Issue - meetings

To report to the Scrutiny Committee on the performance of the Environment Department.

To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.⁠

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for the Environment, the Head of Environment Department and Assistant Heads of Department.

The Members were reminded that the Department led on several projects in the Council Plan 2023-28, namely;

·        A Homely Gwynedd

o   Managing second homes and short-term holiday lets

·        A Green Gwynedd

o   New Local Development Plan

o   Waste and Recycling

o   Active Travel

o   Public Transport

They referred to several of the Department's projects as well as performance measures. Comments and questions from the Members were welcomed.

During the discussion, the following observations were made by the Members:-

The Planning Service

It was acknowledged that planning service officers had been under pressure recently, and they thanked them for their work and were pleased that the service was taking advantage of the opportunities in the Council's Cynllun Yfory. In response to the comments, the Department confirmed that they had taken advantage of the Council's Cynllun Yfory to appoint members of staff and train them to become qualified. It was noted that a Planning Policy Trainee post would possibly be offered soon. It was confirmed that the service planned its workforce effectively and while recognising staff turnover, new officers were being appointed to carry out the work.

It was concerned that the Council was at risk of losing expertise among planning officers. In response to the comments, it was acknowledged that some expertise was lost when officers left their roles, but the Members were assured that use of the Cynllun Yfory and effective workforce planning ensured that there was no significant risk of losing expertise.

Planning Enforcement

In response to an enquiry on Planning Enforcement rates, the Assistant Head explained that officers responded to complaints on enforcement issues when appropriate. He explained that situations arose where individuals were unhappy with the officers' views and statutory arrangements were in place to ensure that they can appeal if they wish. It was highlighted that it was challenging to reduce the number of enforcement calls received due to staffing issues, but they were confident that this issue could be addressed as the numbers of qualified staff increased.

New Local Development Plan

In response to an enquiry, the Assistant Head of Department confirmed that the timetable for introducing a New Local Development Plan was on time, but the current  priority was to support staff.

Active Travel

In response to a request for data about active travel plans and use in rural areas of the County, the Head of Department confirmed that the information could be shared outside this meeting.

Waste and Recycling

Consideration was given to whether there were plans in place to collect soft plastics to increase the percentage of waste recycled in Gwynedd. In response to the enquiry, the Assistant Head of Department confirmed that arrangements were in place for collecting soft plastics as part of the routes from April 2027 onwards. It was elaborated that the Council was currently working with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to explore good practice, as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8