Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
Contact: Annes Siôn 01286 679490
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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Minutes: No apologies were
received. Cabinet members and
officers were welcomed to the meeting. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST Additional documents: Minutes: No
declarations of personal interest were received. |
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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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Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Dafydd Meurig Additional documents:
Decision: 1.
To
approve the changes included in the Consultation Report 2. To formally adopt the Slate Landscape of North West
Wales World Heritage Site Supplementary Planning Guidance to be used as a material
planning consideration when making decisions within the Gwynedd Council Local
Planning Authority. 3. To delegate powers to the Assistant Head of
Environment Department to make any non-material modifications that may be
required to the draft SPG before it is published on the website. Minutes: The report was submitted by
Cllr Dafydd Meurig DECISION 1. To approve the changes included in the Consultation
Report. 2. To formally adopt the Slate Landscape of North West
Wales World Heritage Site Supplementary Planning Guidance to be used as a
material planning. consideration when making decisions within the Gwynedd
Council Local Planning Authority. 3. To delegate powers to the Assistant Head of
Environment Department to make any non-material modifications, that may be
required to the draft SPG before it is published on the website. DISCUSSION The report was submitted, noting the need to adopt the Supplementary
Planning Guidance as it provided more substance to the Council's basic planning
policies. It was explained that this needed to be adopted by the Cabinet,
rather than the Gwynedd and Anglesey Joint Planning Policy Committee since it
related to specific areas within Gwynedd. It was explained that the document
was extremely detailed and would be used as a material planning consideration
when making planning decisions within the Gwynedd Council Local Planning Authority
Area. It was expressed that minor amendments needed to be made to the documents
and a request was made for rights to be delegated to the Assistant Head to make
any grammatical corrections that were seen in the document. In addition, the Assistant Head of Environment Department noted that the
document was being submitted to Snowdonia National Park the following day, also
for adoption. Observations arising from the discussion ¾ Attention was drawn to the very detailed observations
received from Ffestiniog Town Council and they were thanked for taking their
time to offer such thorough observations. Awdur: Gareth Jones |
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THE COUNCIL'S SENIOR MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE PDF 416 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Dyfrig Siencyn Additional documents: Decision: It was agreed to: 1.
End the trial of operating
with only one director and proceed with the usual recruitment process. 2.
Abolish the post of Head of
Gwynedd Consultancy on the retirement of the current Head of Service and merge
the Highways and Municipal Department and Gwynedd Consultancy as one new
department. 3.
Transfer the Waste and
Recycling units from the Highways and Municipal Department to the Environment
Department and move one Assistant Head / Senior Manager post. 4.
Restart our Supporting
People programme by transferring the relevant Assistant Head of Service post to
the Leadership Team, for a period of two years initially. 5.
Confirm that relocating
elements of the Early Years and Youth Service from the Children and Families
Department to the Education Department will be implemented by the Chief
Executive. 6.
To delegate the power to
the Head of Legal Services to modify the Council's Delegation Scheme to reflect
the changes as they become operational. 7.
To note that the above
changes will achieve an annual net revenue saving of Minutes: The report
was submitted by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn. DECISION It was
agreed to: 1.
End
the trial of operating with only one director and proceed with the usual
recruitment process. 2.
Abolish
the post of Head of Gwynedd Consultancy on the retirement of the current Head
of Service and merge the Highways and Municipal Department and Gwynedd
Consultancy as one new department. 3.
Transfer
the Waste and Recycling units from the Highways and Municipal Department to 4.
Restart
our Supporting People programme by locating the relevant Assistant Head of
Service as part of the Leadership Team, for a period of two years initially. 5.
Confirm
that relocating elements of the Early Years and Youth Service from the Children
and Families Department to the Education Department will be implemented by the
Chief Executive. 6.
To
delegate the power to the Head of Legal Services to modify the Council's
Delegation Scheme to reflect the changes as they become operational. 7.
To
note that the above changes will achieve an annual net revenue saving of DISCUSSION The report
was presented, noting that the Council was now adapting back after the pandemic
period and that it was a good time to revisit and alter the Council's internal
arrangements. It was explained that empty posts needed to be filled in the
roles of Corporate Directors and for Gwynedd Consultancy to be moved into the
Highways and Municipal Department. It was noted that in order to be able to
cope with the added pressure, that the Waste section would be moved to the
Environment Department. It was
expressed that these alterations were being made in the right places and
secured a saving of £81,000 per year to the Council. Observations
arising from the discussion ¾
Support
was expressed for the Chief Executive's plans to alter the Council's internal
arrangements, highlighting that there was a long list of schemes that the
Council wished to deliver and it would assist towards the efforts made to
realise the schemes. ¾
It
was expressed that it was a good time to make changes and that they made sense.
It was noted that the alterations should be carried out seamlessly in order to
have the least impact possible on services and to create units prior to the
transfer, and specifically regarding the Waste Service. ¾
The
need to highlight the alterations to all Councillors and the public so that
they were aware was emphasised, since there was often some confusion regarding
what fields of work were in the Environment Department and Highways and
Municipal Department. ¾
The
existing Corporate Director was thanked for her exceptional work over the years
and it was noted that she was a role model for women. ¾ The exciting plans that were to be seen in the Council's priority list were highlighted, and the need to work across departments ... view the full minutes text for item 6. Awdur: Dafydd Gibbard |
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RESIDENTIAL AND NURSING FEES 2022/23 PDF 177 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Dilwyn Morgan Additional documents: Decision: To agree to increase the Gwynedd
residential and nursing standard fee for the 2022/23 financial year in
accordance with the following option and to implement them in accordance with
the Council’s terms and conditions.
*Not including the Health Board's contribution to nursing costs Minutes: The report
was submitted by Cllr Dilwyn Morgan DECISION To agree to
increase the Gwynedd residential and nursing standard fee for the 2022/23
financial year in accordance with the following option and to implement them in
accordance with the Council’s terms and conditions.
*Not
including the Health Board's contribution to nursing costs DISCUSSION The report
was submitted and it was highlighted that the standard residential and nursing
fees for Gwynedd needed to be increased for the 2022/23 financial year. A
correction to the report was noted, i.e. that it was at the Cabinet meeting in
March of this year when the Cabinet agreed to the standard fees for independent
residential and nursing homes for 2022/23. It was explained there was a need to
set the fee before April to allow implementation. At that Cabinet meeting, a
request was made for a further report in order to consider the possibility of a
higher fee for staffing levels, as well as annual inflation costs. It was noted
that this report was the result of the work that had been done by the
department to look further at this matter. Attention
was drawn to the Equality Impact report, highlighting that securing the fees
allowed the Council to be viable and to pay staff properly. The Senior
Business Manager added that the Cabinet had asked the Department to look
further at fees and that two options could be seen in the report. It was
explained that increasing pressure could be seen specifically on residential,
nursing and dementia care in the county, and that these aspects required more
attention. It was explained that a higher increase was needed to the price in
these fields in order to strengthen the provision. Observations
arising from the discussion ¾
It
was noted that there was a shortage of placements in the nursing and dementia
field across the county and that there was a need to pay more for that. It was
explained that a discussion was being held to collaborate with the Health Board
and Clwyd Alyn Housing Association to maintain a range of care in the field. ¾
Private
and Council care staff were thanked for their work during the pandemic period
and it was noted that there was a need to secure a living wage for our carers. ¾
Support
was expressed for option b in the report in order to ensure that the field was
fairly funded and it was highlighted that inflation currently added to the challenge.
Awdur: Alun Gwilym Williams |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR ADULTS, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PDF 424 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Dilwyn Morgan Additional documents: Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. Minutes: The report
was submitted by Cllr Dilwyn Morgan DECISION To accept
and note the information in the report. DISCUSSION The report
was submitted, noting that it was the Cabinet Member's first report in this
field, and it was expressed that it was an important report which served as a
benchmark of the department's position and highlighted what work needed to be
done. He
explained that no performance challenging meeting had been held yet, but that a
number of the matters had been the subject of discussion with the department
over the past weeks. It was highlighted that the second part of the report
highlighted the progress that had been made with the department's Council Plan
schemes. It was noted that a lot of work had been done on the schemes and that
reference was made to the required improvements. It was expressed that the work
of redesigning the Care Service was underway and that work was currently being
done on tenders to develop a new care service. It was
emphasised that workforce recruitment and retention problems were evident
throughout the report and it was emphasised that this problem was not unique
and that it was something that could be seen both regionally and nationally. It
was noted that the department was looking to develop innovative ways to attract
workers to the sector and to understand the barriers. It was explained that a
further report on the matter would be submitted before the Cabinet in due
course. In terms of
the department's performance, it was noted following discussions with the Head
of Department, that further work needed to be done to look specifically at the
services' purposes and measures, in order to prioritise the work and move
forward. Cllr Dafydd Meurig was thanked for his support and for his work as the
Cabinet Member who had held this portfolio previously. The Head of
Department added, in relation to recruitment, that a varied programme of
recruitment activities and sessions had been carried out, which had been very
successful in some areas, however no interest whatsoever had been seen in other
areas. It was explained that a further report on the work would be shared over
the next months. In terms of the Council Plan schemes, it was noted that these
were specific work programmes, with a number of work streams in each of them.
It was explained that one of the department's biggest tasks was to change the
culture across the care field, both internally and externally. It was expressed
that the biggest change could be seen across the service through changing the
culture. Observations
arising from the discussion ¾
The
lack of progress in the scheme for Canolfan Dolfeurig in Dolgellau was highlighted; this had been in
the pipeline for over five years, and it was expressed that the money earmarked
for this could now possibly be insufficient. ¾ It was explained back in August 2021, that the department was projecting an overspend of £1.4 million; however, after receiving £1.9 million ... view the full minutes text for item 8. Awdur: Aled Davies |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES PDF 506 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Elin Walker Jones Additional documents: Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. Minutes: The report
was submitted by Cllr Elin Walker Jones DECISION To accept
and note the information in the report. DISCUSSION The report
was submitted noting that it was an update on progress and a benchmark for the
beginning of her journey as Cabinet Member. Cllr Dilwyn Morgan was thanked for
his work as the previous portfolio holder. It was
expressed that the report outlined what was happening in the department and
highlighted a number of exciting schemes. It was explained that one of the
department's biggest challenges was the fact that a number of the staff had
been redeployed to respond to the crisis in Ukraine. It was noted in terms of
priority projects that the work of keeping families together continued. In terms of the Autism Plan, it was noted
that a coordinator had been appointed on a temporary basis and that staff
training had been carried out. It was
highlighted that staff capacity and recruitment was a major challenge for the
department, however, she was happy with the performance nonetheless. It was
explained that the number of requests for support from the department was
continuing to rise. It was noted that
the Department had underspent by £97,000 in the last financial year as a result
to the department attracting grants. The Head of
Department added that schemes were progressing but that a high number of
Supporting Families staff had been redeployed to work to assist families who
were arriving here from Ukraine. It was highlighted that the Strategy for
Keeping Families Together continued to be successful, with a high number of
children remaining with their families. It was noted that there was an
increasing demand and a staff recruitment and retention problem, and it was
noted that the number of requests in April and May had been higher than ever. Nevertheless, there was light at the end of
the tunnel as the department had succeeded to appoint 7 social workers straight
after they graduated from the Social Work course at Bangor and Glyndŵr
Universities. Observations
arising from the discussion ¾
It
was highlighted that the two care departments had received grant funding at the
last minute from the Government and a request was made for the Local Government
Association to press on the Welsh Government to include the money within the
annual settlement so that departments could plan in advance. ¾
It
was noted that although the department had underspent last year, that the
Cabinet, over the past two years, had removed savings targets of £1.1 million
and £300,000 from within the department. Nevertheless, it was expressed that it
was very encouraging that the department had managed to recruit in order to
respond to the consistent increase in demand. Awdur: Marian Parry Hughes |