Agenda and minutes
Venue: Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH. View directions
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
Media
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence Additional documents: Minutes: Councillors Endaf Cooke, Craig ab Iago, Anwen Davies, Trevor Edwards,
Aled Evans, Gweno Glyn, Simon Glyn, Chris Hughes, Anne Lloyd Jones, Dyfrig
Jones, Linda A.W.Jones, W.Roy Owen, Peter Read, Glyn Thomas, Hefin Williams and
John Wyn Williams. |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council
held on 30th June, 2016, be signed as a true record. (attached) Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council
held on 30 June, 2016, as a true record. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Additional documents: Minutes: The following members declared a personal interest in
item 15(a) on the agenda – Notice of Motion from Councillor Owain Williams, for
the reasons noted:- ·
Councillor Elwyn
Edwards - because he is a member of the Gorsedd. ·
Councillor Aeron M. Jones
- because the motion discusses an individual who works with him. The members were
of the opinion that they were prejudicial interests, and they 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: Welcome Three new members, namely
Councillors Dylan Fernley, Gareth Griffith and Edgar Owen, were welcomed to
their first meeting of the full Council. Congratulations
·
The Wales football
team on reaching the semi-final round of Euro 2016. ·
Everyone from Gwynedd
who had been successful at this year's National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny. ·
Meirion Committee on their
organisation of this year's Royal Welsh and to everyone from Gwynedd who had
been successful there. ·
The organisers of the
International Sheep Dog Trials held at Sandilands, Tywyn
in September. The Welsh Team, with their
Captain, Medwyn Evans from Llanfachreth,
Dolgellau, won this year's five nations championship. Also, the following world
champions from the Corris / Mawddwy
Ward:- ·
Elfyn Evans on winning the British Rallying
championship, twenty years after his father, Gwyndaf
Evans, won the same championship. It was
also noted that Elfyn was currently in the lead at
the R2 Championship in the World Championships. ·
Osian Pryce on winning the World Championship for
young drivers. ·
Rachel Atherton for winning the mountain biking World Championship. Other Matters All Council staff who
responded to the Festival Number 6 parking difficulties were thanked. It was noted that there had been special efforts
made by the Council workforce, the local community, and other agencies such as
the Red Cross, in offering practical assistance to a great number of people;
and each staff member who helped mitigate the impact of the inclement weather
on festivalgoers was thanked. Following a pre-Council presentation to acknowledge 90
years since the Peace March through Caernarfon, it was noted that the Great War
Memorial Garden, which opened in July in Caernarfon Castle, would remain open
throughout the time the poppies were on display at the Castle. There would also
be a Remembrance for Peace exhibition, where a remembrance book with the names
of 35,000 soldiers of Welsh descent or who served in the Welsh regiment and
were killed during the First World War, would be on display. |
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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 Sian Wyn Hughes - “Recently, I attended an excellent course for councillors on the new
Well-being Act. The course was
outstanding, but it was disappointing to see so few members present. I would like to ask the Cabinet
Member, on average, how many councillors attend courses that are arranged for
us on days that are in the meetings calendar; and, has any consideration been
given to making some courses mandatory, for example, those involving important
legislation, in order to ensure Members' attendance?" Councillor Dyfrig
Siencyn, Deputy Leader, responded (The Cabinet Member's written response was distributed to the members in
advance). "A written response has been prepared, and we
have received figures via email showing the percentages for two types of
training the Council offers members.
Those figures show that, in some circumstances, it is a very low
percentage of councillors who take advantage of training. I was present at the training Sian refers to
and it was quite special, and each member who came out of that meeting had been
inspired, and the standard of the presentations were very high indeed. And there are elements of this kind of
training that provide councillors with vital information for making informed
decisions, and, as such, councillors are encouraged to attend these
sessions. The only thing I would add, as
one who worked full time up until some time ago at the far end of this county,
is that I sympathise with those who cannot attend training meetings. In fact, I had a rule, if training was held
further afield than Porthmadog, I would not attend. But, fair play, the Council
does also offer training in Penrhyndeudraeth in order to make the training more
accessible to members. I also believe
that there is room for us to look at the way in which we provide training. It is possible for us to do much more on the
Internet and we can follow and track that work and I believe that we will have
to develop this further. I also believe, as I've said many times in the past,
that there is room for us to consider holding training sessions at our area
fora - small half hour, yet relevant, tidbits perhaps, and we would, therefore,
have the opportunity to hold other discussions at the same time." Supplementary question
from Councillor Sian Wyn Hughes - "Would the Cabinet Member agree that these
percentages are very disappointing and would he be willing to ask the
Democratic Services Committee look at ways to increase Members' attendance at
training sessions, including making some courses mandatory and publish a record
of members' attendance at training courses on the Council website?" Councillor Dyfrig
Siencyn, Deputy Leader, responded "I fully agree, and I believe that it is an issue to which the Democratic Services Committee must give serious consideration. The difficulty with the word 'mandatory' is how do you punish a member if he/she does not attend that training? That is rather difficult, but ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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PRESENTATION OF A PETITION To note
that a request to present a petition has been received from Councillor Stephen
Churchman. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Stephen Churchman
submitted a petition to the Chairman on behalf of 62 users of the Pentrefelin Centre requesting that the 40mph / 60mph sign
for the village be moved closer toward Porthmadog to,
at least, the 'Pentrefelin' sign. This is in order to
allow traffic coming from the direction of Porthmadog
at speeds of 60mph to have time to slow down before reaching the entrance /
exit to the Centre. The Chairman thanked the
member for the petition, noting that he would refer it to the relevant
department. |
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GWYNEDD COUNCIL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2015/16 PDF 48 KB To submit
the report of the Head of Corporate Support
(attached). Additional documents:
Minutes: The Leader submitted a
report which recommended that the Council approve the document as a balanced,
fair and accurate reflection of the Council’s performance in 2015/16, and to
adopt the report. The Leader thanked the Chief Executive and the team of
officers involved with the work. Members were given an
opportunity to ask questions or make observations. During the discussion, the following main
matters were highlighted:- ·
The proprietorial
rights in England to turn empty farm buildings into permanent dwellings were
referred to and an inquiry made into the possibility of having the same rights
in Wales. In response, the Leader noted
that the former minister, Jane Davidson, had taken legislation through the
Assembly at the time to make it easer for developments, such as residential
dwellings, to take place on farms. He
suggested that he could undertake some work jointly with the Cabinet Member for
Development to see whether that legislation had created opportunities, and if
not, this could be submitted to Government as evidence. ·
The Council was congratulated on producing a user friendly report, using
images to highlight facts. ·
Referring to the
Opinion of the Residents' Panel (page 21 in the agenda), the importance of
concentrating on the negative was emphasised (e.g. the 17% who are of the
opinion that the Council does not meet their needs, rather than the 83% who
believe the opposite) using any complaints as a resource for improving the
service, in accordance with the culture of Ffordd Gwynedd. ·
Referring to National
Strategic Measures EDU/002i (the percentage of all pupils (including those in
local authority care)... who are leaving compulsory education, training or work
based learning, without a recognised external qualification) and EDU/002ii (the
percentage of pupils in local authority care,... who leave compulsory
education, training or work based learning, without a recognised external
qualification) (page 41 in the agenda), it was noted that it would be
beneficial to obtain a comparative figure in future in order to see whether the
situation is deteriorating across the range of all pupils or this group only. · In response to a query about the impact that losing European funding would have on the Council's budget, it was noted that Gwynedd Council had created an investment of £300,000,000 as a result of European funds over the years in the form or core / match funding or private sector investment and that there was a 'danger' that the county would never see such sums again. There was mention that regions such as north west Wales and the Valleys, who had been in receipt of this core funding, would neither be considered nor be given special designation and that these areas were in need of funds that corresponded to that which Objective One and Convergence funds provided. The question was raised as to what the councillors could do to help the Council. In response, the Leader noted that he intended to write to the leader of the Wales Local Government Association who sits on a committee set up by the First ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |
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SCRUTINY COMMITTEES ANNUAL REPORTS 2015/16 PDF 292 KB To submit the
report of the Deputy Leader (attached) Additional documents: Minutes: The Deputy Leader made a
short presentation to set the context. Submitted - annual reports
of the three scrutiny committees for 2015/16. The Corporate Scrutiny
Committee The Chairman of the
Corporate Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Jason Humphreys, provided details on
the terms of reference and work of the committee during 2015/16, and he thanked
the former chair, Councillor Dyfrig Jones, members of the committee and
officers for their support. During the discussion the
following matters were raised:- ·
It was noted that adopting a policy of charging a higher rate of council
tax on holiday homes could have a negative effect on the economy as there would
be a number of houses in the county that local people would not wish to
purchase. In response, it was noted that
this issue would be on the agenda of the next scrutiny committee meeting on 20
October, and the members would doubtlessly look at the issues in detail. ·
Concern was expressed at local companies' lack of success in tendering
for contracts, such as to provide school meals, etc., and the importance of
keeping the benefits local was emphasised.
In response, it was agreed that there was a need to keep on top of the
situation and confirmation given that the members' observation would be given
consideration. Furthermore, the scrutiny
committee received regular reports on category management and on keeping the benefits
local. ·
It was suggested that devolving business rates of county councils in
Wales, as had happened in England, would be a grave mistake as a number of
places were losing out because of it and Gwynedd received a fair settlement in
terms of business rates. Communities Scrutiny
Committee The former Chair of the
Communities Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Angela Russell, discussed the
committee's remit in 2015/16 in detail, thanking the current Chairman,
Councillor Caerwyn Roberts, committee members and officers for their support. During the discussion the
following matters were raised:- ·
It was noted that the new system of three weekly refuse collection worked
well in general, but that there was need to bear in mind the need for
flexibility, e.g. in areas where there was a high density of homes. ·
The fact that the Cabinet Member had accepted all the recommendations of
the Homelessness Scrutiny Investigation. ·
The question was
posed as to the way the scrutiny committee felt about the changes with the
brown bins. In response, it was noted
that the results were not yet known, but that the arrangements would have to be
put to the test and to wait and see how things developed. The Council would have to maximise the
materials that were being recycled to avoid polluting the earth whilst bearing
in mind that the Council was facing massive cuts. ·
It was noted that the
workforce needed to be reminded to close the side flaps on recycling lorries to
prevent recyclable materials from falling onto the roadsides. In response, it was noted that new seals had now
been put on the lorries. Services Scrutiny Committee The Chair of the ... view the full minutes text for item 10. |
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GWYNEDD COUNCIL STANDARDS COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2015/16 PDF 211 KB To submit
the report of the Chairman of the Standards Committee (attached). Additional documents: Minutes: Dr Einir Young, Chair of the
Council's Standards Committee, was welcomed to the council to present the
Standards Committee's annual report for 2015/16. Dr Einir Young spoke in
detail about the committee's main aim of promoting and maintaining high standards
of conduct among councillors and co-opted members of Gwynedd Council and
community and town councils in Gwynedd, referring to the committee's membership
and the work completed in 2015/16. She
thanked the Monitoring Officer and other officers who had supported the
committee. Dr Einir Young was thanked
for submitting the report. |
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ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, CRIME AND POLICING ACT 2014 PDF 224 KB To consider
the report of the Head of Legal Services / Monitoring Officer (attached). Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted – the report of the Monitoring
Officer notifying the Council members of changes made to the Constitution
Officers Delegation Plan in order to implement the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime
and Policing Act 2014. |
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THE COUNCIL'S POLITICAL BALANCE PDF 231 KB To submit
the report of the Head of Democratic Services
(attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader submitted a
report reviewing the Council's political balance due to three new members being
elected to the Council and two members changing their political groups. It was explained:- ·
That the
recommendation did not fully reflect the political balance, and that this was
due to previous decisions taken by the Council, based on discussions at the
Business Group, to attempt to retain experience and specialty within the
different committees with only a few months to go until the local government
elections in May. ·
In accordance with
procedures, members would have to vote for the proposal unanimously. ·
That the most recent change to the political balance meant that there was
a basis for review that would lead to change in the Council's membership on the
Eryri National Park Committee, but as there were only
a few months to go until this current Council ended, it was suggested that the
distribution set up in May 2012 be retained. A registered vote was called
for on the motion and over a quarter of members voted in favour of that. Concern was expressed by a
member that the Llais Gwynedd Group was losing its
only seat on the Local Consultation Joint Committee. That member, who also chaired the Corporate
Scrutiny Committee which dealt with staff matters, noted that it was through
the Joint Committee that he obtained information as to what went on in the
field. In response, the Leader explained
that this was mathematics and, as the Llais Gwynedd
Group had lost a seat at Council and the Independent Group had gained a seat,
this would have to be reflected in the seats that were distributed. He warned that, if a member were to vote
against the recommendation, the Llais Gwynedd Group
would lose the seat regardless and would also lose a seat on the Eryri National Park Authority. He also noted that there would be no meetings
of the Local Consultation Joint Committee between now and the May elections. Several members expressed
their support for the recommendation. According to Procedural
Rules, the following vote on the motion was recorded:- In favour of the motion: (54) Councillors:- Stephen
Churchman, Annwen Daniels, Lesley Day, Gwynfor Edwards, Dyfed Edwards, Elwyn
Edwards, Thomas Ellis, Alan Jones Evans, Dylan Fernley, Jean Forsyth, Gareth
Wyn Griffith, Gwen Griffith, Selwyn Griffiths, Alwyn Gruffydd, Annwen Hughes,
John Brynmor Hughes, Louise Hughes, Sian Wyn Hughes, Peredur Jenkins, Aeron M.Jones, Aled Wyn Jones, Brian Jones, Charles W. Jones,
Elin Walker Jones, Eric Merfyn Jones, John Wynn Jones, Eryl Jones-Williams,
Beth Lawton, Dilwyn Lloyd, June Marshall, Dafydd Meurig, Dilwyn Morgan, Linda
Morgan, Dewi Owen, Edgar Wyn Owen, Michael Sol Owen, Nigel Pickavance, Caerwyn
Roberts, Gareth A.Roberts, John Pughe Roberts, W.
Gareth Roberts, Mair Rowlands, Angela Russell, Dyfrig Siencyn, Mike Stevens,
Gareth Thomas, Ioan Thomas, Hefin Underwood, Eirwyn Williams, Elfed Williams,
Gethin Glyn Williams, Gruffydd Williams, R. H. Wyn Williams and Mandy Williams-Davies.
Abstentions: (0) Against: (0) RESOLVED (a) To adopt the allocation of seats on the Council’s committees in accordance ... view the full minutes text for item 13. |
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NON-ATTENDANCE OF A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL PDF 214 KB To submit
the report of the Head of Democratic Services
(attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The Leader submitted a
report recommending that the Council approve the absence of Councillor Peter
Read from meetings of the Council as he had been unwell for some time and was
undergoing treatment which affected, and would likely continue to affect, his
ability to attend formal meetings of the authority. It was agreed that the
Leader of the Llais Gwynedd Group would send a word
to Councillor Peter Read and that the Council would also do so on an official
basis. RESOLVED - to approve
the absence of Councillor Peter Read from meetings of the Council because of
personal circumstances in accordance with Section 85 of the Local Government
Act 1972, enabling him to continue to be a member of Gwynedd Council. |
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NOTICES OF MOTION Additional documents: |
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Notice of Motion by Councillor Owain Williams In
accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the
Constitution, Councillor Owain Williams will propose as follows:- “I propose
that we convey our disappointment to the Gorsedd
of the National Eisteddfod at their refusal to acknowledge our national football
team’s marvellous contribution towards our identity and
self-esteem as a nation, by refusing
to acknowledge and honour them at the most recent Eisteddfod at Abergavenny.
Accordingly, we call upon them to re-consider
and to give the team all the honour they deserve, and
to do this at the earliest opportunity.” Additional documents: Minutes: (a) Submitted - the
following notice of motion by Councillor Owain Williams, in accordance with
Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:- "I propose that
we as a Council convey our disappointment to the Gorsedd
of the National Eisteddfod for their refusal to honour our national football
team for their great contribution toward our identity and self-respect as a
nation, by their refusal to acknowledge and honour them during the most recent
Eisteddfod at Abergavenny. For this, I call upon
them to reconsider and to give the team all the respect they deserve, and this
at the first opportunity." A member explained that a
member of the Gorsedd must nominate / second someone
to be received to the Gorsedd by the closing date
each year and the fact that no one had yet nominated / seconded the football
team was not the same as saying that the Gorsedd had
refused to honour them. Also, the
Council had no influence over the Gorsedd, which is
an independent body. In light of this,
an improvement to amend the proposal as follows was proposed and seconded:- "That the Council congratulates the Wales
National Football Team on its recent success in the European Championship. In
particular, we are proud of their success in promoting the Welsh language and
Welsh identity giving it its rightful place as our national language
internationally. Our clear message to
them simply, is, thank you. In light of
the fact that the Council has no influence over the internal workings of the Gorsedd, we encourage members of the Grsedd
to consider honouring the team or key individuals within the football
association when the opportunity arises for them to make a contribution." Several members expressed
their support of the principal of honouring the football team in some way for
managing to put Wales on the map. The proposer of the original
motion agreed to amend the motion along the lines mentioned with the permission
of the Council and the seconder. A vote was taken on the
amended motion, and it was carried. RESOLVED - That the Council congratulate the Wales
National Football Team on its recent success in the European Championship. In
particular, we are proud of their success in promoting the Welsh language and
Welsh identity giving it its rightful place as our national language internationally. Our clear message to them, simply, is thank
you. In light of the fact that the
Council has no influence over the internal workings of the Gorsedd,
we encourage members of the Gorsedd to consider
honouring the team or key individuals within the football association when the
opportunity arises for them to make a contribution." |
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Notice of Motion by Councillor Dyfed Edwards In
accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the
Constitution, Councillor Dyfed Edwards will propose as follows:- “Following the recent Referendum on membership of the European Union we as a Council note that
the people of Gwynedd voted
clearly to remain members of the EU despite the fact that Wales and the rest of the British isles voted against.
Following this result, we as a Council state again
that we are proud to live in
a diverse and tolerant society. Racism, xenophobia and hate crimes have
no place in Gwynedd. As a Council, we condemn racism, xenophobia and hate crimes
and we will not allow hate to become
acceptable. We will
work to ensure that local organisations
and schemes receive the assistance they require to fight against and
prevent racism and xenophobia. We also give assurances
to everyone living in this area
that they are valued members
of our society.” Additional documents: Minutes: (b) Submitted - the following notice of motion
by Councillor Dyfed Edwards, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the
Constitution and it was seconded:- "Following the recent Referendum on membership of the European
Union we as a Council note that the people of Gwynedd voted clearly to remain
members of the EU despite the fact that Wales and the rest of the British Isles
voted against. Following this result, we
as a Council state again that we are proud to live in a diverse and tolerant
society. Racism, xenophobia and hate crimes have no place in
Gwynedd. As a Council, we condemn racism, xenophobia and hate crimes and we
will not allow hate to become acceptable. We will work to ensure that local organisations and
schemes receive the assistance they require to fight against and prevent racism
and xenophobia. We also give assurances to everyone living in this area that
they are valued members of our society."
A registered vote was called
for but was not supported by a quarter of the members present. During the discussion:- ·
A recent article in
the press was referred to which featured the daylight attack on a woman at a
supermarket car park in Bangor. It was
emphasised that this Council condemned any kind of xenophobia or crimes against
those people whom we 'welcome into our community, and a call was made to lend
every possible support' to local agencies and third sector organisations who
were helping refugees. ·
It was noted that the proposal suggested that everyone who voted to leave
the European Union was guilty of racism, xenophobia and hate crime. To the contrary, it was noted that this
motion drew attention to the fact that some people had interpreted the result
of the vote as a means of expressing racist views. It was proposed and seconded that an improvement to
amend the motion by deleting the first part referring to the result of the vote
and beginning with the wording "We restate". The proposer of the original motion noted that the
referendum and the vote to leave had led to attacks on people who had moved in
or who were of different racial backgrounds, since some people had assumed that
they now had the right to be racist, whereas before, they were not. The motion stated that the result of the
referendum in Gwynedd found in favour of remaining members of the communities
of Gwynedd, Wales and Europe, and hoped that the majority interpreted the
motion in this way. A vote was taken on the
amendment and it fell. Reference was made to two
factual errors in the proposal, namely:- ·
'British Isles' in the English version - it was noted that
this must be corrected to read UK as
the British Isles included the Republic of Ireland. ·
That it was not true to say that the rest of the countries of Britain had
voted in favour of leaving the European Union as Scotland and Northern Ireland
had voted to remain. |