Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
Contact: Annes Siôn 01286 679729
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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillor Dyfed 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 PDF 246 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman signed the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held
on 17 January 2017, as a true record. |
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COUNCIL PLAN 2017-18 PDF 225 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. Dyfed Edwards Additional documents:
Decision: To approve
the Strategic Plan 2017/18 for submission to the Council on 2 March 2017. Minutes: The item was
submitted by Hawis Jones RESOLVED To approve
the Strategic Plan 2017/18 for submission to the Council on 2 March 2017. DISCUSSION This was the Council's
Plan which noted the Council's plans for the coming year. The original
strategic plan had been approved by the Council in 2013 and this Plan was an
extension of that said Plan. This year's
plan had a different feature as the Council's day-to-day work had been
incorporated within the Plan. The plan was
set in place to link with the Well-being of Future Generations Act, and it
demonstrated what the Council was doing to achieve its well-being objectives.
It was noted that transformational work was needed in some fields and the
improvement plans were to be seen at the end of the plan. It was added that an
Equality Assessment had been created. Matters arising from the discussion: -
One
well-being objective was for Gwynedd to be responsible on a Global level -
Gwynedd was relatively small but it was possible to play a small part such as
welcoming refugees. -
It
was a difficult time for Local Government; however the plan had a clear
ambition. -
The
members looked forward to the outcome of the needs assessment that would form
the next plan. The importance of looking
at long term projects was emphasised. -
A
question was asked as to how the Plan would be shared with Gwynedd residents -
would it be through the website or would it be available in various locations? It was
emphasised that the Plan would be available at libraries, leisure centres and
at Siop Gwynedd centres in order for residents to
view it in various locations. It was suggested that this should be advertised
through Newyddion Gwynedd. Awdur: Hawis Jones |
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FUTURE OF EDUCATION PROVISION IN THE BALA CATCHMENT AREA PDF 410 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Gareth Thomas Additional documents:
Decision: To consult with the governing bodies of the schools of
the Berwyn Catchment-area on the option to abandon the proposal to establish a
Voluntary Controlled 3-19 Learning Campus (VC, Church in Wales) in the town of
Bala, in accordance with section 55 (5) of the Schools Standards and
Organisation Act 2013 - with the intention to return to the Cabinet to report
on the outcome of the consultation and make recommendations on the way forward. Minutes: The item was
submitted by Cllr Gareth Thomas RESOLVED To consult with the governing
bodies of the schools of Berwyn Catchment-area on the option to abandon the
proposal to establish a Voluntary Controlled 3-19 Learning Campus (VC, Church
in Wales) in the town of Bala, in accordance with section 55 (5) of the 2013
Schools Standards and Organisation Act - with the intention to return to the
Cabinet to report on the outcome of the consultation and make recommendations
on the way forward. DISCUSSION Cllr Gareth Thomas reminded members
of the background of the scheme. It was noted that a consultation period had
been held on the proposal, namely to close Ysgol y Berwyn, Ysgol Bro Tegid and
Ysgol Beuno Sant and establish a new 3-19 Voluntary Controlled school (VC,
Church in Wales), on the existing Ysgol y Berwyn site back in 2015. Although there was objection to the Church School status, a compromise
had been reached and the Cabinet had approved the proposal in September 2015. During July 2016, the Head of Education had
held a meeting with Church Officials, and following the meeting the department
had received a letter highlighting the right to promote the school and the
school site. The letter had been received a day before the meeting of the
Cabinet was held in December 2016 and the item had been deferred from the
Cabinet meeting. It was noted that discussions had been held
with the community regarding the letter and this had reignited objections to
the Church School status. Letters had arrived from the schools' Governing
Bodies stating that they did not support the new school with a church status,
and additionally more than 1,000 people had signed a petition objecting to the
church status. Councillor Gareth Thomas explained that a letter had been
received from the Diocese of St Asaph noting the Church's stance. One of the things to consider was whether or
not there was a significant change to the plan. The main change was that the
trust between both partners, the community and the Church had been affected. It
was noted that there was a need to hold a consultation in order to gather the
opinion of the school Governing Bodies on abandoning the option. Matters arising from the discussion: -
A
lifelong learning school was about more than education, it brought the
community together, and there was a need to ensure that the community was happy
with the development to ensure its success and to get the maximum benefit from
a lifelong learning campus. -
As
the building work was already in commencement, it was asked whether there was
any risk to the funding due to any delay caused by the consultation. - It was noted that the project's business case was in regard to establishing the school. The Business Plan focused on three things - empty spaces, the condition of the buildings and value for money. Any potential change to the project would involve contacting the Government and the project ... view the full minutes text for item 7. Awdur: Arwyn Thomas |
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WELSH IN EDUCATION STRATEGIC PLAN 2017-20 PDF 137 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. Gareth Thomas Additional documents:
Decision: To approve the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan for 2017-2020, before
the Authority submits it to Welsh Government for approval. Minutes:
Awdur: Arwyn Thomas |
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CONSULTATION TO REVISE SCHOOL GOVERNANCE PDF 437 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Gareth Thomas Additional documents: Decision: To respond to the Consultation to Review School Governance by noting:
I.
That the authority agrees to the proposal that LEA Governors need to meet the skills criteria.
II.
That
the Authority agrees that elected members from an LEA should not be
disqualified from being a Governor. III.
That
Gwynedd Council states to the Consultation that it is of the opinion that the
review is insufficiently far-reaching to create a fit-for-purpose governance
system. Minutes: The report was
submitted by Councillor Gareth Thomas. RESOLVED In response
to the Consultation to Revise School Governance: I.
That the authority agrees to the proposal that LEA Governors meet the
Skills Criteria. II.
That the Authority agrees that elected members from an LEA should not be
disqualified from being a Governor.
III.
That Gwynedd Council states to the Consultation that it is of the opinion
that the review is insufficiently far-reaching to create a fit-for-purpose
governance system. DISCUSSION It was noted
that the school governance arrangement was one that had been in place since
1988. The arrangement was based on Governors being stakeholders in the schools.
Councillor Gareth Thomas thanked the hundreds of people who volunteered as
Governors. The Government had commissioned a task and finish group to look at
school governance. It was
emphasised that the group's main recommendation was that a shift was required
away from the current stakeholders model towards a stakeholders plus model. It
was noted that this would give governing bodies the flexibility and freedom to
recruit additional governors based on their required skills. It was noted
that there was mention of associated members being part of the governing body,
however they would not be full members despite having a right to vote - it was
emphasised that aspects such as this were vague. It was also expressed, when
appointing a head teacher or a deputy teacher that an independent person was
needed on that specific panel and that the head teacher or the education
officer should have a vote on the panel. It was noted
that the Governors' situation had changed in recent years, the responsibilities
were very substantial such as disciplinary and redundancy matters and staff
appointments. Comments arising
from the discussion: -
Previous arrangements made schools independent, but over recent years the
culture had become more of a partnership, and there was possibly a need to
extend to catchment-area governing bodies. The consultation had looked at the framework and had tried to change the framework gradually rather than making one big change. It was felt that the framework was not
radical enough or far-reaching enough. Awdur: Arwyn Thomas |
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Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. Mair Rowlands Additional documents:
Decision:
I.
To designate the Bangor, Dolgellau, Ffestiniog and Porthmadog
Well-being areas as pilot areas in Gwynedd that will implement the childcare
offer during 2017-18. II.
As the Government increased the number of children
who will participate in the pilot after the report was published in the Cabinet
agenda, to delegate powers to the Cabinet Member to designate more areas to the
scheme based on the areas that currently have the least provision. III.
To commit to receiving grant resources to undertake
the pilot (outline amount available from the Government to Gwynedd and Anglesey
is £1,869,719 but to be amended according to the number of children
participating in the pilot). IV.
To agree to establish a Gwynedd
and Anglesey Childcare Unit for 2017-18. Minutes:
Awdur: Sioned Owen |
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NORTH WALES POPULATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT PDF 217 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. W Gareth Roberts a Cyng / Cllr Mair Rolands Additional documents:
Decision: To recommend
that the Full Council approves the North Wales Population Needs Assessment report produced as a requirement
of the Social Services and
Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Minutes: The item was submitted by Cllr Mair Rowlands. RESOLVED To recommend that the Full Council
approves the North Wales Population Needs Assessment report produced as a
requirement of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. DISCUSSION It was noted
that this work was regional, and that the Regional Steering Group had been
responsible for coordinating the assessment. This had been done by
strategically leading engagement and establishing technical and specific groups
according to the need. The assessment was a record of how things were now, it
did not note the work plans and these would be published following the
assessment. It was
expressed that the work on the assessment was commendable, and it crystallized
the region's care needs. Dilwyn Williams noted that the Social Services Act
noted that an assessment of the Gwynedd area was needed in order to respond to
the requirements of the act. Going through the full report, the assessment of
Gwynedd's situation was included here and there but it was emphasised that the
next step would be to ask for a clearer report of the situation in Gwynedd
specifically. Matters arising from
the discussion: It was noted that this had highlighted that regional working could be confusing Awdur: Rhion Glyn |
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REVENUE BUDGET 2016-17 - THIRD QUARTER REVIEW PDF 71 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Peredur Jenkins Additional documents:
Decision: I.
To accept the report on the third quarter review of
the Revenue Budget (position as at 31 December 2016) and consider the latest
financial position regarding the budgets of each department/service, and ask
the Cabinet Members and the relevant heads of department to take appropriate
steps regarding matters under their leadership/management. ynglŷn â materion o dan eu harweiniad/rheolaeth. II.
To transfer (£115k) from the Regulatory Department
to the Council's general balances to fulfil the Council's priorities. III.
To harvest (£250k) from the favourable
Council Tax collections,(£180k) from the Benefits underspend, (£600k) reserve
budget, together with (£250k) of the underspend included within 'Other' to the
Council's general balances, with £1,055k of the sum (£756k 2017/18 and £299k
2018/19) to be used specifically to finance obligations in the Education field
that have already been approved by the Cabinet on 13 December 2016. Minutes: The report was submitted by Cllr Peredur
Jenkins. RESOLVED I.
To accept the report on the third quarter review of
the Revenue Budget (position as at 31 December 2016) and consider the latest
financial position regarding the budgets of each department/service, and ask
the Cabinet Members and the relevant heads of department to take appropriate
steps regarding matters under their leadership/management. II.
To transfer (£115k) from the Regulatory Department
to the Council's general balances to fulfil the Council's priorities.
III.
To harvest (£250k) from the favourable Council Tax collections,(£180k)
from the Benefits underspend, (£600k) reserve budget, together with (£250k) of
the underspend included within 'Other' to the Council's general balances, with
£1,055k of the sum (£756k 2017/18 and £299k 2018/19) to be used specifically to
finance obligations in the Education field that have already been approved by
the Cabinet on 13 December 2016. DISCUSSION It was the Cabinet’s responsibility
to take action, as necessary, in order to secure appropriate control over the
Council’s budgets (e.g. approval of significant virements
or supplementary budgets). Additionally, it was noted that a summary outline of
the position of each Department was included in the appendix, and further
details of the main issues were to be seen in Appendix 2. It was explained that a favourable income position was to be seen in the
Regulatory Department where there was an underspend in excess of (£100k), and
accordingly it was recommended to transfer the underspend to the Council's
General Balances. It was also noted that the Corporate Department would
transfer underspend from the Council Tax base, Benefits, reserve budget and
other headings within the budget to the Council's Balances in order to fulfil
the Council's priorities. The position was acceptable across the departments, with a good commitment
to managing finance across the departments. It was emphasised that the reports
had been before the Audit Panel the previous week. Matters arising from the discussion: Although there
was an overspend in the Children's Department, it was a relatively small percentage when looking at the figures in greater detail. Awdur: Dafydd Edwards |
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CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2016/17 - THIRD QUARTER REVIEW PDF 152 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Peredur Jenkins Additional documents: Decision: To accept the report on the third quarter review (31 December 2016
position) of the capital programme, and approve the revised financing as shown
in part 4 of the report, that is: - An
increase of £2.059m in the use of other borrowing - A
decrease of £1.871m in the use of grants and contributions - A
decrease of £0.077m in the use of capital receipts - An
increase of £0.470m in the use of revenue contributions - An
increase of £0.177m in the use of renewal and other reserves Minutes: The report was submitted by Cllr Peredur
Jenkins. RESOLVED To
accept the report on the third quarter review (31 December 2016 position) of
the capital programme, and approve the revised financing as shown in part 4 of
the report, that is: -
An
increase of £2.059m in the use of other borrowing -
A
decrease of £1.871m in the use of grants and contributions -
A
decrease of £0.077m in the use of capital receipts -
An
increase of £0.470m in the use of revenue contributions -
An
increase of £0.177m in the use of renewal and other reserves DISCUSSION It was noted that it was a technical report and was part of the 2016/17
budget monitoring procedure. It was emphasised that firm schemes were in place
to invest £31.592m with £8.024m of it being financed by attracting specific
grants, it was noted that this was a very substantial amount. All the relevant
officers were thanked for their work on attracting these grants in the
interests of the people of Gwynedd. It was noted that £6.040m had been re-profiled from 2016/17 to 2017/18, but
it was confirmed that no loss of funding was caused to the Council where
schemes had slipped. Councillor Peredur Jenkins also explained that during the Council term
the total investment and capital commitments amounted to £180m, with £82m funded
by attracting specific grants and contributions. The investment was as follows: -
Highway
Maintenance - £11.9m -
Street
Lighting Renewal: £1.4m -
Pont Briwet- £21.7m -
Storiel, Bangor- £2.1m -
Pwllheli Sailing Academy- £9.1m -
Blaenau
Ffestiniog Regeneration - £4.2m -
Caernarfon
Town Regeneration - £1.7m -
Waste
Plans - £9.7m -
Carbon
Management Plans - £6m -
Access
to the Coast - £3.5m -
Gwynedd
Schools - £58.8m Matters arising from the discussion: -
High
praise for the Council for being able to attract so much investment, and the
investment was to be seen across the County.
-
There
was a need to be proud of the £58.8m invested in education in Gwynedd. Awdur: Dafydd Edwards |
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2017/18 BUDGET AND 2017/18 - 2019/20 FINANCIAL STRATEGY PDF 140 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Peredur Jenkins Additional documents:
Decision: a) To
recommend to the Council (at its meeting on 2 March 2017) that: - A budget
of £231,299,720 should be set for 2017/18, to be funded by £168,963,540 of
Government Grant and £62,336,180 Council Tax income, with an increase of 2.8%. - Establish
a capital programme of £12.015m in 2017/18 and £6.410m in 2018/19 to be funded
from sources noted in clause 9.3 of the appendix. b) To note
the Medium Term Financial Plan in Appendix 4, and adopt the strategy which is
in part 15-17 of the Plan. Minutes: The report was submitted by Cllr Peredur
Jenkins. RESOLVED a) To recommend to the Council (at its
meeting on 2 March 2017) that: -
A
budget of £231,299,720 should be set for 2017/18, to be funded by £168,963,540
of Government Grant and £62,336,180 of Council Tax income, with an increase of
2.8%. -
Establish
a capital programme of £12.015m in 2017/18 and £6.410m in 2018/19 to be funded
from sources noted in clause 9.3 of the appendix. b) To note the Medium Term Financial
Plan in Appendix 4, and adopt the strategy which is in part 15-17 of the Plan. DISCUSSION It was noted as a Council that the Welsh Audit Officer praised the
Council's financial planning arrangements, however it was noted that it was
becoming difficult to anticipate the level of grant received from Welsh
Government and it was therefore difficult to plan. Consequently, it was noted
that the figures in the medium term financial strategy were the best
projection. A broad consultation on the financial strategy and the Council Tax had been
held through 4 seminars with Elected Members and the Audit Committee. It was
noted that the consultation had shown that they were in agreement on the budget
for the coming year. Local Government Finance came from two sources - from Welsh Government and
Council Tax. The amount received from
Welsh Government was currently £169m, 74% of the Council's budget. There was an
increase of £1.8m since last year, equating to 1.1%, which was higher than what
was seen across Wales, 0.3% on average. There were additional expenditure requirements of £11m which was
unavoidable expenditure including salary inflation, pensions, other inflation,
service income adjustments, etc. As noted in the previous report, £1.1m of corporate underspend had been
earmarked for schools, by transferring the money to Council balances. Despite
this action, the Council would continue to keep Council balances at the minimum
balances suggested last year, which was £4.4m. The Cabinet Member for Resources proposed to increase Council Tax by
2.8%, which was lower than the percentage noted the previous year.
Additionally, it was emphasised that there were no decisions on any further
cuts for 2017/18. It was noted that the report contained capital figures that noted the
minimum investment level, but that a detailed review was being undertaken with
the Asset Strategy, that would be published during the summer months, and would
add to the programme. Matters arising from the discussion: -
It was
expressed that it was difficult to strike the right balance between making
savings and increasing Council Tax, and a 2.8% increase was considered to be a
fair balance. Awdur: Dafydd Edwards |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT PDF 319 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. John Wynn Jones Additional documents:
Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. To approve the following alternative profile figures for delivering the
Carbon Management Scheme:
Minutes: The report was submitted by Cllr John Wynn
Jones. RESOLVED To
accept and note the information in the report. To
approve the following alternative profile figures for delivering the Carbon
Management Scheme:
DISCUSSION Cllr John Wynn Jones noted that he was happy with the performance of
Environmental services. He emphasised that the percentage for waste and recycling had increased
to 62.2% and this was a substantial increase. In addition to this it was noted
that there had been a reduction in the percentage of urban waste sent to
landfill from 34.24% in 2015/16 to 27.9%. With fees for garden waste collection
service introduced since January, 10,000 had made the payment and it was
expected that the number would rise. In relation to the standard of the roads, there had been a reduction in funding
and consequently there had been an element of decline. The Consultancy
Department had made a profit of £5,313 this year, and this was one of the
department's main measures. It was noted with the Carbon Management Plan that there was a need to
re-profile in order for savings to be realised and the changes have been noted
under the 'decision' heading. Awdur: Dilwyn Williams |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE ECONOMY AND COMMUNITY DEPARTMENT PDF 237 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Mandy Williams-Davies Additional documents:
Decision: To accept the report and approve re-profiling the efficiency savings
scheme 'EaCh9a' - Neuadd Buddug (£16,000) from the
2017/18 financial year with £9,330 to be realised in 2018/19 and £6,670 to be
realised in 2019/20. Minutes: The report was submitted by Cllr Mandy
Williams-Davies. DECISION To
accept the report and approve re-profiling the efficiency savings scheme 'EaCh9a'
- Neuadd Buddug (£16,000) from the 2017/18 financial
year with £9,330 to be realised in 2018/19 and £6,670 to be realised in
2019/20. DISCUSSION In looking at High Value jobs, Councillor Mandy Williams-Davies noted that
the digital field was thriving. Referring to Digital Gwynedd, she emphasised
that 78% of properties in Gwynedd now had superfast broadband - which was
higher than other counties. It was noted that the World Heritage Site bid would be submitted following
the nomination in September 2017. It was emphasised there had been a 30%
increase in the number of visits to the Snowdonia Mountains and Coast website,
this was as a result of people receiving information via different methods. Observations arising from the discussion -
Despite the increase in the number of homes with superfast broadband it was
important to note that some areas were still without the service, and although
there had been development there was still a need to work on the matter. Awdur: Dilwyn Williams |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR PLANNING AND REGULATORY PDF 209 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. Dafydd Meurig Additional documents:
Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. Minutes: The report was submitted by Cllr Dafydd Meurig.
DECISION To
accept and note the information in the report. DISCUSSION It was emphasised
that performance challenging was necessary, and recently he
had been challenging officers to ensure they were measuring
the right elements. He noted that the statistics were now much clearer
but there was a need to push further
in order to create graphs that
would be useful for people to understand. Awdur: Dilwyn Williams |