Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Councillors Anwen Davies, Alan Jones Evans, Louise Hughes, Iwan Huws, Beth Lawton, Linda Morgan, Gareth Coj Parry, Arwyn Herald Roberts, Gareth A.Roberts, John Pughe Roberts and Hefin Underwood.

The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the meetings of the Council held on the following dates be signed as true records:-

·         23rd June, 2022

·         25^th August, 2022 (Extraordinary Meeting)

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meetings of the Council held on the following dates as a true record:-

·         23 June, 2022

·         25 August, 2022 (Extraordinary Meeting)

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

No declarations of personal interest were received.

To receive any Chair’s announcements.

Condolences were extended to the following:-

·         Councillor Alan Jones Evans and the family following the loss of his grandmother.

·         Councillor Menna Jones and the family following the loss of her grandfather.

It was also noted that the Council wished to sympathise with everyone in the county’s communities who had recently lost loved ones.

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

Dylan Owen was welcomed as Morwena Edwards' successor as a Corporate Director and Statutory Director of Social Services, and he was congratulated on his appointment. 

Geraint Owen was also congratulated on his appointment as Corporate Director.

Medi Harris from Borth y Gest was congratulated on winning the bronze medal in the 100m backstroke competition at the Commonwealth Games recently, and it was noted that her Relay Team also came 4th for Wales.  As part of the UK Relay Race Team in Rome, it was also noted that Medi had won gold, silver and bronze medals and that she had also competed in the World Championships where she came 7th in the 50m and 100m backstroke competitions.

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 4.19 of the Constitution.

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

(1)     Question from Councillor Elin Hywel

"What steps does this Council take to ensure equality for young people in education as they prepare and complete work outside learning hours, during times of their choice, whatever the ability of their families or guardians to be able to afford the increasing cost of energy to power their necessary information technology equipment, such as laptops?"

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

"This is a very important question as it draws attention to the myriad of challenges faced by families and young people due to the cost of living crisis we face, and the Education Department has put several things in place to address the range of challenges facing us all.  However, one thing I am particularly proud of is our Digital Strategy, namely that it is possible for any pupil to get access to a digital device, and that said device - and this is the important part - goes home with the child in the secondary sector in order to address the inequality problems noted in the question.  This is Gwynedd's strategy and it is progressive.  However, on the issue of energy and charging and the associated cost, devices selected are those that make reasonable use of electricity on reasonable cost, and there will be an opportunity for pupils to charge their devices at the school, and in clubs before and after school clubs and also in libraries.  Workshops have also been arranged in schools to discuss charging and the matter raised by the member will also be addressed there."

Supplementary Question from Councillor Elin Hywel

"To protect our communities from the Westminster Government's torturous politics and policies, and to support Gwynedd residents and learners through the climate, energy and cost of living crisis, what are the Council's plans to ensure an investment in the infrastructure of our schools and education centres and public buildings beyond, such as libraries, in order to enable supply and energy price assurances in the long-term?"

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

"This is also, of course, a matter for the Property Department but of course the Education Department feels strongly that there is a need to address these sorts of things.  There are two projects in the pipeline by the Energy Unit and Commercial Services, namely the solar panel project that will be installed on various Council sites, and hopefully this will include a few schools, and a LED lighting project in order to install better controls in schools, to ensure things such as lights being switched off at the end of the day.  But clearly, I would support any movement towards reducing our reliance on the grid in this field in the context noted."

(2)     Question from Councillor Gruffydd Williams

"Following the Welsh Government's announcement in June 2022, that they will introduce changes to the Planning act by introducing:

(i) 3  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing.

To approve the North Wales Market Stability Report 2022.

The Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being, Councillor Dilwyn Morgan, submitted a report providing an overview of the North Wales Market Stability Report 2022, drawn up as a requirement under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. The Full Council's approval to the document was requested.

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

·         Everyone involved in the work of preparing the report in such a short period of time were thanked, and also for the essentially important work in the field that was often invisible. 

·         It was enquired whether it would be worth challenging the Welsh Government to provide more direct funding to councils to pay for carers.  In response, it was explained that mature, and almost daily, conversations were taking place between the Council, the region and Government ministers at present.  In terms of payments, reference was made to the direct payment system for carers, and it was noted that work was afoot to promote this further in the next phase.

·         In response to an observation, it was confirmed that respite care was a high priority and that the Council was supportive, and very keen, to do as much as possible to support unpaid carers in our communities.

·         It was suggested that the Council should re-examine the method of paying travel costs to carers, especially within working hours as they travelled from one location to the other.  In response, it was explained that this was part of the work to redesign domiciliary care, and there would be advantages, not only for people receiving care, but also for workers, as the Council would re-examine their employment terms as part of this. 

·         It was noted that high fuel and car insurance costs prevented young people from working as carers.

·         Concern was expressed regarding the lack of nursing beds in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd and there was a call to establish a new nursing home on the Penrhos site in Pwllheli.  In response, although the timetable could not yet be confirmed, it was noted that Penrhos was a very exciting and progressive scheme, and it was suggested that a meeting could be held with the local member to alleviate her concerns, and to also generate more publicity to the proposed development.

RESOLVED to approve the North Wales Market Stability Report 2022.

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

To adopt the revised Welsh Language Policy.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, Councillor Menna Jones submitted a report inviting the Full Council to adopt an amended Welsh Language Policy in order to reflect:

·         The significant changes in the way the Council operated and provided services to the public since the current Policy was drawn up in 2016; and

·         The Council's current ambition in terms of promoting the use of Welsh in its services.

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

·         Referring to Appendix B of the report - Policy Engagement Summary - the fact that the document in its new guise considered matters that had been raised at the Language Committee meeting on 20 June, 2022 was welcomed, but a request was made for an explanation on the paragraph "We are concerned about committing in a policy clause to measure the impact of plans directly on the number and percentage of speakers, as it is not easy to make a direct link between the Council's policies, projects and strategic plans and a change in the number and percentage of speakers, therefore it will not be easy to prove the impact."  It was acknowledged that this was difficult, but it was not believed that this should be a reason for not assessing the impact of policies.  In response, it was noted that it was difficult to know how to include it as a principle in the policy itself, but it was confirmed that this was work that was currently underway by the Unit to develop indicators for different projects and policies.

·         It was noted that any impact assessment should consider measurable things and that it was essential to know what the indicators were.  It was suggested that the percentage of speakers in a particular community was something that was possible to measure, rather than soft things.  It was not believed that there was a problem in the field of planning, for example, to measure this, but it was accepted that it could be difficult in some other fields where connecting evidence and policy was difficult.

·         The importance of examining things such as the Welsh language and technology was emphasised and that the policy addressed these important matters for the future.

·         The Council's aim to refer to itself as 'Cyngor Gwynedd' rather than 'Cyngor Gwynedd Council' from now on was welcomed.

RESOLVED to adopt the revised Welsh Language Policy.

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

To accept the report.

Dr Einir Young, Chair of the Standards Committee, was welcomed to the meeting to present the committee's annual report for 2021-22.

Dr Einir Young noted that this would be her last time appearing before the Council to present the annual report as her term on the Committee was coming to an end.  She thanked Committee members, the Monitoring Officer, the Propriety and Elections Manager and the Democracy Services Officer for all their work and support over the years.  She also thanked the elected members for maintaining standards and for making the committee's work easier.

The Monitoring Officer thanked Dr Einir Young for her service and for chairing and leading the Committee locally and regionally as well.  He also thanked her for the support, hard work and the vision, and wished her well for the future.

The words of the Monitoring Officer were reiterated by the Chair, the Leader and the Leader of the Opposition, and Dr Einir Young was thanked for appearing before the Council annually to give a clear, balanced and robust presentation.

RESOLVED to accept the report.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance.

To accept and note the report.

The Monitoring Officer submitted a report, for information, regarding an urgent Cabinet decision on 27 September, 2022 to approve undertaking a public consultation on potential changes to the Council Tax Premium for second homes and empty properties.  As a consequence of the deferral of the Cabinet meeting on 13 September following the death of the Queen, it was explained that application of the call in period for decisions would mean that the commencement of the consultation would have slipped substantially.  As a result, it had been a requirement to make an urgent decision in accordance with Section 7.25.2 of the Constitution to exempt the matter from the procedure of calling in to scrutiny to ensure that the Council could commence the consultation process on time.

In response to a question by a member, the Head of Finance Department confirmed that paper copies of the Council Tax Premium consultation pack were available by telephoning the Finance Department.

It was enquired what would be the position of members responding to the consultation, as they would have expressed an opinion on the matter before the Full Council would discuss it in December.  In response, the Monitoring Officer noted there was no wish to open a discussion on the Premium in this meeting, but the member could contact him directly to obtain advice on that.  He added that discussing the Premium was not the purpose of the item in question, but a technical item, reporting on a procedure followed for the decision.

A member expressed his dissatisfaction with the process on the grounds that the Cabinet had requested the right to proceed with a matter that all members had not been given an opportunity to discuss.  In response, the Monitoring Officer explained the procedure once again, noting that the Full Council would come to a decision on the matter in due course, but that the Cabinet's role was to make an initial decision to undertake a consultation in order to ensure the propriety of the procedure and to ensure that it would not be open to a challenge.

RESOLVED to accept and note the report.

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Elfed Wyn ab Elwyn will propose as follows:-

(I)      I propose that this Council expresses its opposition to the continuation of the title of 'Prince of Wales' and asks the relevant authorities to consult formally with the people of Wales on the question of whether the title should be abolished or not.

(II)     I propose that the Council opposes any investiture being held in Gwynedd, or anywhere on Welsh soil.

(i)        That this Council expresses its opposition to the continuation of the title of 'Prince of Wales' and asks the relevant authorities to consult formally with the people of Wales on the question of whether the title should be abolished or not.

(ii)        That the Council opposes any investiture being held in Gwynedd, or anywhere on Welsh soil.

Submitted - the following notice of motion by Councillor Elfed Wyn ab Elwyn in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:-

(i)             That this Council expresses its opposition to the continuation of the title of 'Prince of Wales' and asks the relevant authorities to consult formally with the people of Wales on the question of whether the title should be abolished or not.

(ii)        That the Council opposes any investiture being held in Gwynedd, or anywhere on Welsh soil.

The member set out the context to his motion, noting that:-

·         The Prince of Wales title had been a sore on our nation for centuries and that it reminded us that we were owned by the system, rather than citizens in our own country.  It was noted that the time had come for us a nation to oppose this title, and to object to the undemocratic values represented by the idea of a Prince of Wales.

·         He did not consider himself a property of the principality, but rather as someone who was equal to his fellow man.

·         The public funding that was spent to keep the Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales post, was wasteful considering the cost of living crisis people were facing.

·         Some members remembered the 1969 investiture, and the national divide and animosity that arose as a result, but the animosity and uproar that would arise as a result of any investiture today would be worse.

·         Very much had changed since 1969, as Wales now had its own Senedd, with our own Welsh democratic values appearing to be growing as our Government and Senedd received more powers.  It was noted that the old perception of Wales as a principality or 'the little principality' was now something that belonged to the previous millennium, and that it was about time for us to be free of this old title that had caused us so much disgrace.

A registered vote was called for on the motion.

A member noted that he would abstain his vote on the issue on the grounds of:-

·         He did not consider that the motion was of great importance to our nation in the current situation, as the best way of addressing the energy cost crisis, and any other crisis that we would face, was by ensuring independence for Wales.

·         Many people in favour of independence were also in favour of the Royal Family.

·         54 countries were part of the Commonwealth and that he also wished for Wales to be part of them.

The proposal was supported by a number of other members on the grounds of:-

·         The alternative aim of political conservatism was respect towards hierarchy and authority, and that anyone who wished to see a society where everyone was equal rejected the idea of monarchy, as the idea of monarchy in itself placed inequality at the heart of our political establishment.

·         Monarchy set an infrastructure of inequality and was incompatible with this day and age and that several other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To submit, for information:-

(i)            Letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Rhys Tudur’s notice of motion to the 23rd June, 2022 Council meeting regarding consultations on second homes.

(ii)          Letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Gwynfor Owen’s notice of motion to the 23rd June, 2022 Council meeting regarding the Wales Football Team’s success in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

Submitted, for information:-

(a)    A letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Rhys Tudur’s notice of motion to the 23rd June, 2022 Council meeting regarding consultations on second homes.

(b)    A letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Gwynfor Owen’s notice of motion to the 23rd June, 2022 Council meeting regarding the Wales Football Team’s success in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.