Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
Contact: Annes Siôn 01286 679490
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Minutes: Cabinet Members and Officers were welcomed to the meeting. Apologies had been received from Councillor Catrin
Wager. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST Additional documents: Minutes: It was
noted that the changes in item 6 to staff travelling would affect officers
present, but they did not need to leave the meeting. |
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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 15 OCTOBER 2019 PDF 106 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed
the minutes of the meeting held on 15 October
2019, as a true record. |
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Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Cemlyn Williams Additional documents:
Decision: Agree to begin a period of statutory consultation in
accordance with the requirements of section 48 of the School Standards and
Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 on the proposed proposal to close Ysgol
Llanaelhaearn on 31 August 2020 and to provide places for pupils at Ysgol Bro
Plenydd, Y Ffôr, on 1 September 2020 Minutes: The report was submitted
by Cllr Cemlyn Williams DECISION It was agreed
to begin a period of statutory consultation in accordance with
the requirements of section
48 of the School Standards
and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 on
the proposed proposal to close Ysgol Llanaelhaearn on 31 August 2020 and to provide places for pupils
at Ysgol Bro Plenydd, Y Ffôr,
on 1 September 2020. DISCUSSION The report was submitted,
noting that the proposal was to commence a statutory consultation period on the proposal
to close Ysgol Llanaelhaearn. It was reiterated that the reason for the decision to commence the statutory period was that the number of pupils had reduced over the years and that there were
only eight pupils currently on the register. It was expressed that the Council had a duty to ensure a high quality education
and experiences for every pupil, and considering the low number of children, they were not given
fair opportunities in terms of experiences.
It was emphasised that this was a request to consider a statutory consultation period, and not a decision to close the school. It was reiterated that the discussions that had been held
locally had been dignified and the local member, the governing body and the stakeholders were thanked for
discussing the possible options. The Dwyfor / Meirion Area Education Officer explained the procedure that had been followed
in relation to the discussion that had been held locally.
The method of proceeding with the proposed proposal was noted. The Local Members
expressed concern and disappointment at the school's situation, and added that the level of education there reached an exceptional
standard. He noted that he accepted
that the numbers were dropping and consequently, that the cost per child was much higher than the county percentage. He emphasised that closing the school would have
a long-term impact on the community but that
the consultation held to date with the community
had been fair and thorough. Observations arising
from the discussion ¾
Enquiries were made about
the steps that had been taken to date
in terms of consulting with local people. It was expressed that discussions had taken place but that
the statutory process was slightly different; however, there would be an element
of repetition. It was emphasised
that many options had been considered before the current proposal had been reached. ¾
It was noted that there was no necessity to hold the previous discussion to discuss options with the community as the numbers had dropped to fewer than 10 pupils; however, the department had felt that it had a
duty to discuss with staff, parents, governors and stakeholders to ensure that the discussions were transparent. Awdur: Gwern ap Rhisiart |
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GWYNEDD COUNCIL STAFF TRAVEL SAVINGS PDF 314 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Gareth Griffith Additional documents: Decision: Agreed to
adopt an alternative travel scheme for staff, and reduce the departmental
budgets as follows to reflect the agreed levels of the relevant savings (total
£117,998) - Education £9,775 Environment £8,772 Corporate Support £7,064 Finance £2,379 Economy and Community £6,526 Adults £33,183 Children £31,463 Highways and Municipal £3,463 Leadership Team £1,159 Consultancy £13,130 Housing and Property £1,084 Minutes: The report was submitted
by Cllr Gareth
Griffith DECISION It was agreed to adopt an alternative
travel scheme for staff, and reduce the departmental budgets as follows to reflect the agreed levels of the relevant savings (total £117,998) - Education
£9,775 Environment
£8,772 Corporate
Support £7,064 Finance £2,379 Economy
and Community £6,526 Adults
£33,183 Children
£31,463 Highways
and Municipal £3,463 Leadership
Team £1,159 Consultancy
£13,130 Housing
and Property £1,084 DISCUSSION The report
was presented and it was noted
that this scheme would be led by the Environment Department but that it affected
the work of the entire Council. The background of the item was noted, explaining that it derived from a consultation with specialist consultants called Edge Public
Solution in 2014. It was reiterated that the report in 2014 expressed that the 15% saving was possible on the staff travel budget and that the Council had started to plan on this basis.
It was emphasised
that the Report in 2014 had not been based on thorough
work and consequently that further work
had been done by the Council. It was expressed that the department had been looking at different ways of communicating and to emphasise that the most obvious way to make a saving
was for staff not to make
the journey at all. The various
different ways of travelling to different meetings was highlighted, including public transport and pool cars. It was noted
that work had been done to communicate
with the departments and there were examples
where departments had managed journeys better and had ensured a cost of
35p per mile through pool cars. Attention
was drawn to the table in
the report which noted the departments' targets. It was explained that some jobs were exempt, such
as Home Carers, and that these had been considered in the equation. Therefore, it was expressed that the saving would be approximately £120,000, which was lower than the figure seen in
the report in 2014. Observations
arising from the discussion ¾
It was noted that it was important for some jobs to be exempt, such as home carers, as they were the backbone
of the Council and were
jobs that could not be done through technological
means. ¾ The members expressed their thanks for the report and it was accepted that the saving was much lower than the original amount. It was asked why the Council had used external consultants. It was noted that experiences with external consultants were mixed as they sometimes came from a financial approach and thus they provided a more mathematical result which was not a reality in Gwynedd due to its geography. It was added in other cases that external consultants had made the Council think in a different way and had provided new ideas. There was a need to consider the balance between the likely benefit and the cost when considering commissioning consultants as ... view the full minutes text for item 7. Awdur: Dafydd Wyn Williams |
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NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CONSULTATION PDF 367 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Gareth Griffith Additional documents: Decision: Resolved to: ¾ Approve the draft response to the consultation on the
National Development Framework ¾ Authorise the Assistant Head in consultation with the
Cabinet Member to undertake any amendments arising from the Cabinet's
discussions, including editorial and administrative changes ¾ Authorise
the Assistant Head in consultation with the Cabinet Member to create a cover
letter highlighting the Cabinet's main points and for this to be submitted with
the response by 15 November 2019. Minutes: Presented by Cllr Gareth Griffith DECISION Resolved to: ¾ Approve the draft response to the consultation on the
National Development Framework ¾ Authorise the Assistant Head in consultation with the
Cabinet Member to undertake any amendments arising from the Cabinet's
discussions, including editorial and administrative changes ¾ Authorise
the Assistant Head in consultation with the Cabinet Member to create a cover
letter highlighting the Cabinet's main points and for this to be submitted with
the response by 15 November 2019. DISCUSSION The report was submitted
and it was noted that a discussion had been held after receiving
a copy of the first draft of the Framework from Welsh Government. It was added that discussions
had also been held with the Isle
of Anglesey County Council
and that its response to the Framework was essentially the same as Gwynedd Council's response. The importance of the framework was emphasised, noting that it dealt with a 20 year period, and therefore it deserved much attention. Observations arising
from the discussion ¾
It was noted that the document showed economic growth
in the Wrexham and Deeside area but showed a lack of understanding of rural
areas and disappointment was expressed regarding the Framework and it was noted
that a strong response was needed. ¾
Attention was drawn to the way the language was being
portrayed. It was noted that Welsh Government's lack of understanding of the
language was disgraceful, along with the feeling in the Framework that the
Welsh language was not a living language. ¾
It was explained that when the Framework was read, it
had sounded like a joke, considering the inconsistencies in the regions of
Wales and that this was supposedly the vision for Wales for the coming 20
years. Attention was drawn to a map in the Framework, noting the various
projects and regional links that had been omitted from it, and it was noted
that the Government needed to restart the work of creating the Framework. ¾
It was expressed that the Framework had been created
to look at the regions and not at the nation. It was added that there was no
reference to how to create a nation or how to ensure that each region was
connected. Attention was also drawn to
the fact that Leeds University had assisted with the creation of the Framework
and the question was asked as to why they had to seek help from outside Wales
when Universities were available here. ¾ Questions were asked regarding the response of other counties, and it was noted that the response was similar across the country. ¾ Sadness was expressed at Welsh Government's lack of vision and that the Framework was preventing the country from achieving its potential. It was added that no reference was made to the rural economy in terms of agriculture, energy and tourism and that there was a need to redraft with a clear vision and ambition. Awdur: Gareth Jones |