Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the previous meetings of the Council held on 4 December 2025 and 5 February 2026 be signed as a true record.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

To receive any Chair’s announcements.

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

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

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance.

1. To set a budget of £379,701,110 for 2026/27, to be funded by £264,009,390 of Government Grant and £115,691,720 of Council Tax income (which is a base increase of 4.75% plus a further 0.42% to meet the levy from the Fire Authority, which gives a total of 5.17%).

2. A capital programme of £40,179,430 in 2026/27 should be established, to be funded from the sources set out in Appendix 4 of the report.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance.

To accept the report and to approve the Capital Strategy for 2026/27.

To submit the report of the Chair of the Chief Officer Appointments Committee.

To adopt the draft Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27.

To submit the report of the Chair Of The Pensions Committee.

The amendments to the Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA) for the Wales Pension Partnership were accepted.

The Head of Legal, in consultation with the Head of Finance, was authorised to take the necessary steps to complete the agreement.

To submit the report of the Monitoring Officer.

1.     To adopt the amendments to the Principles of Conduct and Code of Conduct for Members in accordance with the statutory requirement. The Council is also asked to authorise the Monitoring Officer to amend the Local Resolution Procedure to accompany the Code of Conduct where reference is made to these provisions.

2.     The content of the revised Whistleblowing Policy was noted in the Constitution.

To submit the report of the Head of Democracy Services.

To adopt the Committees Calendar for 2026/27.

(A)  NOTICE OF MOTION BY COUNCILLOR GRUFFYDD WILLIAMS

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.19 of the Constitution, Councillor Gruffydd Williams will propose as follows:-

In January 2026, the Westminster Government made a U-turn regarding their plans to make digital ID cards mandatory for proving the right to work, following a significant response from members of the public with a petition with over three thousand names being submitted to the Government stating their opposition to DI. While the mandatory requirement for employment has been dropped, the government plans to move verification processes online by 2029, leading to concerns that a digital identification system will still be introduced gradually through the back door, as it were.

That this Council is totally opposed to the Digital Identification system and that Cyngor Gwynedd calls on the Welsh Government to oppose DI in line with the Government in Scotland and also in line with several local authorities across the UK. Convenience should never come at the expense of personal liberty.

(B)  NOTICE OF MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ELIN HYWEL

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.19 of the Constitution, Councillor Elin Hywel will propose as follows:-

This Council recognises that trust is the foundation of democracy. We know that recent events locally, nationally and internationally have undermined that relationship with the people of Gwynedd. Democracy cannot function well without public trust in those who represent them; that trust enables people to participate in local democracy and, in turn, ensures their voice in shaping their future.

This Council notes evidence from the Office for National Statistics indicating that trust in politics and politicians is at a very low level, with only one in five trusting political parties, and that there is a direct link between low trust and low participation.

In light of that, this Council notes the low participation in the 2022 Gwynedd Council election, in line with wider trends throughout Wales, with around 38-39% voting, and that 28 of the 69 seats were elected without opposition, meaning that a large number of Gwynedd's electors did not have a democratic choice.

The Council recognises that these figures highlight a serious challenge to the health of local democracy and to the relationship between electors and their representatives.

It is recognised that our behaviour as public leaders sets the standard for democratic discussion. That trust cannot be built, or participation increased, unless we model those values ​​ourselves.

This Council welcomes the actions of the Senedd through the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act to strengthen the integrity of public life and place honesty and truth at the heart of our democratic culture.

In accordance with this, this Council clearly states that we, personally and collectively, have the duty to maintain and restore public trust.

We are committed to the truth, to transparency, to fairness, and to respect - the cornerstones of our right to represent the people of Gwynedd.

Item 13(A): NOTICE OF MOTION FROM CLLR GRUFFYDD WILLIAMS

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received in accordance with Section 4.19 of the Constitution, Councillor Gruffydd Williams proposed as follows:-

In January 2026, the Westminster Government made a U-turn regarding their plans to make digital ID cards mandatory for proving the right to work, following a significant response from members of the public with a petition with over 3 thousand names being submitted to the Government stating their opposition to DI. While the mandatory requirement for employment has been dropped, the government plans to move verification processes online by 2029, leading to concerns that a digital identification system will still be introduced gradually through the back door, as it were.

That this Council is totally opposed to the Digital Identification system and that Cyngor Gwynedd calls on the Welsh Government to oppose DI in line with the Government in Scotland and also in line with several local authorities across the UK. Convenience should never come at the expense of personal liberty.

Item 13(B): NOTICE OF MOTION FROM CLLR ELIN HYWEL

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received in accordance with Section 4.19 of the Constitution, Councillor Elin Hywel proposed as follows:-

This Council recognises that trust is the foundation of democracy. We know that recent events locally, nationally and internationally have undermined that relationship with the people of Gwynedd. Democracy cannot function well without public trust in those who represent them; that trust enables people to participate in local democracy and, in turn, ensures their voice in shaping their future.

This Council notes evidence from the Office for National Statistics indicating that trust in politics and politicians is at a very low level, with only one in five trusting political parties, and that there is a direct link between low trust and low participation.

In light of that, this Council notes the low participation in the 2022 Cyngor Gwynedd election, in line with wider trends throughout Wales, with around 38-39% voting, and that 28 of the 69 seats were elected without opposition, meaning that a large number of Gwynedd's electors did not have a democratic choice.

The Council recognises that these figures highlight a serious challenge to the health of local democracy and to the relationship between electors and their representatives.

It is recognised that our behaviour as public leaders sets the standard for democratic discussion.  That trust cannot be built, or participation increased, unless we model those values ourselves.

This Council welcomes the actions of the Senedd through the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act to strengthen the integrity of public life and place honesty and truth at the heart of our democratic culture.

In accordance with this, this Council clearly states that we, personally and collectively, have the duty to maintain and restore public trust.

We are committed to the truth, to transparency, to fairness, and to respect - the cornerstones of our right to represent the people of Gwynedd.

Letter from the Welsh Government in response to Cllr. Jina Gwyrfai’ Notice of Motion to the 3 July 2025 Council meeting regarding Inheritance Tax.