Venue: Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH. View directions
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillors Stephen Churchman, Jean Forsyth,
Gwen Griffith, June Marshall, W. Tudor Owen, Nigel Pickavance and Gruffydd
Williams. |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council
held on 6th October, 2016 be signed as a true record. (attached) Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on
6 October, 2016, as a true record. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Additional documents: Minutes: Members had received a briefing note from
the Monitoring Officer in advance regarding
the following matters: ·
Council Tax Premium on
Empty Properties and Second
Homes (item 10 on the
agenda) ·
Council Tax Reduction
Scheme 2017/18 (item 11 on the agenda) The following members declared a personal interest in item
10 on the agenda – Council Tax Premium on Empty Properties and Second
Homes, for the reasons noted: ·
Councillor Gweno Glyn - because her brother-in-law owned a second home in
Gwynedd. ·
Councillor Aled Wyn Jones - because a close family connection had a second home in
the county. ·
Councillor Angela Russell - because she worked
for people who owned summer
houses. ·
Councillor R. H. Wyn Williams -
because he had an empty property
and family that owned a summer house. ·
Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn - because he owned
an empty property. ·
Councillor Mandy
Williams-Davies - because her husband
owned an empty property via an inheritance.
·
Councillor Gethin Glyn Williams
- because close members of the family owned holiday homes. ·
Councillor Linda Morgan - because she made
changeovers between tourists in the house next door
to her, which was holiday accommodation. ·
Councillor Annwen Hughes - because she had a holiday home. ·
Councillor Caerwyn Roberts - because he and his wife owned a converted
barn and let out the accommodation for tourists. ·
Councillor Peredur Jenkins - because he owned two
houses. The members were of the opinion that they
were prejudicial interests, and they withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item. Rhun ap Gareth
(Senior Solicitor – Services / Deputy
Monitoring Officer) noted a personal interest in item
10 on the agenda – Council Tax Premium on Empty Properties and Second
Homes, because his sister owned a second home in the county. The staff member was of the opinion that it was a prejudical
interest, and he withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item. |
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THE CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS To receive any Chairman’s
announcements. Additional documents: Minutes: Mr Arfon Jones,
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, was welcomed to the meeting to give
a presentation to the members and he was congratulated on being elected for the
post. Best wishes for a
full and speedy recovery were extended to the Councillor Tudor Owen following a
recent operation. Councillor Peter
Read was welcomed back following his recent ill-health. Councillor Gweno
Glyn was wished well on her recent wedding. The following were
congratulated:- ·
Gwynedd
Consultancy for being part of an award throughout Britain for the field of
building control. The project, that was associated
with Harlech Castle visitor centre, came top in the category for the best
inclusive building. The award acknowledged the Council officers' work and the
close collaboration with Cadw and the contractors that were part of the work. ·
The
Pwllheli National Sailing Academy and Event Centre in Pwllheli for securing
another national award of importance in receiving the Royal Town Planning
Institute's (RTPI) Wales Planning Award 2016. Plas Heli had secured an award by
being the best on a number of other plans of importance in the Wales awards,
and now the project would be going forward to represent Wales in Planning
awards throughout the United Kingdom. ·
Four
companies from Gwynedd, namely Llechwedd, Greenwood Forest Park, Graig Wen
Camping Company and Zip World for winning an award in a specific category in an
awards event arranged by North Wales Tourism recently. ·
A
very successful Gŵyl Gerdd Dant was held in Plas Heli, Pwllheli, recently. ·
Ifan
Richards from Rhydymain near Dolgellau, the winner of the S4C outdoor
programme, 'Ar y Dibyn'. ·
Dinas
Mawddwy Young Farmers on their success in the Meirionnydd County Eisteddfod
recently. Reference was made
to a short video clip on local purchase that was shown immediately before this
meeting at the request of the Cabinet Member for Economy and Community. It was noted that the previous Saturday, 5
December, was Small Business Saturday and everyone was reminded that everyone
was to make a contribution and to support local businesses. It was noted that the Chair had assisted to
sponsor a Charity Concert with Gwyn Hughes Jones, Côr Cofnod, Gwyneth Glyn and
others in Cricieth Memorial Hall on Friday, 9 December, with the proceeds going
towards RNLI and Crimebeat Gwynedd. |
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CORRESPONDENCE, COMMUNICATIONS OR OTHER BUSINESS To receive any correspondence,
communications or other business brought forward at the request of the Chairman. Additional documents: Minutes: None. |
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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. |
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QUESTIONS To consider any questions the appropriate notice for which
have been given under Section
4.19 of the Constitution. Additional documents: Minutes: (1) Question from Councillor
Sion Jones As the original question received from the member quoted the incorrect figures from the press, the following question was asked instead: "Is it possible for
the Cabinet Member to consider
a new strategy for car parks in
Gwynedd for the future and
to consider the businesses here in Gwynedd, that are eager
to introduce free parking during the day in a bid to attract more business?" Answer from Councillor Dafydd Meurig,
Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory (The Cabinet Member's written response to the original question was distributed to the members in advance). "Obviously, I have had a different question to the question asked by you originally. One thing about incorrect
figures is where someone gets incorrect
figures in reality. If someone
has taken them from the newspaper,
then the message there is about not believing everything you read in
the newspapers. It is a matter of picking up the phone to check whether the figures are correct
or not. But to answer the question that was on the paper, we have created an income
of £390,000 from parking fines, which is not £1.4m. I don't know if
the member has had an opportunity to read the Auditor General for Wales report on tax
and creating income in local governments
that was published around 3-4 weeks ago, but the Auditor
praised and encouraged councils to think strategically about how they fundraise
and that it is something that the Regulatory Department had been doing in
the field of car parks. Compared to the rest of Wales, we are definitely not at the top. The council
that makes most income from car parks charges something
like £7m in a year compared to £1.6m here. Wales is behind in terms
of car parking fees compared to Scotland. The parking income for every
1000 in the population in Wales is £17.31 compared to Scotland, where it is £19.22 and £39.65 in England. Therefore, I would not agree that we have been
overcharging our parking fee income." A supplementary question by Councillor
Sion Jones “Would the Cabinet Member consider forming a steering group to look at what impact
offering free parking for an
hour or two
every day would have on
promoting businesses here in Gwynedd?" Answer from Councillor Dafydd Meurig,
Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory "By all means. Parking fees is a financial matter, which is a matter for the full Council, and we are talking about an income of £1.6m. The only place we could spend that is on maintaining our highways and if we take those fees down to nothing, that £1.6m would need to be sought somewhere else, of course. I'm sure that we remember that, a few months ago, we made a decision in this Council about our priorities and you will remember the long ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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PRESENTATION BY THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR NORTH WALES To receive
a presentation by the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales. Additional documents: Minutes: A presentation was given by Mr Arfon Jones, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, outlining his background, his role and his responsibilities. He explained that he was responsible
for the strategy, rather
than the operational side
of policing, and he drew specific attention
to new aspects of policing, such as dealing with
cyber crimes, child sexual exploitation
and modern slavery. The Commissioner answered
questions and observations by the members in relation to: ·
The Commissioner's call for starting discussions
on decriminalising drugs based on
the fact that regulating drugs would take them
off the illegal market and would mean that the people
addicted to drugs would be treated as health matters,
rather than criminals. ·
The need to protect the number of police officers and police presence in the countryside. ·
The importance of safeguarding Police Community Support Officers. ·
The
importance of collaborating
regionally to ensure that everything would be done to safeguard children and vulnerable people from committing crimes on-line and sexual exploitation, etc. ·
The role and the ambition of the Commissioner in terms of the Welsh language. ·
The national recruiting system, the Policing College's lack of Welshness and the need to act pro-actively to ensure that Welsh speakers would be recruited to the police. ·
Environmental crimes, e.g. graffiti and fly tipping and the need for more collaboration in the enforcement field. ·
Strike a balance between
the new aspects of policing, such as cyber crimes,
and more traditional crimes. ·
The
feasibility of decentralisation
of the Police Service and the Justice Service. ·
2017-2018 Budget and the police's precept. Mr Arfon Jones was thanked for
his presentation and for answering the member's questions. |
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PRESENTATION ON THE COUNCIL'S FINANCIAL POSITION AND PROGRESS MADE WITH ACHIEVING THE CUTS OF THE GWYNEDD CHALLENGE To receive a
presentation by the Cabinet Member for Resources, the Chief Executive and Head
of Finance. Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet Member for
Resources gave a general overview of the 2017/18 -
2019/20 Financial Strategy and the Head of Finance Department elaborated that the recent situation regarding savings that had been implemented
/ planned per department and cross-department. To summarise, it was noted: ·
That there was a
need to understand the scale of the financial challenge in the context of £51.5 million in savings and cuts that the Council
would have realised between 2010/11 and
2019/20. ·
That the vast majority of
the savings planned had been
harvested, or on the way to being
implemented in a timely way. ·
That the Cabinet monitored
progress with all of the savings and cuts plans and that the Cabinet Members reported on savings plans
in their portfolios approximately every two months. ·
That there was a need to implement the plans agreed on in
March 2016 whilst also identifying and realising additional efficiency savings of approximately £0.7m in 2017/18. ·
That due to prudential work last year,
the Council would be able to avoid making
a decision on additional cuts in the 2017/18 financial cycle. It was noted that there
would be an opportunity for members to discuss the details of the budget in full in
a series of finance seminars
early in the new year. The Cabinet Member and the Head
of Finance Department responded
to general questions by members regarding: ·
Invest to Save plans ·
The use of the underspend under the control of £500,000, that derived mainly from parking fees. ·
Discussions with individual community councils that had demonstrated a desire to collaborate with this Council
on some services,
e.g. cleaning public toilets. ·
Concern that cuts in the primary sector could affect the standards of children's education as they
moved up to secondary. The Cabinet Member and the Head
of Finance Department were thanked for their
presentation. |
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COUNCIL TAX PREMIUM ON EMPTY HOMES AND SECOND HOMES PDF 569 KB To consider
the report of the Leader (attached). Additional documents:
Minutes: The Leader submitted
a report which requested: ·
Formal confirmation for
2017/18 of previous decisions
not to allow any discounts for second
homes and to disallow discounts on empty
properties. ·
Formal confirmation for
2018/19 not to allow any discounts for second
homes and to disallow discounts on empty
properties, and asked the Council to decide whether additional Council Tax would
be charged on these properties. The Cabinet's recommendations
to the Council (paragraph 7
of the report) that included a recommendation to charge a premium of 50% on second homes
and empty properties for the 2018/19 financial year. An amendment was proposed and seconded to accept the Cabinet's recommendations with an additional
clause noting that the Council's intention would be to use a percentage of the money received from charging a premium to provide housing for the young people of our communities. During the discussion, a number of members expressed their support to the recommendations, and the following
observations were noted: ·
The importance of maximising income and bringing empty houses back into
use. ·
Concern that the legislative
context allowed people to convert empty houses into
self catering units paying business
rates and the need for more policing and continue to lobby Welsh Government on that. ·
There was a need to ensure
that the Council would not shoulder the cost of collecting waste from properties that had been converted
into business houses. ·
This Council was eager to
contribute towards Welsh Government's aim of creating 20,000 affordable housing. ·
People who owned houses but could
not afford to refurbish them to let out
should not be punished. ·
There were 2000 people on the waiting list for housing
in Gwynedd and many more
than needed a house, but saw no
purpose in even going on
the list. ·
It was not believed that
there was any evidence to show that introducing a premium would have
an impact on the tourism industry, and that a positive message needed to be reinforced that Gwynedd was a good place for tourists. ·
If tourists would not wish to pay the additional tax, maybe they could
consider staying in hotels or
supporting local B&Bs. ·
An arms length company could be established to buy houses on the open
market in order to let them
out to local people. ·
A group should be formed, through the relevant scrutiny committee and Cabinet Members, to give consideration over the next year to what
was wished to be achieved
and how best to do that, not only in the housing field, but in
the economy field and other services as well. ·
Economic imbalance was at the core
of all of this and that, by now, the Council
had an opportunity to use its taxation
power to do the right thing about the situation. Some members noted that they would be supportive of charging a 100% premium ... view the full minutes text for item 10. |
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COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME 2017/18 PDF 219 KB To consider the report of the Cabinet Member
for Housing, Customer Care and Libraries Deprivation and Equality (attached). Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing, Customer
Care and Libraries, Deprivation
and Equality asking the Council to confirm the continuation of the current Local Scheme for
providing assistance towards paying Council Tax for
the year commencing 1 April 2016. RESOLVED (a)
To continue to implement
the Council's Local Scheme for the year commencing 1 April 2017 as it
was in 2016/17. Therefore
the following conditions (i
- iii below) regarding the continuation of the
discretionary elements will apply: (i)
To implement
a 100% disregard for war disablement pensions, and war widow pensions for both pensioners
and working age claimants. (ii) Not to increase the extended reduction periods for pensioners and working age claimants
from the standard four weeks in
the Prescribed Scheme. (iii) Not to increase the backdate period for pensioners
and working age claimants from the standard three months contained within the Prescribed Scheme. (b)
Where appropriate, to delegate powers to the Head of Finance Department, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing,
Customer Care and Libraries,
Deprivation and Equality,
to make minor amendments to
the scheme for 2017/18, on the condition that it will
not change the substance of
the scheme. |
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REVISION TO OFFICERS' SCHEME OF DELEGATION AND FINANCIAL PROCEDURE RULES PDF 115 KB To consider
the report of the Monitoring Officer
(attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The Monitoring Officer
submitted a report notifying the Council members of changes made to the Constitution Officers Delegation Plan and asked the Council to adopt an amendment
to the Council's Financial Procedural
Rules. The Monitoring Officer further noted, since preparing the report, that the Audit Committee, at its meeting on
1 December, had recommended
the amendment to the Council's
Financial Rules. RESOLVED (a)
Delete the first part of paragraph
16.6.37 from the Council's
Financial Procedural Rules so that the paragraph
reads as follows: "The
Chief Officer would have the right to use capital
receipts which is within the department's control where the value of that use
is up to £50,000 in accordance with the rules regarding conveyances in Part 3. The approval of the Cabinet is needed
for such use where the sum
is over £50,000." (b)
To note the amendments to the Delegation Scheme for Officers
in Section 3 of the Constitution which reflects: ·
Transferring responsibilities
from the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department to the Head of Corporate Support Department following internal reorganisation. ·
The arrival of statutory changes introduced by the Social Services and Well-being
(Wales) Act 2014. |
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ARRANGEMENTS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS 2017 PDF 208 KB To receive
a presentation (including a video presentation) on the work of encouraging and
preparing prospective candidates for the May 2017 elections. Additional documents: Minutes: The Deputy Leader presented a report raising the Council members' awareness of the arrangements that were being developed
for the Local Government Elections in May 2017. He gave the members' an opportunity to watch a short video
that was posted on the Council's website to encourage individuals to stand as an Elected Member. During the discussion: ·
The new arrangements to provide electronic on-line training was welcomed. ·
The importance of giving information to potential applicants about the expectations that would be put
on them if
they were elected as members
was emphasised. Any councillor that was considering retiring in May was invited to consider sharing their experience with new applicants.
RESOLVED to accept the contents of the report. |