Additional documents:

Decision:

To approve the report as an accurate, balanced and clear reflection of the Council's performance in 2020/21, and to adopt it.

 

Minutes:

Submitted - a report by the Leader requesting that the Council approve and adopt Gwynedd Council's Performance Report 2020/21 as a clear, balanced and accurate picture of the Council's performance in 2020/21.

 

He thanked all staff members who had contributed to the work and especially the Council's Business Support Service Manager and Business Support Officer for gathering all the information and for preparing the report in such a coherent and interesting manner.

 

Members were then given an opportunity to make observations and ask questions.  The following matters were raised by individual members:

 

·         Referring to page 46 of the agenda, which noted that the North Wales Growth Bid would lead to an investment of £1.1bn in the north Wales region over the next ten years, creating up to 4,000 jobs across north Wales, it was asked how much of this investment would be likely to come to Gwynedd.  In response, it was noted that it was not believed there were specific targets for Gwynedd, but it was intended to monitor the situation and report back to the North Wales Economic Ambition Board on what would take place. It was explained that a number of projects were taking place across the region such as the digital projects that extended and improved digital connectivity across the entire region. The number of jobs had been determined for specific projects in Bangor University and Glynllifon and more details about those could be provided for members in the future.

·         In light of the fact that Wylfa B was now very unlikely to take place, it was asked where the thousands of new jobs that were promised would be, and who would occupy the remaining 8,000 additional homes in Gwynedd and Anglesey. In response, it was explained that Wylfa B was not part of North Wales Economic Ambition Board projects, or included in their job figures. The changes as a result of whatever would happen to the Wylfa B site would be addressed in the review of the Local Development Plan, along with any other matters that are relevant to re-examine, such as the number of houses and the number of jobs.

·         Referring to page 49 of the agenda, which referred to ensuring European funding to realise plans as part of the Creating High Value Jobs project, it was asked what impact Brexit would have on current and future investments. In response, it was noted that a number of projects were already in place that took advantage of European funds, and it was believed that these would continue until 2023.  However, the funding in future would be much less than the £350m per week that had been promised by the British Government, and although the Shared Prosperity Fund was supposed to compensate for this, every county council across Britain had to compete for the small amounts available. 

·         Referring to pages 122-123 of the agenda, dissatisfaction was expressed that planning applications had taken an average of 89 days to reach a decision during 2020/21, and that one application  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ELECTIONS ACT (WALES) 2021 pdf icon PDF 337 KB

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(1) To adopt the arrangements and protocol to continue to meet virtually until they are reviewed in accordance with the report submitted to the Council.

(2) To approve the changes to the Constitution in Appendix B of the report to the Council.

 

Minutes:

(The Cabinet Member for Corporate Support submitted a report inviting the Council to adopt arrangements to hold Council meetings in order to address the new requirements in Part 3 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

 

Members were then given an opportunity to make observations and ask questions.  The following matters were raised by individual members:

 

·         It was noted that it was important to ensure that anyone with a particular interest in a matter was able to attend a virtual meeting and voice their opinion rather than watching a web-cast only. Also, a desire was stated to return to face-to-face meetings as soon as possible on the basis that virtual meetings were not convenient to make important decisions. In response, it was explained that the form of meetings would inevitably change as a result of this act, and that remote attendance would be part of the meetings as elected members had a statutory right to this. Arrangements to allow the public to participate in committee meetings were not currently part of the matter under consideration, and that those arrangements remained the same, but on a virtual basis. Work to move away from the interim system would involve identifying a pattern that worked best across the range of meetings, but it was emphasised that the electronic system and the statutory rights that went hand in hand with it meant that this landscape would either way inevitably change and on a permanent basis.

·         As hybrid meetings would be statutory in future, it was asked whether Welsh Government would contribute financially towards the substantial investment in Information Technology that would be required in order to realise this. In response, it was noted that an enquiry could be made to the Head of Finance Department and come back to the member with the financial information. It was also noted that there was an intention to start trialling the hybrid equipment during August in order to ensure that the provision was technically easy to use and responded to the requirements of bilingualism, voting matters, web-casting, etc.

·         It was noted that it was important to continue to hold meetings virtually after restrictions eased, as this way of meeting saved time, travelling costs and vehicle emissions, and it also allowed members to be present from any location.

·         On the contrary, it was noted that it was more difficult for members to get their points across strongly in virtual meetings and everyone was encouraged to support a return to the Chamber as soon as possible.

·         It was suggested that meetings should continue to be held virtually but not all the time, and that it would be good for members to meet face-to-face occasionally.

 

RESOLVED

(1) To adopt the arrangements and protocol to continue to meet virtually until they are reviewed in accordance with the report submitted to the Council.

(2) To approve the changes to the Constitution in Appendix B of the report to the Council.

 

10.

ELECTORAL REGISTRATION OFFICER / RETURNING OFFICER pdf icon PDF 89 KB

To submit the report of the Monitoring Officer.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(1) To appoint the Chief Executive as Electoral Registration Officer for every constituency and part of a constituency within the County in accordance with Section 8(2A) of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

(2) To appoint the Chief Executive as Returning Officer for the election of councillors to the Council and the election of community councillors within the County in accordance with Section 35(1A) of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

 

Minutes:

The Monitoring Officer submitted a report inviting the Council to appoint an Electoral Registration Officer / Returning Officer, as the current post-holder had retired.

 

RESOLVED

(1)     To appoint the Chief Executive as Electoral Registration Officer for every constituency and part of a constituency within the County, in accordance with Section 8(2A) of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

(2)     To appoint the Chief Executive as Returning Officer for the election of councillors to the Council and the election of community councillors within the County in accordance with Section 35(1A) of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

 

11.

SCRUTINY ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 213 KB

To submit the Scrutiny Annual Report.

Additional documents:

Decision:

To accept the report.

Minutes:

Submitted - the scrutiny annual report for 2020/21 by the Chair of the Scrutiny Forum, Councillor Beth Lawton.  She thanked the scrutiny chairs and vice-chairs and all scrutiny members for their work during the year.  She also thanked the heads of department and the Democracy Service officers for supporting the members and drawing up the report.

 

Members were then given an opportunity to make observations and ask questions. 

 

It was noted that there was no reference in the report to the Planning and the Welsh Language Scrutiny Investigation, and a request was made for information on the Council website as it did not seem to be there at present.

 

On behalf of the Cabinet Members, the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People thanked the scrutiny committee members, stating how important their role was in the process of maintaining the services from day-to-day. He also thanked those members who were part of the performance challenging meetings for their support and input.

 

The Chair of the Scrutiny Forum was thanked for all her work and guidance, and for submitting the report on behalf of the scrutiny chairs.

 

RESOLVED to accept the report.

 

12.

THE COUNCIL'S POLITICAL BALANCE pdf icon PDF 246 KB

To submit the report of the Head of Democracy Services.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(1) Adopt the seats allocation in accordance with what is noted in Appendix A in the report to the Council.

(2) Delegate the authority to the Head of Democratic Services to make appointments to the committees on the basis of political balance, and in accordance with the wishes of the political groups.

 

Minutes:

The Head of Democracy Services submitted a report reviewing the Council's political balance following:

 

·         A by-election in the Harlech / Talsarnau ward following the resignation of former Councillor, Freya Bentham, Independent Group;

·         The election of Councillor Gwynfor Owen in the Harlech / Talsarnau ward, Plaid Cymru Group.

 

It was noted that a short video clip could be viewed on the members' intranet site explaining how the committee seat allocation formula worked.

 

RESOLVED

(1)     Adopt the seats allocation noted in Appendix A of these minutes.

(2)     Delegate the authority to the Head of Democratic Services to make appointments to the committees on the basis of political balance, and in accordance with the wishes of the political groups.

 

13.

NOTICES OF MOTION

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

 

“That Gwynedd Council supports the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Gwynedd Council supports the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and also calls on the British Government to commit to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

 

Minutes:

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

 

"That Gwynedd Council supports the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."

 

The proposer of the motion noted that several anti-nuclear weapon groups and organisations had submitted letters of support to the motion.  He set out the context for his motion underlining that the United Kingdom was one of the few countries that had not signed the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that had come into force on 22 January, 2021. He added that Gwynedd Council could show humanitarian leadership by supporting the motion in order for the Westminster Government and politicians from other parties to understand that there was a principled and moral objection to nuclear weapons in Wales.

 

Strong support was expressed by members on the following grounds:

 

·         As the British Government had not participated in the discussions, they did not have an opportunity to shape the Treaty and that they were short-sighted to it.

·         The clauses in Article 1 of the Treaty, which involved control and prohibition, refuted the argument of the British Government that signing the Treaty would not bring us closer to a world without nuclear weapons. Should every country sign and adhere to these principles, we would live in a world that was free of nuclear weapons.

 

In light of the viewpoint of the British Government on the matter, an amendment was proposed and seconded to add the following to the motion:

 

"...and also call on the British Government to commit to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."

 

The proposer of the original motion agreed to amend the motion on these lines with the Council’s consent.

 

During the discussion on the amendment, it was noted that we live in an unstable world with growing global inequality. Covid had hit us hard and climate change already led to the displacement of people and threatened food networks. In the unstable world of this day and age, Governments more than ever needed to continue to take action towards nurturing peace, rather than supporting and investing in nuclear weapons.

 

A vote was taken on the amendment and it carried.

 

As the amendment was accepted, the Monitoring Officer explained that the original motion had been amended and that a further vote was needed on the wording of the amendment, rather than the wording of the original. The majority voted in favour of the motion. 

 

RESOLVED to adopt the motion, namely:

 

That Gwynedd Council supports the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and also calls on the British Government to commit to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

 

 

14.

RESPONSES TO PREVIOUS NOTICE OF MOTION pdf icon PDF 32 KB

To submit, for information:-

 

(a)     Letters from the UK Government Minister for Welfare Delivery and the Welsh Government Minister for Social Justice in response to Councillor Elin Walker-Jones’ notice of motion to the 4th March, 2021 meeting regarding Universal Basic Income.

 

(b)     Letters to the First Minister for Wales (i) in response to Dr Simon Brooks’ report “Second Homes – Developing New Policies in Wales”, and (ii) calling for an earlier review of the Joint Local Development Plan following the Extraordinary Council meeting on 28th June, 2021.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted, for information:

 

(a)     Letters from the UK Government Minister for Welfare Delivery and the Welsh Government Minister for Social Justice in response to Councillor Elin Walker-Jones’ notice of motion to the 4 March, 2021 meeting regarding Universal Basic Income.

 

(b)     Letters to the First Minister for Wales (i) in response to Dr Simon Brooks’ report “Second Homes – Developing New Policies in Wales”, and (ii) calling for an earlier review of the Joint Local Development Plan following the Extraordinary Council meeting on 28 June, 2021.

 

Appendix pdf icon PDF 123 KB

Additional documents: