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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies had been received from Councillor Dyfed Edwards. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST Additional documents: Minutes: As a consequence of the
nature of Item 10, all members present declared an interest. As it was not a
prejudicial interest, members would have the right to participate in the
discussion and to vote on the matter. |
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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 22ND NOVEMBER 2016 PDF 254 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman signed the
minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 22 November 2016, as a true record. |
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THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION PROVISION IN YSGOL Y BERWYN CATCHMENT AREA PDF 343 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Gareth Thomas Additional documents:
Decision: To defer the consideration of recommendations in the report
to consider the latest correspondence received from the Church in Wales as well
as the legal opinion received. Allow time for officers to hold further local discussions. Minutes: The report was presented by
Cllr Gareth Thomas. RESOLVED To defer the consideration of
recommendations in the report to consider the latest correspondence received
from the Church in Wales as well as the legal opinion received. To allow time
for officers to hold further local discussions. DISCUSSION The Cabinet Member for
Education presented the situation following the recent correspondence with the
Church in Wales. He noted that the Cabinet had made a decision on 2 June 2015
to close Ysgol Bro Tegid, Ysgol Beuno Sant
and Ysgol y Berwyn and for a Welsh Medium 3-19
Learning Campus with Voluntary Controlled (VC), Church in Wales
status, to be opened in their place. The
plan had been progressing with the impact already being seen in Bala, with the cultural resources and 3G pitch
being used. It was emphasised that it
was a matter of governance that was under consideration here, and that the plan was continuing. In September 2016, the Head of
Education Department met with the Diocese in order to provide them with an
update on the plan. Shortly after the
meeting, a threatening letter had been received from the legal representatives
of the Diocese, referring to two main points.
Firstly: “The Diocese of St Asaph will not be able to consider such a
school so promoted as a Church in Wales school.”
And secondly: “For a local authority to force site trustees into a position
where their private value is unnecessarily reverted is most improper.” The
Cabinet Member noted that the situation was still developing, with the
Education Department in talks with the Diocese. The
Monitoring Officer noted that the legal process had been followed
appropriately. He had sought a further
explanation on some points noted, and he emphasised the importance of considering
this advice once it would be received. Comments arising: -
Astonishment that
the Church's correspondence had not given any consideration to the children's
Education, as this was central to the plan. -
Frustration due
to the delay in the project and the benefits stemming from it. -
Disbelief at the
developments, emphasising that this was a matter of governance, which would not
slow-down the construction work in any way. -
That information
regarding the situation needed to be shared in the local area. Awdur: Iwan T Jones |
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MATTER ARISING FROM THE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - FURTHER EFFICIENCY SAVINGS PDF 220 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Dafydd Meurig Additional documents: Decision: To accept the
implementation programme for the savings discussed at the Council Cabinet on 12
July 2016, and to meet the amount of £278,000 within alternative schemes noted
in part 3.7 - 3.18 of the report. Minutes: The report was presented by
Cllr Dafydd Meurig.
RESOLVED To accept the implementation
programme for the savings discussed at the Council Cabinet on 12 July 2016, and
to meet the amount of £278,000 within alternative schemes noted in part 3.7 -
3.18 of the report. DISCUSSION The Cabinet Member for Resources noted that the report
had been previously submitted to the Cabinet and that it had gone through the
Scrutiny process in the meantime. He
also noted that this was a scheme that met the need for efficiency savings in
the Regulatory Department, but that it achieved the aim in an alternative way
to what had been intended originally.
Originally, the intention had been to wind-up the Pest Control Service;
however, after Scrutiny had called in the decision, a decision had been made to
revisit the situation. After reviewing
the decision, it was concluded that the service could increase its income to
meet the required savings. Awdur: Dafydd W Williams |
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CO-LOCATING SERVICES PDF 317 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Dafydd Meurig Additional documents:
Decision: To commission the Corporate Property Service to assess the Property portfolio in specific locations across the County, with the aim of trying to identify opportunities for co-locating services in order to make the most efficient use of our buildings. Minutes: The report was presented by
Cllr Dafydd Meurig. RESOLVED To commission the Corporate
Property Service to assess the Property portfolio at specific locations across
the County, with the aim of trying to identify opportunities for co-locating
services in order to make the most efficient use of Council buildings. DISCUSSION The Cabinet Member for
Resources noted that the Property Service had been working since 2008 on
reducing the number of buildings owned by the Council. This work had become more difficult as the
property portfolio reduced; therefore, when looking at opportunities to make
the most efficient use of Council buildings, the Property Service would look
for opportunities to co-locate services. The Senior Corporate Property
Manager reiterated the observations of the Cabinet Member, and noted that the
Property Service intended to work with other partners in order to co-locate
services. He also added that the
Council's estate had been reduced by 25% since 2008. Comments arising from the discussion: -
Welcomed the
collaboration and common sense, but that there was a need to ensure that the
co-locating worked for the communities. Awdur: Dafydd Gibbard |
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TO LEASE THE FORMER BRON Y FOEL SCHOOL, Y FRON PDF 167 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Dafydd Meurig Additional documents: Decision: To use powers under
General Disposal Consent (Wales) 2003 to lease the former Bron
y Foel School site, Y Fron,
directly to Canolfan y Fron
for less than market rent, to ensure the provision of social, economic and
environmental benefits. Minutes: The report was presented by
Cllr Dafydd Meurig. RESOLVED To use powers under General
Disposal Consent (Wales) 2003 to lease the former Bron
y Foel School site, Y Fron,
directly to Canolfan y Fron
for less than market rent, to ensure the provision of social, economic and
environmental benefits. DISCUSSION The Cabinet Member for
Resources noted that the General Disposal Consent (Wales) 2003, allowed the
Council to lease property for less than market value and waive the opportunity
to dispose of the property and generate a capital return in cases where social,
economic or environmental benefits are provided. He noted that the School
Building Post-Use policy adopted by the Council Board in 2009 gave communities
affected by school organisation plans the first opportunity to present a
business plan in order to make community use of the buildings and keep them as
part of the community. The value of the
building on the open market was approximately £70,000 and a 99 year lease had
been offered. In October 2016, the group
received a grant of £945,000 of National Lottery CAT 2 funding. One of the grant's core conditions was that
it could not be used to fund the acquisition/lease of a property, and the
application succeeded on the basis that the Council would support the project
by providing the building. Comments arising from the
discussion: ·
Acknowledgement
that school organisation could be a painful process to the affected
communities, and that it was important to retain a community use for the building.
·
That it was
excellent news that such an investment had been attracted to Gwynedd,
and the group was congratulated for their commitment to the plan. ·
That there was
concern regarding the sustainability of the business plan, was there assurance
that the building would not be returned in a few years? In response, the Senior
Property Service Manager noted that the business plan had been assessed
thoroughly by the Property Service, as well as by the National Lottery during
the process of awarding the grant. Awdur: Dafydd Gibbard |
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BUDGETARY PRIORITIES AND SECONDARY SCHOOL BUDGETS PDF 311 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Dyfed Edwards & Gareth Thomas Additional documents: Decision:
i.
That the Cabinet commissions a plan for
inclusion in our 2017/18 Strategic Plan to assess where the protection line
should be for the Secondary Sector so as to use this information when setting
the budget for 2018/19; ii.
Accepting that discussions have started with
stakeholders on assessing the problem, it should be underlined that the new
Council needs to consider the results of these discussions early on in the
Council’s lifetime so as to establish a long term sustainable solution for the
Secondary sector; iii.
So as to buy time for this to happen, that the
Cabinet Member for Resources be asked to try and bridge for two years the
£298,990 that the Secondary sector is expected to find to be financed from
balances;
iv.
In order to avoid wasting resources through
redundancy and re-employment, that the Cabinet Member for Resources also be
asked to consider including bridging finance in his budget for 2017/18 for
those schools that would lose money because of the reduction in pupil numbers
and to also consider the use of individual school balances in any proposed
scheme. Minutes: The report was presented by
Councillor Gareth Thomas. RESOLVED
i.
That the Cabinet
commissions a plan for inclusion in our 2017/18 Strategic Plan to assess where
the protection line should be for the Secondary Sector so as to use this
information when setting the budget for 2018/19;
ii.
Accepting that
discussions have started with stakeholders on assessing the problem, it should
be underlined that the new Council needs to consider the results of these
discussions early on in the Council’s lifetime so as to establish a long term
sustainable solution for the Secondary sector;
iii.
So as to buy time
for this to happen, that the Cabinet Member for Resources be asked to try and
bridge for two years the £298,990 that the Secondary sector is expected to find
to be financed from balances; In
order to avoid wasting resources through redundancy and re-employment, that the
Cabinet Member for Resources also be asked to consider including bridging
finance in his budget for 2017/18 for those schools that would lose money
because of the reduction in pupil numbers and to also consider the use of
individual school balances in any proposed scheme. DISCUSSION The Cabinet Member for
Education noted that it had been obvious for some time that a sustainable
long-term solution needed to be found to the funding situation of Secondary
Education in Gwynedd and that work was in the pipeline to address that. Meanwhile, more schools were aiming for the
protection line, and questions were being asked as to whether or not that
protection line was in the right place. Therefore, it was timely that a plan
had been commissioned to revisit the level of the protection line for the
Secondary Sector. As there was a need to
consider the outcomes of discussions on the Secondary sector's future,
additional time would be needed to achieve the savings target of the Secondary
Sector if that was to be done without exacerbating the situation of Secondary
education within the county. It had also become apparent
that the total number of the county's secondary school pupils would fall in
2017/18 but would increase thereafter during the subsequent two years. As
funding for individual schools was allocated according to number of pupils, it
was therefore prudent to bridge the deficit that would be caused by the
reduction in pupil numbers. This meant that it would be possible for individual
schools to avoid staff redundancies and reappointments in a fairly short
period, avoiding redundancy costs and impact on pupils' education. He added that education
standards had gradually improved since 2012, and that maintaining the funding
would allow that improvement to continue. Comments
arising from the discussion: - That it was
a serious situation when pupil numbers fell and schools had to face losing
staff and endanger progress in standards. - That it was better to make early decisions to bridge the deficit before the
situation reached crisis-point. - Was there room for the schools to use their balances to bridge the deficit?
In response, ... view the full minutes text for item 10. Awdur: Dilwyn O Williams |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT: CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND LEISURE PDF 289 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Mair Rowlands Additional documents:
Decision: To accept
and note the information in the report. To
approve the re-profiling of a section of the efficiency savings scheme 'HAM4 -
More effective running of facilities' (a total of £256,500), from the 2017/18
to 2018/19 financial year.
Minutes: The
item was presented by Cllr Mair Rowlands.
RESOLVED To accept and note the information in the
report.
To approve
the re-profiling of a section of the efficiency savings scheme 'HAM4 - More
effective running of facilities' (a total of £256,500), from the 2017/18 to
2018/19 financial year. DISCUSSION The Cabinet Member for
Children, Young People and Leisure submitted her performance report. She reported that the Families First grant
would not be cut for 2017-18. Funding
would be available for the transitional period until October 2017, when
services would receive an offer to be re-commissioned with a three or four year
grant. He noted that general progress
had been seen in the performance measures, with an increase in the number of
young people who had received accreditations through the services. The work of remodelling youth services had
commenced, with the work of engaging with the young people taking place. The Flying Start Unit had drawn
attention to the fact that the performance measures were not necessarily the best
way of measuring their performance, specifically BC01, BC02, BC03 and BC04. The
unit had been working on new measures that would reflect their performance. There
was concern regarding measure SCC024 and SCC025, with work in progress to
convey the importance of the Personal Education Plan amongst schools in order
to improve SCC024. An increase had been
seen in SCC025 as there were more looked after children in Gwynedd, and work
was in progress to improve the recording of statutory visits in light of the
increased demand. She reported that the savings
schemes within the Children and Supporting Families department were being
delivered on time; however, as there had been an increase in the demand, an overspend of £168,000 was anticipated. She noted that all the relevant
savings schemes for 2016/17 in the Economy and Community Department had been
delivered, but that the Leisure Service had experienced difficulties
identifying the further savings in the 2017/18 scheme. The solution found was challenging and more
time would be needed to deliver the savings in full and avoid an overspend when transforming the service. Awdur: Iwan Trefor Jones |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT: CABINET MEMBER FOR EDUCATION PDF 179 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Gareth Thomas Additional documents:
Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. To approve the alternative
profile figures below for Scheme P7 Transformation of Additional Learning
Needs:
Minutes: The report was presented by Councillor Gareth Thomas. RESOLVED To accept and note the
information in the report. To approve the alternative
profile figures below for Scheme P7 Transformation of Additional Learning
Needs:
DISCUSSION The
Cabinet Member for Education reported that the performance of the Education
Department was generally good, in particular in the secondary sector. However, the performance of the primary
sector had remained static, in particular in the foundation phase; therefore,
it was now time to address the issue in more detail. The
Gwynedd KS4 results had been the best in Wales for four years now, and this was
to be praised. In order to maintain
these high standards, a County Quality Board had been established so that the
Authority and GwE could obtain a comprehensive
picture of the performance of the secondary and primary sectors. The implementation of the new model of
supporting schools was also coming into fruition: 89.2% of Gwynedd schools were
now categorised in the highest awards and none of Gwynedd's schools were in a
statutory category. He
noted that there was a need to reconcile and improve performance in the
subjects of Mathematics and English, and work had commenced with Bangor
University in order to identify prospective teachers and train them. An
element of progress had been made in identifying savings in the department;
however, collaboration with Anglesey to deliver the savings of the
Transformation of Additional Learning Needs and Inclusion Provision scheme had
led to a slippage in the timetable due to discussions to enter into a formal
partnership. This slippage meant that
there was a need to re-profile the savings scheme. Awdur: Iwan Trefor Jones |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT: CABINET MEMBER FOR RESOURCES PDF 286 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/Cllr. Peredur Jenkins Additional documents:
Decision: To accept
and note the information in the report. To send a letter to Welsh
Government requesting that they ensure that any Apprenticeship Levy payments
made be returned to the Council in order to employ apprentices. Minutes: The report was presented by Cllr Peredur
Jenkins. RESOLVED To accept and note the information in the report. To send a
letter to Welsh Government requesting that they ensure that any Apprenticeship
Levy payments made be returned to the Council in order to employ apprentices. DISCUSSION The Cabinet
Member for Resources reported that he was generally comfortable with the level
of performance in his portfolio. He
noted that Vanguard had come to the Council to hold training and that a Ffordd Gwynedd leader development programme was in progress.
Progress had been made as a result of adopting
the IT Strategy, with a focus on developing self-service. He
noted that £7.6 million of efficiency savings schemes were being addressed, and
this meant that the Council's strategy and financial position was more robust. The
Council would have to pay an Apprenticeship Levy to the Westminster Government
in the future, and this would equate to approximately £600,000 in additional
costs. It was unclear how much of this
total would be returned to Wales through the Barnett Formula, and that the
Assembly had not shared any plans regarding its expenditure with the
Council. In an attempt to seek clarity
on the issue, a suggestion was made to send a letter to the Assembly requesting
further information. Awdur: Dilwyn O Williams |