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Contact: Sophie Hughes 01286 679729
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Minutes: Cabinet Members and
Officers were welcomed to the meeting. An apology was received from Councillor Dyfed Wyn Edwards. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST Additional documents: Minutes: There were no declarations of personal interest. |
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URGENT ITEMS Additional documents: Minutes: There were no urgent items. |
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MATTERS ARISING FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY Additional documents: Minutes: There were no matters arising from overview and scrutiny. |
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MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 13 SEPTEMBER 2016 PDF 255 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman signed the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 13 September 2016, as a true record. |
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IMPLICATIONS OF THE EUROPE REFFERENDUM RESULT FOR GWYNEDD PDF 121 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Mandy Williams-Davies Additional documents: Decision: To accept the report and consider at the earliest opportunity the internal procedures that should be put in place to monitor the effects of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union on the county continually during the coming period and convey messages to the Westminster Government and Welsh Government. Minutes: The item was submitted
by Cllr Mandy Williams-Davies. RESOLVED To
accept the report and consider at the earliest opportunity the internal
procedures that should be put in place so that the effects of the United
Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union on the county can be monitored
continually during the coming period and convey messages to the Westminster
Government and Welsh Government. DISCUSSION Councillor
Mandy Williams-Davies noted that the United Kingdom's decision to leave the
European Union had a profound impact on Gwynedd, including on the economy,
pensions and the environment. Attention was drawn to the list of valuable
projects that had been partially funded by funding from Europe since 2007. It
was emphasised that there was a need to voice opinions and portray the county's
uniqueness. The
Members noted the following main points:- ·
The list of projects was confirmation of the
substantial investment realised in Gwynedd as a result of funding from Europe ·
Concern in terms of uncertainty for the
future ·
The need to campaign for Gwynedd's best
interests, ensuring a voice for Gwynedd in Cardiff and Westminster ·
The need to be clear and coherent to
safeguard Gwynedd's interests ·
Concern in terms of the effect on higher
education in the county, considering that around half of Bangor University's
research income comes from Europe ·
There would also be opportunities in times of
change that we should make the most of ·
Gwynedd would be much poorer without the
funding that was received from Europe ·
There is a role for the North Wales Ambition
Board ·
Concern that the focus would be on economic
projects rather than on supporting people through schemes such as OPUS and TRAC
11-24* ·
The need to ensure that funding set aside for
funding under the European Union programmes until 2020 would come to Gwynedd ·
There was considerable concern in the
agricultural sector and this sector should be included when lobbying Iwan Trefor
Jones (Corporate Director) noted that it was essential that the United Kingdom
have access to the single market in order to take advantage of funding from the
European Investment Bank to carry out infrastructure plans. He added that
Gwynedd needed to be part of the discussions when negotiating commercial
contracts with other countries and regions. It was emphasised that the North
Wales Ambition Board had a role to play in identifying opportunities and
threats. It was noted that, due to the situation being unclear at the moment, the Leadership Team should consider having a mechanism in place to respond to the situation as it develops, in order to ensure lobbying in the right place at the right time. Awdur: Sioned Williams |
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HARLECH AND ARDUDWY LEISURE LEISURE ENTERPRISE PDF 242 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllrs. Mandy Williams-Davies a Mair Rowlands Additional documents:
Decision: Subject to the six Community
Councils contributing in accordance with the funding model outlined in section
4.3 of the report, to commit financial contributions to "Harlech & Ardudwy Leisure"
towards the swimming pool by - • prejudicing the success of the application for additional
permanent funding of £6,000 from 2017/18 onwards as part of the joint financial
package with the local community councils. • asking the Head of Finance Department to assign £20,000 in the
second quarter review of the 2016/17 budget, so as to release a one-off
bridging payment in 2016/17 for the period up to 31 March 2017. Minutes: The item was submitted
by Councillors Mandy Williams-Davies and Mair
Rowlands. RESOLVED Subject
to the six Community Councils contributing in accordance with the funding model
outlined in section 4.3 of the report, to commit making financial contributions
to "Harlech & Ardudwy
Leisure" towards the swimming pool by – • prejudicing the success of the application for
additional permanent funding of £6,000 from 2017/18 onwards as part of the
joint financial package with the local community councils. • asking the Head of Finance Department to
assign £20,000 in the second quarter review of the 2016/17 budget, so as to
release a one-off bridging payment in 2016/17 for the period up to 31 March
2017. DISCUSSION Cllr
Mandy Williams-Davies noted that community councils should be praised for taking
responsibility to ensure the resource. This was an example of the Council
collaborating with the local community to ensure that an important resource for
the community is saved whilst sending a message that the Council is ready to
collaborate with partners when looking at the way it provides services in the
future. Members noted their appreciation of the community councils' willingness to take some of the financial burden to protect the resource. Awdur: Catrin Thomas |
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THE COUNCIL'S COMPLAINTS AND SERVICE IMPROVEMENT REPORTS PDF 200 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Ioan Thomas Additional documents:
Decision: To accept the reports. Minutes: The report was submitted
by Cllr Ioan Thomas. RESOLVED To
accept the reports. DISCUSSION Cllr
Ioan Thomas noted that one objective of the new
procedure in terms of corporate complaints, that
became operative on 1 April 2015, was to bring a specific benefit to the
citizen by focussing on the solution instead of the process. It was emphasised
that listening to the citizen's voice and learning from the experiences and
disseminating good practice was at the core of the new procedure. It was noted
that it was not possible to compare with previous years due to it being a new
procedure. Cllr.
W. Gareth Roberts referred to the report in relation to the social services'
complaints procedure, drawing attention to the fall in formal investigations
reducing as a result of the effort made to try to have a local/informal
solution. It was noted that lessons would be learnt from the tendencies to
prevent the same thing from happening again. It
was explained that an individual had the right to appeal to the Ombudsman if
they were dissatisfied with the Council's formal response. Attention was drawn
to an amended letter that was accepted by the Ombudsman, which showed that the
Council compared favourably on a national level with local authorities,
National Parks and the Health Services in terms of the time it took to resolve
complaints. It was noted that a 44% decrease was seen in the number of
complaints that were referred to the Ombudsman. The
Chief Executive referred to the statistics in the amended letter received from
the Ombudsman, which showed that the Council had not responded within three
weeks to the Ombudsman’s request for information. He explained that, whilst
needing to ensure information so that the Ombudsman was able to appropriately
consider a complaint, giving priority to it every time could not be justified
because it would mean removing officers from their day to day work to produce
information to respond to one application, and this would have an effect on the
services provided for residents. Considering the lack of resources, a slippage
in the time it took to respond was to be expected. The
above observation was corroborated by members, noting that a balance was needed
in terms of a timely response and providing services. The Service Improvement Officer was thanked for her enthusiasm in dealing with complaints in order to improve. Awdur: Iwan Evans |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT: CABINET MEMBER FOR ADULTS, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PDF 173 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. W Gareth Roberts Additional documents: Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. Minutes: The report was submitted
by Cllr W. Gareth Roberts. RESOLVED To
accept and note the information in the report. DISCUSSION Cllr
W. Gareth Roberts drew specific attention to Project G7 'Capacity and Sustainability of the Care and Health System',
noting that the project was added to the Strategic Plan this year due to great
concern with regard to the current problems in terms of care and health
provisions, within the older people field specifically. It was noted that there
was a lack of staff in the field to provide the service, including nurses and
home carers. It was noted that problems were highlighted by the performance
under the measure SCA/001 - The rate of delayed transfers of care for social
care reasons per 1,000 population aged 75 or over. It was noted that there was a high percentage of cases of delay in the
South Meirionnydd area where there was a lack of provision and that the Council
would be addressing this issue. He noted that collaborating with the Health Service
was vital to providing a service in a different way and that there was a need
to look at the recruitment problem, and identify the obstacles nationally. Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn referred to the proposal to develop Llys Cadfan Residential Home in order to be able to offer additional nursing support that would allow individuals to stay in the residential home longer and avoid being admitted into a nursing home. He welcomed the proposal, noting that the new care model attempted to address the gap in the provision. Awdur: Morwena Edwards |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT: CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND LEISURE PDF 167 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Mair Rowlands Additional documents:
Decision: •
To accept and note the information in the report. • Send a letter to Carl Sargeant
AM, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children and Mark Drakeford
AM, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government drawing attention to the
practical effect of receiving later information regarding grants for preventative
work, and asking for more assurances in terms of funding preventative services
for groups of vulnerable children and young people in the County. Minutes: The report was submitted
by Cllr Mair Rowlands. RESOLVED ·
To accept and note the information in the
report. ·
Send a letter to Carl Sargeant
AM, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children and Mark Drakeford
AM, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, drawing attention to
the practical impact of receiving information regarding grants for preventative
work belatedly, and asking for more assurances in terms of funding preventative
services for groups of vulnerable children and young people in the County. DISCUSSION Cllr
Mair Rowlands drew specific attention to Project P8, 'Early Intervention for groups of
vulnerable children and young people in Gwynedd', noting that the grant
funding for Families First would be coming to an end in March 2017 and that
there was uncertainty in terms of financing the project in future. This created
instability for staff, creating a risk of losing staff that had developed
expertise, and this then hindering the preventative service provided. It was
reported that bridging arrangements were in place to be able to give some
assurance for staff. It was noted that the Leadership Team would receive an
update in during November. Iwan Trefor
Jones (Corporate Director) added that Welsh Government were currently reviewing
grants, and combining grants for supporting people and together was being
considered. It was noted that the council was keen to ensure that this
preventative agenda would continue in order to try to prevent children and
young people from becoming dependent on statutory services. The
Chief Executive suggested that sending a letter to Carl Sargeant
AM, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children and Mark Drakeford
AM, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government should be considered to
draw attention to the practical effect of receiving information regarding
grants for preventative work belatedly, and asking for more assurances in terms
of funding preventative services for groups of vulnerable children and young
people in the County. Reference was made to the IEU05 'Number of accreditations that young people receive through the Youth Service' performance measure. The work was praised and reference was made to the 27% increase in the number of accreditations received during 2015-16. Cllr Mair Rowlands noted that she would convey the message to the officers. Awdur: Iwan Trefor Jones |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT: CABINET MEMBER FOR EDUCATION PDF 163 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Gareth Thomas Additional documents:
Decision: To accept and note the information in the
report. Minutes: The item was submitted
by Cllr Gareth Thomas. RESOLVED To
accept and note the information in the report. DISCUSSION Cllr
Gareth Thomas drew specific attention to the conditional results of Summer 2016 which showed that the performance in Gwynedd was
generally good across all key stages. It was highlighted that there was room
for improvement at the Foundation Phase because results had stayed static over
the past few years and that 2016 A Level results showed that 96.2% had gained
A*-E grades at A level. This figure is -1.1% lower than the national figure and
is the lowest figure in North Wales. Key
Stage 4 was referred to, and it was noted that a substantial increase of +5.2%
could be seen in the percentage of those crossing the Level 2+ threshold (the
equivalent of five GCSEs grades A to C including Welsh or English and
Mathematics). The performance suggested that Gwynedd could be placed second
among all Welsh authorities. Attention was drawn to the 13.5% increase in the
TL+2 performance measure since the beginning of the
current council period in 2012, and that it was a substantial improvement in
the performance of pupils taking GCSEs. The
opportunity was taken to thank the staff at all the schools and the Department
of Education for their work in terms of addressing standards. The increase
would not have been possible without their commitment. It
was noted that great progress was made in the attendance percentage of
secondary schools. Gwynedd was the first authority to reach a greater than 95%
attendance for secondary and special schools, with the secondary schools
reporting an average of 95.16%, placing Gwynedd first in terms of authorities
in Wales. In
response to a question from a member, as to why Ysgol
Morfa Nefyn was under an
authority monitoring category, even though the school had been judged
outstanding in all criteria under the ESTYN inspection. Cllr Gareth Thomas
explained that the attendance of pupils came under consideration from ESTYN
and, if the attendance was lower, the school moved directly into monitoring authority
category. The work of the schools was praised, noting that the improvement was encouraged. Awdur: Iwan Trefor Jones |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT: CABINET MEMBER FOR RESOURCES PDF 313 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Peredur Jenkins Additional documents:
Decision: To accept and note the information in the
report. Minutes: The
report was submitted by Cllr Peredur Jenkins. RESOLVED To accept and note the information in the report. DISCUSSION Cllr
Peredur Jenkins notes that two things need to be
corrected in this report, which are: ·
change paragraph 1.1. to read
"...in the fields that I am responsible for as Cabinet Member for Resources." ·
there was no
representation from the Corporate Scrutiny Committee at the Management Team
meeting, there will be representation at the next meeting Project
C1 'Implementing Ffordd
Gwynedd' was referred to, and it was noted that the number of reviews held
during 2016-17 had decreased from 12 to 7 to ensure that detailed work would be
done. Attention was drawn to project C2
'Development of Leaders Programme'. It was explained that, even though the
work at the senior officers level was ongoing, as
expected, there was concern about its suitability for Cabinet Members. It was
noted that it was decided that the project would concentrate on the senior
officers over the next months, re-visiting the needs of Cabinet Members early
in 2017. It was confirmed that the efficiency savings that
were planned by the end of March 2017 had been realised and further efficiency
plans were discovered to be realised in accordance with the timetable. In response to an observation from a member that
the performance of the Department of Education in terms of paying invoices
within 30 days impacted on the performance measure Percentage of the invoices that were paid within 30 days (across the
Council), it was noted that discussions had been held with the Cabinet
Member for Education and that a work programme has been established to deal
with the matter. Cllr Gareth Thomas added that establishing regional offices
would reduce the burden on the Heads and he was confident that the performance
would improve. Awdur: Dilwyn Williams |