Issue - meetings

To submit the report of the Council Leader.

To adopt the Cyngor Gwynedd Plan 2023-28 – 2023-24 Review.

The Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, submitted the report, inviting the Council to approve the review of the Council Plan 2024/25. It was noted that a year had passed since the Cyngor Gwynedd Plan 2023-2028 had been adopted, noting that this was a soft review but that important changes had been made to the Plan.

Attention was drawn to some matters such as Priority Area: Tomorrow’s Gwynedd, noting that the Free School Meals project had now been introduced to all Cyngor Gwynedd Schools, ahead of the Government's schedule. It was added that the Education Strategy was now outdated, therefore a new Strategy would be drawn up to ensure that the best Education was offered to the children of the County. It was noted that a current and robust Strategy was needed to attempt to attract grant money to invest in School buildings. The inclusion provision would also be reviewed to look at the increase in emotional behavioural needs among children, which was a side-effect of the pandemic.

It was noted under Priority Area: A Welsh ⁠Gwynedd, that a review of the Education Language Policy would be carried out, as well as an appraisal of the immersion system. It was expressed that this confirmed the Authority's desire to address both fields and they would be involved in the Council Plan for the year to come. It was shared that Meirion Prys Jones, one of the most experienced linguistic planners in Wales, was being commissioned to lead on the work of revisiting the Gwynedd Education Language Policy. ⁠Everyone was encouraged to participate in this important conversation when the engagement period commenced. It was added that other minor changes had been included in the report and pride was expressed in the ability to propose to the Council to adopt these changes.

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

Reassurances were sought that Ysgol Tywyn would not fall off the waiting list for improvements, noting that the report referred to modernising buildings and learning environments specifically in the Bangor and Cricieth areas. It was noted that Ysgol Tywyn was one of the oldest schools in the county and that refurbishment works were needed. Concern was expressed that Tywyn was being neglected geographically.

·        In response, the Leader noted that the Dysynni area was not being neglected and that the representatives in the ward were doing a good job in drawing the Council's attention to the area's issues. It was reported that the Education Department were pleased to hear the comments.

·        The Chief Executive added that the report was referring to School buildings and not School maintenance, but he hoped that there would be a new phase in the programme, should the financial situation allow for that. 

It was expressed that this Plan and the Well-being Act were based on the United Nations' sustainable development goals ⁠ ⁠and that this is the subject and root of all the conflict in Europe and in Wales between the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8