Venue: Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence Additional documents: Minutes: Councillors Craig
ab Iago, Dylan Bullard, Gareth Griffith, Alwyn Gruffydd, John Brynmor Hughes,
Nia Jeffreys, Peredur Jenkins, Anne Lloyd Jones, Berwyn Parry Jones, Elin
Walker Jones, Keith Jones, Beth Lawton, Dafydd Meurig, Linda Morgan, W. Roy Owen,
Nigel Pickavance, Peter Read, W. Gareth Roberts, Ioan Thomas, Hefin Underwood
and Gruffydd Williams. |
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The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 18th July, 2019 be signed as a true record. (attached) Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed
the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 18 July 2019 as a
true record. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Additional documents: Minutes: No declarations of
personal interest were received from any members present. |
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THE CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS To receive any Chairman’s
announcements. Additional documents: Minutes: Condolences were
expressed to the family of the former Councillor and Chairman of this Council,
William Arthur Evans, who died in August. Condolences were
also expressed to the family of Elain Heledd, headteacher of Ysgol Llanegryn,
who had passed away recently. It
was also noted that the Council wished to sympathise with everyone within the
county’s communities who had recently lost loved ones. The Council stood as a mark of respect. The following were congratulated:- ·
Guto Dafydd on winning the
Chair and the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize at this year's Conwy County National
Eisteddfod. ·
Everyone else from Gwynedd
who had been successful, or who had been honoured at the Eisteddfod, including
the former Chief Executive, Geraint R. Jones, who became a Fellow of the
Eisteddfod. Paula Sky Tunnandine, a member of staff at the
Pavilion Centre, Harlech, was wished well on her forthcoming trip to Hawaii to
compete in an Ironman competition, having recently won the Welsh Ironman
competition. |
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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 to note. |
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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 to note. |
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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: (The Cabinet Members'
written responses to the questions had been distributed to the members in
advance). (1) Question
from Councillor Dylan Fernley “What steps does this
Council propose to take to promote use of public transport by employees? Should we incentivise bus use and punish car
use for those who live on bus routes.
Surely, paying people to drive a car when there is adequate public
transport is wrong.” Response from the
Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, in the absence of the Cabinet Member for the
Environment) “We welcome this question, and there is certainly
scope to reduce officer journeys and consider more cost effective and
sustainable transport to travel around our County As a
first step, we are currently reviewing the public transport network across
Gwynedd and will be highlighting opportunities to travel between Council area
offices. At the same time the Welsh Government is reviewing
the Trawscymru service with a view to increasing frequency between Aberystwyth
and Bangor. A fast service is planned
between Dolgellau and Bangor at peak times, i.e. the bus will not stop in
villages which will make this more attractive to workers. The Council and Arriva have been working together
to offer a cheaper ticket for Gwynedd Council staff which encourages employees
to travel by bus in the Bangor, Caernarfon and Bethesda areas where the company
operates.” Supplementary
Question from Councillor Dylan Fernley "What are we going to do about this
situation?" Response from the
Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, in the absence of the Cabinet Member for the
Environment) "Thank
you for challenging us as a Council to examine the matter. It is a valid
question - why can't we devise arrangements that encourage, both workers and
councillors, to use buses instead of cars, and I believe that there is scope
for us to look at this. One significant
problem, of course, as somebody who lives in a very rural area, is that public
transport is often not fit for purpose when trying to reach meetings on time,
etc., and it possible that we should examine our bus timetables and arrange our
meetings to suit those timetables. I believe that there is scope for us to work
on that. But, ultimately, there is a need for significant investment in a
public transport system that is sustainable and carbon-neutral if possible.
This means that significant investment is needed, and I would support
this." (2) Question from Councillor
Paul Rowlinson “It is now five years
since the Council passed the motion below (09.10.2014): “Following the latest
attacks by the Israeli State on the territory of the Palestinians living in the
Gaza Strip, this Council calls for a trade embargo with Israel and condemns the
over-reaction and savageness used. Furthermore, we confirm
and underline this Council’s decision to stop investing in Israel or in that
country’s establishments. We believe that if
Gwynedd leads the way there is hope that other councils in Wales and beyond
will follow our example.” During the discussion:- • The proposal was supported and ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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GWYNEDD COUNCIL ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT REPORT 2018-19 PDF 61 KB To submit the
report of the Council Leader (attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The following officers from the Wales Audit Office
were welcomed to the meeting to give a brief presentation and then answer
members' questions. ·
Alan Hughes (Local
Government Performance Audit Leader) ·
Jeremy Evans (Local
Government Performance Audit Manager) Following the presentation, members were given an
opportunity to ask questions on the report. In response to the Well-being of Future Generations
(Wales) Act 2015 Examinations (page 27 of the agenda), that detailed to which
extent the Council had acted in accordance with the sustainable development
principle when establishing the new Youth Service, concern was raised by a
number of members about the Audit Office's conclusion that more work was needed
by the Council to fully establish the five ways of working. The Auditors' observations that the service
provision had been mostly driven by financial constraints rather than an
understanding of long-term service demand, was questioned. The former Cabinet member who had been responsible
for instigating the process of re-organising the Youth Service emphasised that
the purpose of the re-modelling was to establish a longer-term view, to
consider how to modernise the service, making it sustainable and more suited to
the needs of young people today and in future. She was also of the opinion that
consideration had been given to the five ways of working and the well-being
objectives, and she referred to the consultation with young people and
collaboration with other local organisations involved with young people as
examples of this. The former Cabinet member and others' observations
were echoed by the Leader, who emphasised the strong feeling among members that
the Audit Office's conclusions were totally wrong. He argued that it could be stated that all
the changes made by the Council over recent years had been motivated by
financial cuts. In spite of this, the Council had found new ways of working
that addressed the requirements of the Well-being Act, and the Youth Service
was a classic example of this, and had been praised as being effective and
innovative, and an example to be followed by other councils. He added that what the members had heard
undermined their trust in the Audit Office's ability to reach correct
conclusions, and he called for a dialogue between the Council and the Audit
Office on this specific point in order to move forward in future. In response, the Local Government Performance Audit
Manager noted that the Audit Office's viewpoint differed to the Council's
opinion on this specific matter. He
explained that discussions had been held with various officers within the
Council as part of the process, and that the Audit Office's evidence was based
on these interviews. He was also satisfied with the thoroughness of the work
delivered during the year. However, he acknowledged that revisiting the
situation could lead to a different opinion, and that consideration could be
given to conducting a follow-up review on this issue in future. This work could
include fuller discussions with officers, service users and the former Cabinet
member. Reference was made to the review of ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |