Venue: Hybrid - Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Swyddfeydd y Cyngor, Caernarfon LL55 1SH. View directions
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillors Craig ab
Iago, Iwan Huws, Linda Ann Jones, Eryl Jones-Williams, Llio Elenid Owen, Gareth
A. Roberts, Einir Wyn Williams and Eirwyn Williams. |
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MINUTES The Chair
shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 6th
July, 2023 be signed as a true record. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman signed the minutes of the previous
meeting of the Council, held on 6 July, 2023 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. |
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THE CHAIR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS To receive any Chair’s
announcements. Additional documents: Minutes: Condolences were
extended to the following:- ·
Councillor
Louise Hughes and family due to the loss of her mother during the summer. ·
Mrs
Sharon Warnes, Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee and family following
the death of her husband recently. It was also noted
that Councillor Pete Prendergast, Chair of Denbighshire Council had passed away
last week, and condolences were expressed to his family and to fellow
councillors at Denbighshire Council. 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 in
silence as a mark of respect and remembrance. Best wishes were
expressed to Mrs Sharon Warnes, Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee,
who was unable to attend this meeting due to hospital treatment. The following were
congratulated:- ·
Everyone who had been successful at the Llŷn and Eifionydd
National Eisteddfod in August, especially Rhys Iorwerth from Caernarfon, Alan
Llwyd, Treforys, but originally from Abersoch and Alun Ffred, former Leader of
this Council, for winning the Crown, the Chair and the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize.
Everyone who had helped at the Eisteddfod were also thanked. ·
Rhodri Jones, Democracy Services
Officer, on recently being elected Senior Member of the Year for the Eryri
Federation of Young Farmers. ·
Football referee Cheryl Foster, originally from Bangor, for being the
first female referee to take charge of a match in the Welsh Premier League. On
9 January 2023, FIFA appointed her to the administration pool for the FIFA 2023
Women's World Cup competition in Australia and New Zealand, and back in May of
this year, she had been named as the referee for the final of the 2023 WEFA
Women's Champions League between Barcelona and Wolfsburg on 3 June 2023. ·
O Ddrws i Ddrws on celebrating 20 years of service in Dwyfor and
Eifionydd. It had also been given to
understand that the O Ddrws i Ddrws Board was eager to thank Cyngor Gwynedd for
its support during those years. ·
Councillor Elfed Wyn ap
Elwyn on walking 206 miles from Bangor to Cardiff to promote the campaign to
reopen railway lines from Aberystwyth to Caerfyrddin and from Bangor to
Afonwen. It was also noted that a petition on this matter had succeeded to
attract more than 13,000 signatories. |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any items
which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chair 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 4.18 of the Constitution. Additional documents: Minutes: (The Cabinet Members' written responses to the questions had been
published in advance.) (1) Question from Councillor Gruffydd Williams "Following the announcement
that Barclays will close more of its branches including Pwllheli, may I ask why
the Council has not considered threatening to change banks because the Council
banks with Barclays? Were the Council to
threaten to move to another bank and also ask other county councils to follow
suit, it could be possible to persuade them not to close branches." Response - Cabinet Member for Finance,
Councillor Ioan Thomas "I believe that it is true to say that each
one of us is saddened when a bank branch is closes, but the number of visitors
and users of these banks have reduced significantly. The Which company notes
that 5,838 branches have closed since 2015. This is an average of 54 branches
closing every month since 2015, and far more than 300 branches have closed in
Wales since 2015. The Council does not
have an account with a specific branch of Barclays bank, it has a corporate
agreement instead, and the agreement is in place until September of next
year. It will begin to negotiate for
agreements and of course, other banks will be welcome to submit a price for
their service to the Council. However, I
must note that only a very small number of banks deal with councils and
authorities such as Gwynedd, and therefore it is possible that not many will
apply for it, but this process will begin at the beginning of the year." (2) Question from
Councillor Dewi Jones "What steps will
Cyngor Gwynedd take following the publishing in August of the Bevan
Foundation’s report on poverty in Arfon?" Response - The Deputy Leader and Cabinet
Member for the Economy, Councillor Nia Jeffreys "Thank you to the member and his fellow
councillors for the work you do in Arfon from day to day. I share the member's passion on this subject,
and I also know that the Leader of the Council and every Cabinet Member also
appreciate the importance of this subject. We have prioritised this work. We
have invested in the work and it is taking place across all departments of the
Council. The solutions for this are not always apparent, for example, the Finance
Department, and I wish to thank them in particular for their innovative work in
this field. Thank you again for raising the question and highlighting this
matter at the Full Council. If any councillors have suggestions on what we
could do in the field, please contact me, because, otherwise, why are we here
as councillors or officers, if we cannot help the most vulnerable people in our
society in Gwynedd?" Supplementary Question from
Councillor Dewi Jones "At the brink of what will be another difficult winter for many, does the Deputy Leader agree with me that austerity has been a complete failure and that the British Government is guilty of driving some of the most vulnerable people in society ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT AND SELF ASSESSMENT 2022-23 PDF 168 KB To submit
the report of the Council Leader. Additional documents: Decision: To approve and
adopt Cyngor Gwynedd's Annual Performance Report and Self-Assessment 2022-23. Minutes: Submitted - the report of the Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, asking
the Council to approve and adopt the Annual Performance Report and
Self-assessment 2022/23. The Leader thanked the Council's Supporting Business Service Manager and
the Team for their work in preparing the report. He then referred to
the very difficult financial situation facing the Council, noting:- ·
It did not bode well for the councils’
settlement across Wales for the coming year, and although Cyngor Gwynedd was in
a strong financial situation, and that we had taken pride over the years in the
fact that we were effective in dealing with Council money, this Council would
also have to make some very difficult decisions this time. ·
That most of the Council's money was spent on
education, adults and children, namely those fields that nurtured the future of
our children and care for the most vulnerable in our society, and if they
wished to protect those services, where would the additional cuts come from? All of the members were encouraged to attend one of the three savings
workshops arranged for October. The Leader then referred to some specific matters, noting:- ·
The reduction of 4,500 in Gwynedd's
population, with 1,400 fewer households in the County (according to the figures
of the last Census) was a cause for concern for him as this was having a direct
impact on the £1.6m settlement. More-so, there were very significant economic
considerations to a lower population, which placed greater importance on our
work in seeking to develop the economy, attracting high quality jobs to the
area and attracting young people back to Gwynedd. ·
The education system in Gwynedd was innovative
and set the standard across the whole of Wales, e.g. the new immersion system,
and he did not agree with the public criticism there had been of Gwynedd's
education system. ·
The Article 4 Direction
was one of the interventions the Council had in housing to seek to gain control
of the influx of second homes and short-term lets that were damaging our
communities and contributing to the depopulation seen in the Census. Nevertheless, it was not believed that
Article 4 would have as much of an impact as people believed, neither was it
believed that it would be that effective in gaining control of second homes. It
is acknowledged there is concern regarding Article 4, and the Council would
look very carefully at those concerns when analysing the responses to the
public consultation, seeking additional legal advice, if required, to ensure
that we were going in the right direction. The work of analysing the outcomes
of the consultation would take place from now to the end of the year, with a
report submitted to the Community Scrutiny Committee early in the New Year. · There was a significant problem in terms of the intensive care provision across the county, and that the development in Penrhos was one of the excellent innovative schemes the Council had, jointly with the Health Board and the Clwyd Alyn Housing Association, to address ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GOVERNANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE 2022-23 PDF 318 KB To submit
the report of the Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee. Additional documents: Decision: To accept the
report. Minutes: Submitted - the Annual Report of the Governance and Audit Committee
2022/23. In the absence of the Chair of
the Committee, Mrs Sharon Warnes, due to ill-health, and also
as it had not been possible for the Vice-chair, Mr Eifion Jones, or any of the
other lay members to attend at short notice, the report was submitted by
Councillor Paul Rawlinson, as an elected member of the Committee. Councillor Paul Rowlinson noted that it was a pleasure to submit the
Chair's first report, based on Welsh Government's statutory requirements,
outlining how the Committee had considered the difficult factors the Council
had faced over the period along with the Committee's observations on how the
Council has responded firmly to those risks. All the officers who had been supporting the Committee’s work in a
thorough and professional manner were thanked and also
both Elected and Lay Members for their key contribution to the Committee's
work. RESOLVED to accept the report. |
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REVIEW OF THE CONSTITUTION PDF 341 KB To submit
the report of the Monitoring Officer. Additional documents:
Decision: The adopt the
amendments to the Consultation listed in the report submitted to the Council
and the appendices relating to: (i)
The Functions of the Full Council; (ii)
Panel Performance Assessment; (iii)
Timetable for Members' Questions; and (iv)
Financial threshold for sealing contracts. Minutes: Submitted – the report of the Monitoring Officer inviting the Council to
adopt a series of changes to the Constitution as listed in the report and its
attachments, regarding:- (i)
The
Functions of the Full Council; (ii)
Panel
Performance Assessment; (iii)
Timetable
for Members' Questions; and the (iv)
Financial
threshold for sealing contracts. Members were given an opportunity to make
observations and ask questions. In response to questions from individual
members regarding the Independent Panel that would assess the Council's
performance, it was noted:- ·
That the guidelines referred to around 4-5
people on the Panel. It had been given
to understand that the Welsh Local Government Association gathered a pool of
applicants with relatively substantial local government background (principal
officers and members) that the Council would have to appoint a panel from, and
the Panel would have and independent chair. ·
The process was not similar in any way to the
local development plan process. The
Panel's recommendation would have to be submitted to the Governance and Audit
Committee and to the Cabinet also, it seemed.
The Panel would not act as regulators, their roles would be to provide
and opinion and present recommendations for the Council to consider and respond
to. RESOLVED to adopt the amendments to the Consultation
as listed in the report submitted to the Council and the appendices relating
to: (i)
The Functions of the Full Council; (ii)
Panel Performance Assessment; (iii)
Timetable for Members' Questions; and the (iv)
Financial threshold for sealing contracts. |
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NOTICES OF MOTION Additional documents: |
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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:- We note the increasing threats to farmers and the farming world from
unelected super-national bodies that want to force them off their land. This was seen at work recently in the Netherlands, Ireland
and other places, and now the Welsh Government wants to transform 10% of
agricultural land in Wales into forests.
This reduces our organic food supply once again even though nearly half
the population here are living in poverty. In light of all this, I call on Cyngor Gwynedd to commit to support the Welsh
family farm that contributes so much to the Gwynedd economy, which is also a
way of maintaining the unique linguistic and cultural identity of the county,
and that Cyngor Gwynedd calls on the Welsh Government to reconsider the
decision to transform 10% of agricultural land into forests. Additional documents: Decision: That Cyngor Gwynedd commits to support the Welsh family farm that
contributes so much to the Gwynedd economy, which is also a way of maintaining the
unique linguistic and cultural identity of the county, and calls on the Welsh
Government to reconsider its decision to insist that every agricultural unit
has to assign 10% of their lands as forests. Minutes: Submitted - the following notice of motion by
Councillor Gruffydd Williams, under Section 4.19 of the Constitution, and it
was seconded:- "We note the
increasing threats to farmers and the farming world from unelected
supra-national bodies that want to force them off their land. This was seen at work recently in the
Netherlands, Ireland and other places, and now the Welsh Government wants to
transform 10% of agricultural land in Wales into woodland. This reduces our
organic food supply once again even though nearly half the population here are
living in poverty. In light of all this, I call on Cyngor Gwynedd
to commit to support the Welsh family farm that contributes so much to the
Gwynedd economy, which is also a way of maintaining the unique linguistic and
cultural identity of the county, and that Cyngor Gwynedd calls on the Welsh
Government to reconsider the decision to transform 10% of agricultural land
into woodland." The member also noted
that the reference to 'organic food supply' in the English translation of his
motion should be corrected to read 'locally sourced food supply'. An amendment to the
proposal was proposed, as follows: "That Cyngor Gwynedd commits to support the
Welsh family farm that contributes so much to the Gwynedd economy, which is
also a way of maintaining the unique linguistic and cultural identity of the
county, and to call on the Welsh Government to reconsider its decision to
insist that every agricultural unit has to assign 10% of their lands as
forests." The reasons for the
decision were noted as follows:- ·
The two first paragraphs of the original motion referred to some sort of
international conspiracy by supra-national bodies, and it was not believed that
they were relevant to the motion at all, and therefore they should be deleted. ·
Having been given to
understand by the farmers' unions that around 7.5% of land that was currently
being farmed was woodland, that reaching 10% was not difficult work, but there
was a need to be flexible in terms of the 10% as not all farms had land that
was suitable for tree planting. ·
It was important to
plant the right trees in the right place, and a blanket policy would make it
difficult for farmers to implement. ·
As tenants would not be able to turn farming land into woodland without
the landlord's approval, this could also be problematic. ·
It was therefore suggested that the Government should be asked to
reconsider its decision to insist that every agricultural unit has to allocate
10% of its land as woodland. The amendment was
discussed. Support was expressed for the improvement by some members on grounds
of:- · That the 2 first paragraphs linked the motion, which in essence was quite sensible, to some extreme right-wing Anglo-american conspiracy theories, which significantly weakened the seriousness of the remainder of the motion. It would be repugnant for the Council to be associated in any way with the poisonous international politics that believes that we are controlled by undemocratic bodies, ... view the full minutes text for item 11. |