Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Councillors Craig ab Iago, Louise Hughes, Annwen Hughes, Dewi Jones, Elwyn Jones, June Jones, Huw Wyn Jones, Nigel Pickavance and Gareth A. Roberts

The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Council held on 9^th May, 2024 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 9 May 2024 as a true record.

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

No declarations of personal interest were received.

To receive any Chair’s announcements.

It was noted that the Council wished to express condolences to everyone within the county’s communities who had lost loved ones recently.

The Council stood in silence as a mark of respect and remembrance.

It was noted that several Council members had been ill recently, and they were wished a full and speedy recovery.

Everyone from Gwynedd who had been successful at this year's Urdd Eisteddfod in Maldwyn recently was congratulated, and in particular, Lois Medi William of Penrhosgarnedd, the Eisteddfod Chief Bard. ⁠⁠ The Chair also congratulated Medi Harris from Borth-y-Gest who had been selected for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games swimming squad. 

The Members of Parliament who had been elected at the recent General Election were congratulated and Council staff and others who had been involved in the Election were thanked for their work.

Best wishes were conveyed to Bala Football Club and Caernarfon Football Club who were competing in one of the European leagues – Caernarfon for the first time in its history.

To note any items which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chair so they may be considered.

None to note.

To consider any questions the appropriate notice for which have been given under Section 4.18 of the Constitution.

(The Cabinet Members' written responses to the questions had been published in advance.)

(1)       Question from Councillor Jina Gwyrfai

What monitoring is done of the social housing stock that is managed by the Housing Agencies on behalf of Cyngor Gwynedd to ensure the most effective use for our residents and communities? In particular, what statistics are available to identify

i)             Under-occupation (one person in a 3 or 4 bedroom house)

ii)            Over-occupation (family (parent(s) and two or more children) in a two-bedroom property with the children of an age to have a bedroom of their own due to age/gender legal conditions)

iii)           Tenant absence (someone who pays rent but does not live in the property permanently)

iv)           House swap by advertising for a private house swap.

Answer – Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Housing

As a result of the social housing stock transfer in 2010, Cyngor Gwynedd has no role or
resources to monitor the performance of the Housing Associations operating in the
county. The role of monitoring housing associations is a responsibility for Welsh
Government through the Regulatory Framework for Housing Associations registered in
Wales.

Although the Council has a responsibility for operating the Common Housing Allocation
Policy and is responsible for the Housing Register on behalf of the Housing Partnership,
the matters raised by the Member are operational matters entirely within the control of
the individual housing associations. However, the Council has robust arrangements in
place through the Housing Partnership to facilitate collaboration in order to increase the
opportunities for Gwynedd residents to have access to affordable housing, and the
Housing and Property Department has already written formally to the housing
associations to request the information.
⁠

⁠⁠Supplementary Question from Councillor Jina Gwyrfai

Do you accept that these issues are the cause of cruel hurt and frustration for our people, and are having a negative impact on our communities and in the case of the 'houseswaps', they are also damaging to the Welsh language? If so, how can the Council, having received the appropriate data, influence/work with the Housing Partnership and improve the current unsatisfactory situation, to ensure the effective use of our limited housing stock?

Answer – Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Housing

Although he did not agree with the first statement as there was no specific evidence at the moment according to the Housing Service that aligned with the basis of these concerns, the Leader noted that he was aware that there was frustration because the Council had a lengthy waiting list and it was a significant problem for Cyngor Gwynedd and for several other Councils.⁠ However, he noted that a request had been made to the Partners, not only asking them to submit the information included in the original question, but also to investigate the situation to respond in the most appropriate way based on the evidence. In terms of under-occupancy and overcrowding, it was noted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To submit the report of the Council Leader.

DECISION

To adopt the Assets Plan 2024-2034 in accordance with the Cabinet's recommendation on 11 June 2024 and to include:

·         The financial sums recommended in Appendix 1 of the report

·         Uncommit the financial sums in the current Asset Management Plan.

·         The Cabinet to prioritise and determine the financial allocation for a) planned maintenance of buildings and b) the next phase of schools' modernisation projects, should an additional capital resource be identified in future.

Before submitting the report, the Leader of the Council took the opportunity to congratulate the Member of Parliament, Liz Saville Roberts, on a substantial win in the general election; the wonderful success of Llinos Medi on her election as the Member of Parliament for Môn, and to Catrin Wager (former Cabinet member) on her excellent performance in the Aberconwy election.

          The report was submitted by the Leader of the Council asking the Council to adopt the Assets Plan 2024-34 in accordance with the recommendation of the Cabinet at its meeting on 11 June 2024. It was explained that the Council received a capital grant from Welsh Government every year to be used for asset management priorities, such as buildings, roads, vehicles, information technology and equipment that was needed to provide the best possible services to the people of Gwynedd. The report was therefore a forewarning of the financial situation – highlighting the significant gap between what was needed and what was available to spend with inadequate resources available for capital purposes, very similar to the Council's revenue position (discussions on the revenue budget had already commenced among Heads of Departments and Cabinet Members to consider how to operate within the budget). Nevertheless, they had managed to address some basic elements and earmark money for projects that had been prioritised. The Chief Executive and his team were thanked for leading the work and conducting a process that had included consulting with Members.

          It was announced that the Welsh Government had confirmed funding for the Penrhos project – the news was to be welcomed which enabled continuing with the excellent scheme that responded to the real needs of people who needed care in the Pwllheli area.

He referred to some of the schemes that had been identified and some of the schemes that currently did not have a resource, but the situation would be reviewed continuously.

The Chief Executive reiterated, despite the lack of capital, there was not a lack of effort to provide services despite the high demands and the low level of resource. He highlighted that the core capital grant would remain at the same level – £6.6 million a year, and it would not be possible to deliver as much with the core resource given inflation levels over the last five years, £6.6 million's worth in 2009 was equivalent to £4.3 million today, which was a 34% reduction.

          The members expressed their gratitude for the report. Members were given an opportunity to make observations and ask questions. The following matters were raised:-

          In response to an observation about the need to look into the population figures for Gwynedd (published in the last Census) given that the amount funded by Welsh Government was calculated according to the County's total population, the Leader noted that he was concerned about the population figure and there was a need to look at obtaining more robust statistics in the future.

          In response to an observation regarding upgrading water pipes for housing estates and why  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

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

DECISION

TO ACCEPT THE REPORT

Mr Eifion Jones, Chair of the Standards Committee, was welcomed to the meeting to submit the committee's annual report for 2023/24.

The Chair noted that it was a pleasure to submit a positive report with standards remaining high. He reiterated that the Committee had succeeded to strengthen arrangements for responding to the political group leaders' duty by agreeing upon and adopting criteria to measure the success of the system. He thanked the three leaders and the Monitoring Officer for the positive collaboration when undertaking the work and he also thanked the Committee Members for their support throughout the year.

The Monitoring Officer reiterated that the response to the new duty was the result of good collaboration. He emphasised the need to ensure understanding of the Code of Conduct and that this could be done by holding further training that would ensure that Members were familiar with the basics of the Code. He also highlighted that there was a vacant seat on the Committee and he encouraged Council Members to refer individuals on to apply.

The Chair of the Standards Committee was thanked for his work during the year.

RESOLVED to accept the report.

To submit the report of the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee.

DECISION

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

Mr Eifion Jones, Vice-chair of the Committee, was welcomed to the meeting to submit the committee's annual report for 2023/24 in the absence of the former Chair of the Committee for the period, Mrs Sharon Warnes.

He noted that it was a pleasure to submit the Chair's report, based on Welsh Government's statutory requirements, outlining how the Committee had considered the difficult factors the Council had faced over the period along with the Committee's observations on how the Council had responded firmly to those risks. He highlighted that the Committee had conducted its first Self-assessment in April 2024 and drew attention to the very satisfactory results of that self-assessment.

The Committee Members were thanked for their cooperation and their key contribution to the Committee's work. The officers who had been supporting the Committee’s work in a thorough and professional manner were also thanked. Councillor Ioan Thomas was welcomed as a new member of the Committee and Councillor Paul Rowlinson, former member of the Committee, was congratulated for his appointment as Cabinet Member for Finance.

Best wishes were expressed to Carys Edwards in her role as the Chair of the Committee for 2024/25 and to Rhys Parry as the Vice-chair of the Committee for 2024/25.

The members expressed their thanks for the report.

In response to an observation by Councillor Eryl Jones Williams that he was disappointed that the Committee has supported a risk to the Council with DoLS and that the Care Scrutiny Committee had been against this along the years, Mr Eifion Jones noted that he accepted the observation, but highlighted that the Committee's work was to make recommendations, and not to make decisions.

RESOLVED

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

To submit the report of the Statutory Director of Social Services.

TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

The Statutory Director of Social Services submitted his annual report regarding the performance of the Social Services in Gwynedd during 2023/24. The elements that were important to the individual were discussed, things that people could not live without and he referred to research carried out by the PAL (Canada) organisation where the five most important things that were common to all had been identified. He had used these five areas as a basis for his report and discussed how Social Services in Gwynedd responded to those elements – friends and family, my own home, freedom to make decisions, a role that is appreciated in society and feeling safe.

During his presentation, a short film was shared highlighting the extraordinary work of the learning disability team that was responsible for arranging and developing work opportunities. The film contained interviews with support workers and individuals who had received opportunities along with examples of the good work being achieved.

The Director thanked Marian Parry Hughes (Head of the Children's Services) and Aled Davies (Head of Adult Services) for their work. The staff of the services were also thanked with a special thank you to Catrin Thomas for her work with Supporting People and he wished her good luck in her new role. He also thanked Lois Owens (Senior Executive Officer) for assisting with the work of preparing the report.

The Chair thanked the Director for the presentation which highlighted the good work.

The Leader's gratitude was echoed by many other members, and the following matters were raised by individual members:-

·         The letter included in the report which thanked carers for their work was inspiring – the service were thanked for their work.

·         Despite the good work being achieved, there was no reference to complaints in the report.

·         There was a wish to see learning disability work opportunity schemes extended to Meirionnydd (not just Arfon).

·         The report was full of useful information, was honest and easy to read.

·         That an 'Age Friendly Gwynedd' was needed for all ages – needed to promote this

·         There was a need to raise awareness and encourage the use of the boardmaker software.

·         The report was positive despite increasing pressures on the services.

·         There was a need for more collaboration between departments, schools and workplaces to address and respond to the increasing demand for autism diagnosis (two-year waiting list). Cost implications for this service and there was a need to cooperate across the services to have a better understanding of the situation and to share ideas.

·         Extended thanks for the third sector's work, for those residents in Gwynedd who were unpaid carers – needed to do more to support them.

·         There was a need to raise awareness of direct payments as a means of receiving care and support services – good examples across the County where this had been successful.

In response, the Statutory Director noted :-

·         That every effort was being made to emulate the work of the learning disability service team in the south of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To submit the report of the Chair of the Strategic Safeguarding Panel.

DECISION

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, Councillor Menna Trenholme, submitted the annual report of the Strategic Safeguarding Panel 2023/24 noting that the report provided an overview of the work that had taken place by the Strategic Safeguarding Panel. She highlighted that a new policy had been approved by the Cabinet in February 2024 following a review of the previous policy formed in 2013.

          Attention was drawn to concerns about the increase in looked after children referrals along with concerns about the DoLS services which had a substantial number waiting for assessments.

          It was reported, although the panel focussed on corporate responsibilities relating to safeguarding matters within Gwynedd, they were working well with agencies and partners.

          RESOLVED

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

To submit the report of the Head of Democracy Services.

DECISION

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

The Head of Democratic Services submitted his annual report which highlighted the support that was available to Gwynedd Councillors along with the main activities during 2023/24. The Head thanked the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee, Councillor Dewi Owen and the members of the committee and the officers within the service who provided day-to-day support.

          He drew attention to the weekly bulletin which shared information along with the intention of increasing the percentage of members attending training. It was reiterated that the training programme concentrated on the Council's areas of priority, which would include safety and scrutiny improvements. It was also noted that the members’ intranet was continuously developed and he would work closely with the current Chair of the Democratic Services Committee, Councillor Anne Lloyd Jones, to develop the Democratic Services Newsletter.

RESOLVED

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

To submit the Scrutiny Annual Report.

DECISION                    

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

Submitted – the Annual Report of the Scrutiny Forum for 2023/24 by Councillor Elin Hywel on behalf of the Chair of the Scrutiny Forum, Councillor ⁠Beth Lawton. Best wishes were sent to Councillor Beth Lawton and she was thanked for her unwavering fair and strong leadership on scrutiny.

  Attention was drawn to the scrutiny work achieved during 2023/24 providing independent assurance on different fields. There was reference to examples where differences had been seen due to good scrutiny along with additional work such as holding a scrutiny investigation and task and finish groups that were achieved in light of Members' requests. Additionally, a review had been held of the scrutiny arrangements and actions had been identified. Following recent training, the need to create clear and measurable recommendations had been recognised that would in turn establish more formal arrangements to keep an eye on the impact of scrutiny. 

The Officers were thanked for their support and for creating the report with care. The Members were also thanked for their perseverance in ensuring effective, detailed and purposeful scrutiny in Gwynedd.

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

Councillor Beth Lawton and Councillor Elin Hywel were thanked – the work achieved over the year was appreciated.

In response to a question regarding the Chairperson-ship of the Education and Economy Committee and a request to consider the Vice-chair to Chair succession, the monitoring officer noted that the current arrangement was in accordance with the political balance.

In response to a proposal that the Chair and Vice-chair (Lay Members of the Governance and Audit Committee) should be invited to the Scrutiny Forum, the monitoring officer noted, in accordance with CIPFA guidance that the Governance and Audit Committee did not hold the statutory role of scrutiny but reiterated that it would be possible to refer the proposal for the Head of Democratic Services' consideration.

Concern was expressed by Councillor Richard Glyn Roberts that the Estyn report highlighted that the internal operations of the Education Department were acceptable, although obviously, following the court case of the former Headteacher of Ysgol Friars in Bangor, the situation was entirely different. It was noted there was a need to consider a procedure that challenges information rather than having to only accept the information in question.

DECISION

⁠TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND NOTE THE INFORMATION

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

DECISION

TO SUPPORT THE REVISED TIMETABLE FOR CONDUCTING A CONSULTATION ON THE SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE SYSTEM FOR ELECTIONS TO THE CYNGOR GWYNEDD COUNCIL FROM 2027 ONWARDS

Submitted – the report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support asking the Council to support an amended timetable for holding a consultation on the adoption of a Single Transferable Vote System for Cyngor Gwynedd elections from 2027 onwards. It was noted that the timetable was being amended in light of holding a general election in the UK at the beginning of July 2024. It was highlighted that it would have been inappropriate to hold a consultation during a general election and therefore the process had been postponed and an alternative timetable had been formulated to conduct the process.

A proposed timetable was submitted with the intention of beginning the consultation on 15 July 2024.

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

In response to a question on how local residents would be notified of the campaign, the monitoring officer noted that information would be available on the Council website, in libraries and information would be shared with Community and Town and City Councils.

In response to a question whether an equality impact assessment had been undertaken, the monitoring officer noted that an initial equality assessment had been completed, but a detailed equality assessment would be completed before submitting the final report to a special meeting of the Full Council on 24 October 2024. In response to an ancillary question, it was noted that the assessment would include the impact on the Welsh language.

In response to a request for any presumptions of the possible geographical areas that would be necessary to ensure there was contact between the councillor and the area, the monitoring officer noted that the statute was to create a ward of between 3 and 6 members (accepting that 3 members was very low for rural areas), but that it was not intended to highlight boundaries / set a map due to concerns that this could lead to opinions being formed based on the boundaries. He reiterated that the commission had established a threshold of establishing wards by considering the number of electors in each electorate – any presumption of the size and form of the ward could be misleading.

Concern was expressed that merging urban wards to secure a population figure could lead to mismanagement with the surrounding rural areas losing out. Had consideration been given to creating new wards rather than merging wards?  In response, the monitoring officer noted that it would be a general review of wards.

RESOLVED

TO SUPPORT THE REVISED TIMETABLE FOR CONDUCTING A CONSULTATION ON THE SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE SYSTEM FOR ELECTIONS TO THE CYNGOR GWYNEDD COUNCIL FROM 2027 ONWARDS

(1)  Letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Llio Elenid Owen’s notice of motion to the 9th May, 2024 Council meeting calling for full intervention and investigation by the Welsh Government into the decision to  close the Welsh Air Ambulance centres at Dinas Dinlle and Welshpool.

(2)  Letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn’s notice of motion to the 9^th May, 2024 Council meeting calling on the Welsh Government to implement a Property Act.

Submitted for Information

1.    A letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Llio Elenid Owen's notice of motion to the Council meeting on 9 May, 2024, calling for intervention and a full inquiry by the Welsh Government on the decision to close the Wales Air Ambulance Centres in Dinas Dinlle and Welshpool.

2.    A letter from Welsh Government in response to the notice of motion of Councillor Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn to the Council meeting on 9 May, 2024, calling on the Welsh Government to create a Property Act.