Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
Contact: Annes Siôn 01286 679490
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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Minutes: Cabinet
Members and Officers were welcomed to the meeting. No
apologies were received. |
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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 21 MAY AND 4 JUNE 2019 PDF 95 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair
signed the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 21 May 2019 and 4 June 2019,
as a true record. |
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ANNUAL REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE STANDARDS 2018-19 PDF 78 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Nia Jeffreys Additional documents:
Decision: The Annual
Report was approved, and was authorised to announce it in accordance with
Gwynedd Council's Language Standards Minutes: Submitted
by Cllr Nia Jeffreys DECISION The Annual Report was approved, and was
authorised for publication in accordance with Gwynedd Council's Language
Standards. DISCUSSION The report was presented, noting that it
reported on the Council's actions in complying with the Welsh Language
Commissioner standards in relation to the Welsh language. It was noted that the
Council far exceeded the Welsh Language Commissioner's expected standards, and
added that the Council set a standard for Wales. It was stated that creating
and publishing the report was a requirement. It was added that reporting on any work that
ensured compliance, Welsh speaking staff members, any training held,
complaints, and they way language requirements were recorded, were all specific
requirements. The Welsh Language Development Officer added
that the data for the number of staff members was complete when the report was
published but she confirmed that 94% of staff were able to speak Welsh
fluently. She emphasised that this showed that the Council's recruitment policy
was very good. Attention was drawn to training data available in Welsh, and it
was noted that progress had been made in the courses that were available
bilingually and in English. It was added that the Service would look into this
further. Observations arising from the discussion ¾ Attention was drawn to the fact
that, of the 200 staff members that were not fluent in the language, 172 had
received further training. ¾ It was noted, in terms of
complaints, that one of the complaints had been presented to the Council
through the Welsh Language Commissioner. The Commissioner's process was
outlined, emphasising its potential lengthiness. Nevertheless, it was explained
that the new Commissioner had suggested that the arrangements would be amended
in the coming years. ¾ The Dafydd Orwig Award was
mentioned, drawing attention specifically to the work carried out by the
Health, Safety and Well-being Department in securing Welsh medium resources for
IOSH training. ¾ It was noted that not all training
was available in Welsh, and that this field needed to be reviewed in order to
identify and create specialist courses in some fields Awdur: Gwenllian Williams |
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MANAGEMENT OF THE COUNCIL'S SMALL HOLDINGS ESTATE PDF 126 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Gareth Griffith Additional documents: Decision: Resolved to respond to
the Communities Scrutiny Committee's conclusions by: ¾ Supporting the Cabinet Member to establish a County
Small Holdings Advisory Panel with a clear constitution and a broader terms of
reference to assist the Cabinet Member with his small holdings management
estate ¾ To refer any surplus deriving from the estate in
future, which is above the sum already part of the Service's current revenue
budget, to be reinvested in the Small Holdings Estate, by using a commercial
account and a fund allocated to this end Minutes:
Awdur: Dafydd Gibbard |
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GWYNEDD COUNCIL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2018/19 PDF 62 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng. Dyfrig Siencyn Additional documents: Decision: The Gwynedd
Council Performance Report 2018/19 was approved and recommend its adoption by
the Full Council. Minutes: Submitted by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn DECISION The Gwynedd Council Performance
Report 2018/19 was approved and recommended for adoption by the Full Council. DISCUSSION The report was presented and it was noted that
the report would be published in which it would track the Council's progress.
It was added that the Report emphasised the Council's priorities seen in the
Council's Plan. Attention was drawn to the space in the report where the
Foreword by the Leader of Gwynedd Council should be. This would be written
after this discussion. It was noted that, in contrast to last year,
there was greater emphasis on style rather than on numbers and data. It was
stated that the report summarised the Council's Performance Challenge work,
which took place throughout the year. Observations arising from the discussion ¾ The performance of the Education
Department was highlighted, and it was noted that 43.8% of pupils who had
access to free school meals (FSM) had gained five GCSEs grades A*-C, and that
this figure should be regarded with pride. ¾ It was noted that the foreword
should celebrate the Council's successes this year. ¾ It was stated that the Cabinet
Member for the Adults, Health and Well-being Department was very pleased with
the progress made on Improvement Priority 6 - Ensuring we have care services
that help people live their lives as they wish. It was stated that five local
teams had been formed to work alongside the Health service to provide services
to meet the needs and welfare of the citizen. ¾ Hafod y Gest scheme was highlighted
as one of the Council's success stories this year. ¾ It was noted that two million people
had visited the website during the year, and there had been an increase in the
number of people using the Self Service provision. ¾ Attention was drawn to the good work
being done jointly by the Council, the Health Service and the Third Sector. ¾ As regards recycling statistics, it
was stated the Gwynedd Council now recycled 63% of the county's waste, and it
was added that it recycled responsibly within the UK. ¾ It was emphasised that the street
light changing programme was now in its second phase, which not only reduced
costs but reduced the county's carbon emissions. Awdur: Dewi Wyn Jones |
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GWYNEDD COMMON HOUSING ALLOCATIONS POLICY PDF 82 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng/ Cllr Craig ab Iago Additional documents:
Decision: Subject to
amending the wording in paragraphs 2.23 to 2.25 to ensure that the
establishment's ability to act as a trustee for applicants aged 16-17 is clear,
the new Common Housing Allocation Policy to allocate social housing based on
the reflection of needs for the applicants by banding them rather than
allocating points was approved. Minutes: Submitted by Cllr Craig ab Iago DECISION Subject to amending the wording in
paragraphs 2.23 to 2.25 to ensure that the organisation's ability to act as a
trustee for applicants aged 16-17 was clear, the new Common Housing Allocation
Policy to allocate social housing based on the reflection of needs for the
applicants by banding them rather than allocating points was approved. DISCUSSION The report was submitted, noting that it
discussed the arrangements for letting social housing across Gwynedd. It was
added that the Partnership had been established in 2012 and four housing
registers had been amalgamated into one system for the Partnership. It was
mentioned that the housing register had been making allocations based on points
but it was decided that an independent review of letting arrangements was
needed in order to implement a system that was easy to understand and that
would simplify the system for the individual. It was noted that the new system had five
different bands. Additionally, it was emphasised that individuals with links to
Gwynedd would be prioritised in this new banding system. It was reiterated that the new system was
innovative and proved they were endeavouring to assist local people. Observations arising from the discussion ¾ The policy was welcomed noting that
it was a huge step forward to securing housing for local people. People were
encouraged to put their names forward so that plans could be made for them. ¾ It was noted that the policy could
cause problems; therefore, it was asked whether the policy would be reviewed.
It was expressed that a commitment had been made to review it in 12 months'
time. It was also added that they had learnt from the consultation, that a
panel would be set up to escalate some cases. In terms of impact, it was noted
that most on the list would be in band two, and that this band had been divided
into sub-categories. ¾ Attention was drawn to point 2.23 in
the Policy, which was the procedure for applicants of 16 and 17 years old. It
was expressed that applicants under 18 years of age would have to provide
details of an adult who was willing to be a trustee. An enquiry was made about
the steps if the Council was the corporate parent, as support and accommodation
would be required for these young people to succeed. It was noted that the
clause in point 2.24, which stated that trustees act on behalf of an
organisation or person, had to be amended. ¾ The importance of informing the
public about the change in policy was noted. It was added that the partnership
would contact everyone on the list and in the community in different ways to
make them aware of the change. Awdur: Arwel Wyn Owen and Gareth Parri |
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HOUSING STRATEGY - FINANCIAL ALLOCATION FOR 2019/20 PDF 144 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Craig ab Iago Additional documents: Decision: To approve
releasing £1.25million from the Council Premium Rates Fund for the three plans
noted in Appendix 1 for 2019/20. Minutes: Submitted by Cllr Craig ab Iago DECISION To approve releasing £1.25million from the
Council Premium Rates Fund for the three plans noted in Appendix 1 for 2019/20. DISCUSSION The report
was presented, noting that the Housing Strategy would be submitted to the
Cabinet and the Full Council during the coming months. It was expressed that in
order to ensure that plans could be delivered in 2019/20, funds would have to
be allocated. Plans to be
funded were outlined, which included Purpose Built Accommodation, a pioneering
scheme to provide accommodation units for homeless single people, known as
pods, and which had received media attention recently. The Empty Homes Scheme
and Housing Repair Fund were also highlighted. It was added that there were
more schemes in the Housing Strategy. Observations
arising from the discussion It was expressed that funding these schemes
would bridge the gap until the Housing Strategy was in place Awdur: Arwel Wyn Owen |
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ANNUAL EQUALITY REPORT 2018-19 PDF 65 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Nia Jeffreys Additional documents:
Decision: To
note and accept the information in the report. Minutes: Submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys DECISION To note
and accept the information in the report. DISCUSSION The report was presented, noting the need to
ensure equality across the Council. It was expressed that the report showed
that the work carried out in relation to equality was in line with the
Council's aims. It was stated that work had been done with the
Core Equality Group and that officers continued to learn about the field
through training. It was expressed that the Council was running an unconscious
bias course. It was emphasised that equality was an integral part of the
Council's work. Observations arising from the discussion ¾
The
report, which emphasised the Council's good work, was welcomed. Attention was
drawn to the third aim, noting the need to ensure that people from different
backgrounds stood as elected members for the Council. Awdur: Delyth Gadlys Williams |