Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence

Councillors Annwen Daniels, Linda Ann Jones, Dafydd Meurig, Rheinallt Puw and Owain Williams.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 6^th December, 2018 be signed as a true record. (attached)

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 6 December, 2018 as a true record.

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

Councillor Aled Wyn Jones declared a personal interest in item 16(B) on the agenda - Notice of Motion by Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd - as a relative of his worked for the Language Centres.

He was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and he withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item.

The Monitoring Officer declared a personal interest in item 8 - 'Annual Review - Council's Pay Policy 2019/20' - on behalf of the chief officers who were present as the report involved their salaries.

He was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest and, along with the Corporate Directors, the Head of Finance Department and the Head of Corporate Support, the Monitoring Officer withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item.

To receive any Chairman’s announcements.

Condolences were extended to Councillor Dewi Owen, Beth Lawton and Rheinallt Puw on the recent passing of loved ones.

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

The Council stood as a mark of respect.

The following were congratulated:

·         The group of Councillors nominated by Prostate Cymru for an award after raising over £8,000 for the Prostate Cymru Charity during the "Trôns dy Dad" event in August 2018. It was noted that Councillors Dilwyn Lloyd, Roy Owen and Steven Churchman would attend the awards ceremony in Cardiff in April.

·         Ysgol Gynradd Dolbadarn, Llanberis, for winning the Choir of the Season on the Heno programme in December.

·         Ysgol Bro Idris, Dolgellau for winning one of the NFU’s STEM competition prizes, Farmvention - one of nine primary schools to have won a range of Farmvention competition prizes.  It was noted that the pupils were now making plans to showcase their designs at an exhibition at the House of Commons during British Science Week, where an adjudication panel would name the overall competition champions.

·         Jess Kavanagh, Active Young People Officer in the Economy and Community Department for her recent success in the field of rugby.

·         Darren Bingham from Deiniolen for being chosen to represent Wales in darts for the season.

Best wishes were extended to Councillors Peredur Jenkins (Cabinet Member for Finance) and W. Gareth Roberts (Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing) who would be stepping down from the Cabinet at the end of the month following a long period of service. 

It was noted that at a recent rally in Caernarfon, the Council's Vice-chair received a petition requesting that this Council declare a climate crisis, and that a proposal on this matter was already on this meeting's agenda.

To receive any correspondence, communications or other business brought forward at the request of the Chairman.

None to note.

To note any items which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chairman 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) A question by Councillor Sion Jones

"Welsh Government has confirmed financial support in order to develop cycle paths, including a cycle path from Bethel to Caernarfon. Construction work on the Bontnewydd and Caernarfon bypass has already commenced. Is it possible to ensure that the Bethel to Caernarfon cycle path plan will be realised, and if more money is required from Government, can the discussions be commenced as soon as possible?"   

Response from the Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, in the absence of the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

"The written response from the service highlights its efforts to ensure that the cycle path runs concurrently with, or is part of, the new by-pass plan, and also the numerous grant applications they have submitted to secure this cycle path and other cycle paths across the county."

A Supplementary Question by Councillor Sion Jones

"If we need more funding in order to realise the cycle path schemes, could the Leader contact me to attempt to contact the Minister, in order to proceed on behalf of Bethel and Caernarfon, and on behalf of the county?"

Response from the Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, in the absence of the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

"Certainly, if we need any assistance at all to take the message back to the right places, then we will contact the member and we will be very glad of his assistance."

(2)     A question from Councillor Elwyn Jones

"One year on from starting the re-modelling of the Youth Service, and in accordance with the vision in Option 3, can the Cabinet Member, who is responsible for the Service, confirm that 19 full-time youth workers - 14 in addition to the 5 who retained their posts - and 21 part-time workers, have now been appointed to move the Service forward?"

Response - Cabinet Member for Housing, Leisure and Culture, Councillor Craig ab Iago

"As you can see from the short written response, we have a full house with the full-time workers, but not quite there with the part-time workers."

A supplementary question by Councillor Elwyn Jones

"Has the £50,000 earmarked last year for voluntary and social clubs and voluntary organisations, etc. been claimed?"

Response - Cabinet Member for Housing, Leisure and Culture, Councillor Craig ab Iago

"The new service is going from strength to strength and I only hear positive things about it.  We work very hard with community clubs to ensure that young people, wherever they are, get what they need.  If you would like specific figures on the exact amount of money spent from this pot, we can find out for you, no problem."

(3)     A question from Councillor Aeron Jones

"The Council's Whistleblowing policy is in place to safeguard Council staff and users. This is something that I personally have been pushing the Council to implement since 2008 and, more importantly, to safeguard individuals who decide  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support (attached).

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Support submitted a report recommending that the Council approve the recommendation of the Chief Officer Appointment Committee to adopt the Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20.

During the discussion the following matters were raised by individual members:

·         The general increase of 2% to the 2019/2020 salaries was welcomed, with staff on the lowest scales receiving higher percentages, which meant that the Council's minimum wage from April 2019 onwards would be higher than the Living Wage Foundation’s Living Wage.

·         The fact that the Council was reducing the gap between the salaries of the chief officers and the lowest salaries, thus reducing social inequality, was welcomed.

·         In response to an enquiry, it was confirmed that the ratio between the highest and lowest salaries in Gwynedd was amongst the lowest in Wales, and that it would be reduced further following the changes that would come into force on 1 April 2019.

RESOLVED to approve the recommendation of the Chief Officer Appointment Committee to adopt the draft Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20 in Appendix 1 of the report.

To submit the report of the Leader  (attached).

Submitted - the Leader's report inviting the Council to adopt the Gwynedd Council Plan 2018-23 (2019/20 Review).

During the discussion the following matters were raised by individual members:

·         The plan was welcomed, and it was noted that it appeared that the Council was attempting to deliver for the people of Gwynedd, during a period of financial austerity.

·         In response to a question regarding setting a new direction for the tackling poverty field, the Leader explained that it was intended to create a People's Well-being Board, including representation from the children, youth services, etc. to look at the field of poverty and supporting families across all Council work. It was hoped that this would set a new direction and emphasis for the Council in this important field, especially in a place that suffered from poverty that was not being acknowledged nationally.

·         It was noted that approximately 38% of the Council's funding was spent outside the county, and it was asked what work was in the pipeline to attempt to maximise the percentage spent locally. In response, the Leader noted that this was one of the Council's main priorities, and he believed that Gwynedd was at the forefront in terms of procurement locally.

·         In response to a question regarding the Leader's vision for post-16 education, details were given on the collaboration between this Council, Anglesey Council and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, with the aim of bringing various options forward in due course.

·         In response to a question regarding how to attract more women to become Council members, the Leader noted that he was fully aware of the problem, as well as the problem of attracting young people, employed people, people from ethnic minorities and people from other backgrounds onto the Council.  He had voiced his opinion to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales, that was also very aware of the problem.  He added that the workload of Councillors, especially Cabinet Members and Scrutiny Chairs, had increased significantly over the years, so that it was now more or less a full-time job, and it was very difficult for members to maintain a career and fulfil the role of a Councillor at the same time.  He believed that the solution partly involved the job terms, but he did not anticipate any major change in that direction without merging councils and significantly reducing Councillor numbers. He emphasised that it was important that members with care responsibilities took advantage of the support available to them in order to strengthen the democratic representation.  He also noted that there would be a campaign at the time of every election to attempt to attract people of all backgrounds to stand for election.

·         In response to a question, the Leader confirmed that the Council had committed to the apprenticeships scheme and that there were very good opportunities in each service.  Although the Council had lost £70m (25%) of its budget over the past 10 years, there were excellent examples of young people kick-starting their careers with the Council as apprentices,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance  (attached).

The Cabinet Member for Finance submitted:

·         A report recommending a budget for the Council's approval for 2019/20;

·         The draft decision on the Council Tax based on the Cabinet's recommendation to the Council (based on an increase of 5.8%), along with tables showing the Council Tax level and the increase per community.

Further to the content of the report, the Cabinet Member for Finance noted that the Welsh Government's announcement on funding the £1.6m increase in employment contributions to the teachers' pension scheme was expected today.  The Head of Finance Department explained that it was anticipated that the Council would receive a grant sum close to fully funding the requirement, as the English Government had pledged to schools there.  The exact sum for Wales had not yet been confirmed, but according to advice given, it would be between 80% and 100% of the total.

During the ensuing discussion, some members noted that they could not support the recommendation to increase the tax by 5.8%, due to the impact of this on the residents of a poor county such as Gwynedd.  Many other members stated that, although they were utterly dissatisfied with the situation, they believed that the Council had no choice but to accept the budget given the circumstances.

The following matters were raised by individual members:

·         Concern was expressed regarding the impact of the tax increase on the people who were on low wages, but were slightly above the threshold for claiming Council Tax Reduction, and it was proposed that a group of members from every political party in the Council should go down to Cardiff to support the Leader in his efforts to lobby the Government for additional funding.

·         In response to an enquiry regarding funding three presumptions in the report, the Cabinet Member for Finance explained that:

Ø  That he was confident that the deficit between the grant expected from the Government and the employer’s contribution towards teachers’ pensions was attainable, and if not, that further discussions would take place with the schools.

Ø  That the £2.7m additional tax from the second homes and empty homes premium had been earmarked in a fund towards the Housing Strategy, and that the budget was balanced without diversifying the premium product.

Ø  In terms of funding any inflation as a result of Brexit, that the Council was on firm ground as it was building flexibility into its budget, and should the requirement go beyond this, using some of the balances could be considered.

·         It was noted that placing pressure on the county's residents, who were facing daily challenges was not desirable, but that the Council was facing its own increasing challenges as well, as a result of the brutal Welsh Government and Westminster Government policies.

·         With the Governments letting people down with insufficient grant to meet inflation, let alone the increase in demand for local authority services, safeguarding those services, especially Education and Social Care, was more important than ever.

·         The importance of ensuring that support was available for individuals who  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance  (attached).

The Cabinet Member for Finance submitted a report, recommending that the Council adopt an Asset Plan for the 2019/20 – 2028/29 period.

The importance of ensuring reserve funds in order to benefit from any available grants was emphasised.

RESOLVED that the Council adopt the Asset Plan attached to the report as its Asset Plan for the 2019/20 – 2028/29 period.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance  (attached).

The Cabinet Member for Finance submitted a report, providing a high level overview on the manner capital expenditure, capital funding and the treasury's management activity contributed to the provision of local public services.  The report also gave an overview of the way associated risks could be managed, and the implications for future financial sustainability.

As this was his final meeting as the Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Peredur Jenkins thanked the Head of Finance Department and the Senior Managers for all their support throughout the years, and the Chief Executive for his guidance. He also thanked the members for their continuous generous support.

RESOLVED to adopt the Capital Strategy for 2019/20.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment  (attached).

In the absence of the Cabinet Member for the Environment, the Leader presented the Draft Gambling Policy Statement in 2019-22, in accordance with the requirement of Section 349 of the Gambling Act 2005 that Licensing Authorities, every three years, must prepare and publish a declaration of the Licensing Principles they wished to implement as they carried out their functions in accordance with the Act.

The Public Protection Manager and the team were thanked for all their work.

A member noted that the Licensing Committee had written to the Government, calling for a ban on gambling advertisements before 9pm.

RESOLVED to approve the Gambling Policy Statement so that it is operational for 2019-22, in accordance with the statutory review cycle of the Act.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal  (attached).

The Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal submitted a report, requesting that the Council consider approving the Draft Land Drainage By-laws (in the form recommended by Welsh Government) and that such by-laws be formalised in the Council's name.

These by-laws were welcomed, and it was noted that opening more ditches would help to prevent and manage flooding in future.

RESOLVED to approve the Draft Land Drainage By-laws (in the form recommended by Welsh Government) and that such by-laws be formalised in the Council's name.

To submit the report of the Head of Democratic Services  (attached).

The Head of Democratic Services presented a calendar for the dates of Council meetings for 2019/20.

          RESOLVED to adopt the Committees Calendar for 2019/20.

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Sion Jones will propose as follows:-

That this Council supports the ‘Lucy’s Law’ campaign to ban the sale of dogs by commercial third party dealers.

(1)     The following notice of motion was submitted by Councillor Sion Jones, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:

"That this Council support the ‘Lucy’s Law’ campaign to ban the sale of dogs by commercial third party dealers."

Members expressed their enthusiastic support for the motion, and it was noted that:

·         The call for Gwynedd Councillors to join other Councils in Wales to support the campaign to end the suffering of animals who were used in puppy and kitten farms was reiterated.

·         It was unacceptable that people could make money without considering the needs and welfare of the animals who were being used to breed in this manner.

·         This industry had no place in civilised society, and Welsh Government was encouraged to bring the legislation forward as soon as possible in order to bring this cruel practice to an end.

·         The demand for puppies and kittens should be met in a compassionate manner.  It should not be done for exploitation purposes, and Lucy's Law was an excellent opportunity to ensure that it was done in a way that was safe for the animals.

RESOLVED to adopt the motion.

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd will propose as follows:-

Whilst acknowledging that any decision on the matter is a matter for the Cabinet, that this Council strongly objects to any plan or intention to change the constitution, organisation or staffing of Gwynedd Language Centres, in light of their unmistakable success in teaching Welsh to incomers within a short period of time so that they can integrate easily into the Welsh ethos of our schools.

(2)     The following notice of motion was submitted by Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:

"Whilst acknowledging that any decision on the matter is a matter for the Cabinet, that this Council strongly objects to any plan or intention to change the constitution, organisation or staffing of Gwynedd Language Centres, in light of their unmistakable success in teaching Welsh to incomers within a short period of time so that they can integrate easily into the Welsh ethos of our schools."

An amendment to the proposal was proposed, as follows:

"Whilst acknowledging and fully condemning the horrendous financial cuts forced on local councils by Welsh Government, specifically the cut to the education improvement grant for Gwynedd, and that any decision on the matter is a matter for the Cabinet, that this Council strongly objects to any plan or intention to change the constitution, organisation or staffing of Gwynedd Language Centres that would have a detrimental impact on their unmistakable ability to teach Welsh to incomers within a short period of time and to integrate easily into the Welsh ethos of our schools. The Council also calls on the Cabinet to establish a robust monitoring procedure - whether changes are made or not - to ensure the best possible results for the learners."

The proposer of the amendment explained that he welcomed the positive observations of the proposer of the original proposal, but that he was of the opinion that the proposal bound the Council to never make any amendments to the constitution, organisation or the staffing of the language centres.  There may be a need to extend the service in future should there be more incomers, or there could be less demand for the service, and the methodology of learning languages was also developing, and would certainly develop even further in future.  Also, there was a need to emphasise the fact that it was Welsh Government, and not this Council, who was cutting the grant.

During the discussion on the amendment, the following observations were submitted by individual members:

·         That there was a need to lobby Welsh Government for more funding for Councils.

·         That the call on the Cabinet to set up a robust monitoring procedure would strengthen the original proposal.

·         That the Westminster Government offered free English lessons for immigrants, and that Welsh Government should be called upon to ensure the same provision in Wales for the Welsh language - especially if the vision of ensuring a million Welsh speakers by 2050 was to be realised.  Also, in Gwynedd, children who moved to the county had to embark on a Welsh language course before being able to manage with the school lessons.

·         That the Gwynedd Language Centres was a brilliant example of good practice and, rather than cut the service, this Council should use and develop it.

·         The Council Cabinet should safeguard this valuable service and call on the Government to invest in the future of the language.

·         That the Language  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Catrin Wager will propose as follows:-

The Motion:

The evidence is now conclusive that climate change is happening.  Climate change is linked to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, drought and flooding.  The consequences of global temperature rising above 1.5°c are so severe that preventing this from happening must be a key priority.  The findings of the IPCC 1.5C study in October state that humanity has 12 years to take decisive action on climate change.  All governments (local, regional and national) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of Climate Change.  The Council has obligations, under the “Wellbeing of Future Generations Act” to consider the impact of any decision it takes on generations to come.  The Council also has an obligation to protect the public.

Council further notes that:

The impact of climate change and extreme weather events are already being felt within the county.  23,244 Gwynedd residents live within a flood risk area.  Over the next century, sea levels are expected to rise by 1.1m.  Flooding already costs the Welsh economy c. £200 million per year.  Gwynedd’s landscape presents many opportunities for energy generation, biodiversity regeneration and runoff flood mitigation.

This Council therefore resolves to:

Do our utmost to ensure that the county remains a vibrant, viable and sustainable home for our children and their children for generations to come.  We will do this by:

·         Declaring a Climate emergency

·         Commit to taking decisive action to reduce carbon emissions and strive for a zero-carbon future.

·         Look for innovative means to achieve zero carbon targets

·         Report back within 6 months on positive steps the Council have taken to reduce carbon emissions.

(3)     The following notice of motion was submitted by Councillor Catrin Wager, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:

"The evidence is now conclusive that climate change is happening. Climate change is linked to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, drought and flooding. The consequences of global temperature rising above 1.5°c are so severe that preventing this from happening must be a key priority. The findings of the IPCC 1.5C study in October state that humanity has 12 years to take decisive action on climate change. All governments (local, regional and national) have a duty to limit the negative impacts of Climate Change.  The Council has obligations, under the “Wellbeing of Future Generations Act” to consider the impact of any decision it takes on generations to come.  The Council also has an obligation to protect the public.

This Council further notes that:

·         The impact of climate change and extreme weather events are already being felt within the county.

·         23,244 Gwynedd residents live within a flood risk area.

·         Over the next century, sea levels are expected to rise by 1.1m.

·         Flooding already costs the Welsh economy approximately £200 million per year.

·         Gwynedd’s landscape presents many opportunities for energy generation, biodiversity regeneration and runoff flood mitigation.

The Council therefore resolves to:

Do our utmost to ensure that the county remains a vibrant, viable and sustainable home for our children and their children for generations to come. We do this by means of:

·         Declare a Climate Emergency.

·         Commit to taking decisive action to reduce carbon emissions and strive for a zero-carbon future.

·         Look for innovative means to achieve zero carbon targets.

·         Report back within 6 months on positive steps the Council has taken to reduce carbon emissions.

It was noted that children and students were fully awake to the situation, and it was emphasised that elected members, as political leaders, should also play their part.  On this basis, it was proposed and seconded to add the following wording to the original motion:

"Call on Welsh Government and Westminster Government to provide the requisite powers and resources to achieve the target of a carbon-free Gwynedd by 2030."

The proposer of the original proposal agreed to amend the proposal on these grounds with the Council’s consent.

Members expressed their enthusiastic support for the amended motion, and it was noted:

·         That carbon emissions were impacting biodiversity and the eco-system also, and that plastics were making their way through the food chain.  Attention was drawn to a second environmental workshop that was to be held at Plas Tan y Bwlch on 17 May.

·         Even if we take firm steps with regard to climate change within 12 years, we would still see the climate changing for years beyond this, and a 10 year old child today would experience something that none of us would ever experience. 

·         That climate change was the greatest threat to the future of the human race, and we had to play our part, as a local authority, to lead  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18a

To submit, for information, a letter from the Department for Exiting the European Union in response to Councillor Judith Humphreys’ notice of motion to the 6^th December, 2018 meeting regarding the UK’s withdrawal from the EU  (attached).

To submit, for information - a letter from the Department for Exiting the European Union in response to Councillor Judith Humphreys’s notice of motion to the 6th December, 2018 meeting regarding the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.