Issue - meetings

The information in the report was accepted and noted.

The report was submitted by Cllr Berwyn Parry Jones

DECISION

The information in the report was accepted and noted.

DISCUSSION

Members were reminded that the Department led on two of the projects in the Council Plan namely 'Clean and Tidy Communities' and 'Strengthening Communication and Engagement'.

It was noted that the Clean and Tidy Communities project had led to the establishment of the Ardal Ni teams, which had been very successful.  However, it was recognised that there was a need to promote more of the project as some areas were not aware of them.  Members were reminded that it was possible to send a request for work in several ways, including via an online form or the Gwynedd App.

It was explained that a Communications and Engagement Officer had been appointed as part of the 'Strengthening Communication and Engagement' project. It was noted that a new newsletter shared stories with staff every quarter, as well as raising awareness of the services' work through social media.
 

It was confirmed that work was underway to include details of salt bins on the Gwynedd Map so residents were aware of their location and report when they needed to be replenished.

It was reported that the department would lead on three priorities within the Council's Plan 2023/28 namely:

·       Clean and Tidy Communities

·       Acting on Flood Risks (Inland and Coastal)

·       Extending play/socialisation opportunities for the County's children and young people (Working jointly with the Education Department). 

It was recognised that there had been a turnover in the workforce of clean and tidy communities' projects. However, any gap that had been created as a result had been filled.

Members were reminded that the department had adopted a Green Fleet Plan since 24 January 2023 and the progress of the plan was regularly reported to the Climate and Nature Board. However, it was acknowledged that there had been some challenges within this plan such as a lack of resources within the fleet service, the timetable for introducing charging points and the costs of purchasing electric vehicles. An update was shared that the department was in discussions with other departments to work together to ensure the charging points were delivered as quickly as possible.

 

It has been announced that the installation of LED lamps on 17,000 Gwynedd street lamps had been carried out within the Lighting Service. It was noted that there was a 45% reduction in energy consumption and a 70% reduction in carbon emissions per tonne at the end of 2022/23. It was also explained that 25% less energy was used between 10:30pm and 6:00am as the lights were dimmed during this time.

It was explained that Gwynedd Consultancy had met their 2022/23 income target and continued to steadily develop staff. Attention was drawn to some of the projects the service had undertaken recently such as flood risk management plans.
 

It was announced that the Department had met their financial savings target.