Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence

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

3^rd October, 2024

24^th October 2024 (Extraordinary Meeting)

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 appoint the Leader of the Council.

To appoint Councillor Nia Jeffreys as Leader of the Council for the term of this Council.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance.

That the Council makes no change to the Council Tax Premium for 2025/26. That is, for the financial Year 2025/26:-

·         Cyngor Gwynedd allows NO discount on class A second homes, in accordance with Section 12 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

·         Cyngor Gwynedd allows NO discount and CHARGES A PREMIUM OF 150% on class B second homes, in accordance with Section 12B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

·         Cyngor Gwynedd allows NO discount on homes that have been empty for 6 months or more and CHARGES A PREMIUM OF 100% on homes that have been empty for 12 months or more, in accordance with Section 12A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance.

i.1.      That Cyngor Gwynedd’s Local Scheme for the year commencing 1 April 2025 continues as it was during 2024/25. Therefore, the following conditions (a - c below) regarding the continuation of the discretionary elements would continue:

a)    To apply a 100% disregard for war disablement pensions, war widows’ pensions and war widowers’ pensions, for both pensioners and working age claimants.

b)    Not to increase the extended reduction periods for pensioners and working age claimants from the standard four weeks in the Prescribed Scheme.

c)    Not to increase the backdated period for pensioners and working age claimants from the standard three months contained within the Prescribed Scheme.

2.     Where appropriate, to delegate powers to the Head of Finance Department, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, to make minor amendments to the scheme for 2025/26, on condition that it will not change the substance of the scheme.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Legal Services.

1.    That the Council adopts the amendments to the Delegation Scheme listed in Appendix 1 of the report.

2.    That the Council accepts the information on delegated amendments to the Constitution in Annex 2 and 3 of the report.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Legal Services.

To approve the results of the review of polling districts and polling places in the Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Bangor Aberconwy (to the extent they are within Gwynedd) parliamentary constituencies, following a consultation period.

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Legal Services.

To approve changing the name of the Community of Llanaelhaearn to Trefor and Llanaelhaearn in accordance with section 76 of the Local Government Act 1972.

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

A house has been exchanged a number of times in a small village in a rural ward in Gwynedd. This happened during a time when 12 local people (family units) were waiting for social housing in the village. The householders are not from Wales and were not waiting for more than 12 months.

Cyngor Gwynedd’s letting policy is undermined every time a house is exchanged while local people remain on the waiting list for long periods without being able to secure a home.

This council believes that the Welsh Government's practice of exchanging social housing should cease immediately, unless the house is exchanged within the local authority. I seek Cyngor Gwynedd's support today to put pressure on the Welsh Government to change the law to meet the need for local housing.

In order to satisfy the need for local housing, this Council brings pressure to bear on the Welsh Government for the practice of exchanging social housing to cease immediately, unless the house is exchanged within the local authority, or close to the county's boundary.

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

1.     Cyngor Gwynedd asks the UK Government to allocate a fair share of the spending on the HS2 rail line in England to Wales.

2.     The Welsh Government is also asked to continue to bring pressure to bear on the UK Government to ensure this.

1.    Cyngor Gwynedd asks the UK Government to allocate a fair share of the spending on the HS2 rail line in England to Wales.

2.    The Welsh Government is also asked to continue to bring pressure to bear on the UK Government to ensure this.

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

Following the horrific accident on the A4085 road near the village of Garreg, Llanfrothen in November 2023 which saw four young lads lose their lives, that Cyngor Gwynedd corresponds with the Westminster Government's Department for Transport asking them to look at updating the rules to obtain a graduated driving licence where young drivers cannot carry other young passengers without having had six months' driving experience after passing their test.

Following the horrific accident on the A4085 road near the village of Garreg, Llanfrothen in November 2023 which saw four young lads lose their lives, that Cyngor Gwynedd corresponds with the Westminster Government's Department for Transport asking them to look at updating the rules to obtain a graduated driving licence where young drivers cannot carry other young passengers without having had six months' driving experience after passing their test.

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

Changes by the Westminster Labour Government to agricultural inheritance tax have transformed Agricultural Property Relief (APR) so that all farms worth over a million pounds now have to pay inheritance tax.

The industry is under severe pressure and hedge fund managers are seeking the carbon trade off through a system of re-wilding and tree planting thus raising the value of agricultural land. This means that 100 acres of land that reaches the threshold or a farmhouse and self-catering cottage are worth over a million pounds.

This means that most farms in Gwynedd and Wales will have to pay huge amounts of tax with some going bankrupt or having to sell land which would render the farms unable to continue to farm.

I therefore call on Cyngor Gwynedd to ask the Welsh Government to reconsider their support for the Labour Party in Westminster and that the Welsh Government calls on the Westminster Government to reinstate the Agricultural Property Relief.

That Cyngor Gwynedd asks the Welsh Government to reconsider their support for the Labour Party in Westminster and that the Welsh Government calls on the Westminster Government to re-establish the Agricultural Property Relief.

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

That the Council

1. Notes:

- the significant shortage of NHS dental services in north Wales, and that there is a strong case for the establishment of a School of Dentistry in Bangor.

2. Believes:

- that dental services in north Wales are in a state of crisis. A severe shortage of NHS dentists in Gwynedd is leaving many patients, including children and vulnerable people, without proper access to basic dental care. This puts additional pressure on our emergency departments in the local hospitals due to a lack of access to dentists, resulting in additional costs and waiting times.

There is a need for more dental training. Unfortunately, a significant number of students wishing to study dentistry are forced to leave Wales due to a lack of capacity in schools of dentistry.

A new school of dentistry in Bangor could play a key role in training more dentists locally, offering a better chance of retaining the dental workforce in the region and providing essential services locally. The establishment of a school of dentistry in Bangor would provide good quality new jobs and attract investment to the local economy, supporting Bangor as a centre of excellence in health, alongside the new medical school. In addition, the school of dentistry could augment the provision of Welsh and bilingual dental services, improving access to healthcare for local Welsh-speaking communities.

3. Calls on:

The Council to support the campaign to establish a School of Dentistry at Bangor University, to write to our elected representatives in the Senedd to lobby the Welsh Government to consider the economic and public health case for the establishment of a school of dentistry in Bangor based on the key findings presented in the Filling the Gap report.

That the Council supports the campaign to establish a School of Dentistry at Bangor University, to write to our elected representatives in the Senedd to lobby the Welsh Government to consider the economic and public health case for the establishment of a school of dentistry in Bangor based on the key findings presented in the Filling the Gap report.

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

Given

-        That the Welsh Government has conducted a consultation on varying the Land Transaction Tax

-        That varying the tax would give the Council the opportunity to tackle effectively the rate at which second homes are purchased

-        That varying the tax would open the door for this Council to bring pressure to bear on the Government to give its fair share of the revenue derived from land tax

This Council calls on the Welsh Government to give Gwynedd a greater role in being able to decide on variations for the Land Transaction Tax.

Given

-       That the Welsh Government has conducted a consultation on varying the Land Transaction Tax

-       That varying the tax would give the Council the opportunity to tackle effectively the rate at which second homes are purchased

-       That varying the tax would open the door for this Council to bring pressure to bear on the Government to give its fair share of the revenue derived from land tax

This Council calls on the Welsh Government to give Gwynedd a greater role in being able to decide on variations for the Land Transaction Tax.

(1)  Letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Gwynfor Owen’s notice of motion to the 9th May, 2024 Council meeting regarding the frequency of trains on the Cambrian Coast Railway.

(2)  Letter from the UK Government in response to Councillor Elwyn Edwards’ notice of motion to the 3rd October, 2024 Council meeting regarding designating St. David’s Day as an official national holiday in Wales.