Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies were received from the Chief Executive, Dafydd Gibbard.  

Cabinet Members and Officers were welcomed to the meeting.  

No declarations of personal interest were received.  

To approve increasing the budget for the development of the new Ysgol Treferthyr to £8,145,206.

To allow the transfer of £3,261,880 from the remaining budget of the Sustainable Learning Communities Programme envelope (Band B) in order to meet a significant increase in the costs of the project, accepting that it will lead to less budget available to realise other projects within Band B of the Gwynedd Sustainable Learning Communities Programme.

The report was submitted by Cllr Beca Brown. 

DECISION 

To approve increasing the budget for the development of the new Ysgol Treferthyr to £8,145,206. 

The transfer of £3,261,880 from the remaining budget of the Sustainable Learning Communities Programme envelope (Band B) in order to meet a significant increase in the costs of the project was approved, accepting that it would lead to less budget available to realise other projects within Band B of the Gwynedd Sustainable Learning Communities Programme. 

DISCUSSION 

The report was submitted, noting the steps that had been completed to date as part of the journey of building a new school in Cricieth, but there had been a significant increase in the school's construction costs. It was noted that the report detailed methods of addressing the financial deficit and sourcing additional funds. The steps undertaken since May 2021 were highlighted. It was noted that Welsh Government at that time had approved the funding of a total budget of £4.9 million for the construction of the School, and would contribute 65% towards the cost, with the Council contributing 35%. It was reported that the significant increase in construction costs over the past 18 months had led to an increase in the cost to just over £8 million due to factors such as the increasing cost of materials, energy and inflation. 

It was reported that a bid had been submitted to Welsh Government to increase the budget for funding the School, and the Cabinet was asked to approve this increase and transfer the budget from a band B project in order to address the significant increase in this project's costs. It was added that transferring the budget would have a consequential impact on the remaining band B budget, and less budget available to deliver those projects. 

Observations arising from the discussion 

·                  It was also highlighted that the existing School site was unsuitable. It was noted that the solution appeared to be straightforward, although there were implications to be considered.    

·                  Support was expressed for the request, and it was noted that other options were scarce.  

·                  A question was asked about the specific impacts on band B.  

·                  In response, it was noted that the impact would be £1.1 million, a 35% increase to the £3.2 million as the remainder had already been identified. This amount would be diverted from other schemes such as the Post-16 budget; this budget would be reduced in order to accommodate the additional funding for this scheme.  

·                  The request was welcomed on behalf of the children of Cricieth, and it was believed that the community would be extremely proud of the new school. An observation was made that Ysgol Eifionydd was in dire need of investment, and that the Council should pressurise Welsh Government to improve this School's resources.   

·                  In response, it was noted that Ysgol Eifionydd was part of the Condition and Suitability Scheme to upgrade and improve conditions and facilities, although it was not a significant amount. 

·                  It  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

There were no matters arising from overview and scrutiny.  

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 October 2022 were accepted as a true record.  

To accept and note the information in the report.

The report was submitted by Cllr Dafydd Meurig.      

DECISION 

To accept and note the information in the report. 

DISCUSSION 

The report was presented, noting what had happened to date in relation to the priorities within the current Council Plan. An update was provided on the situation regarding second homes and short-term holiday accommodation in the County, noting that the Department was leading on the work of preparing an Article 4 Direction to give planning authorities the right to control second homes. It was noted that this work would continue with the intention of bringing a report to the Cabinet in the new year.   

Reference was made to some challenges facing the Department, including the planning service and staffing challenges, specifically within the planning enforcement service. It was reported that there were 740 open applications at the end of June, which had reduced to 586 open applications by the end of October.  The huge work that had been achieved was praised, while acknowledging that there were challenges that remained, but the Department was doing its best to address the demand on the service. 

Similarly, a report was provided on the work to clear the backlog in the field of Land Charges, and to reduce the average time taken to process those applications.  It was noted that interim staff had been appointed and that the service was in the process of transferring to a new computer system in the hope that it would speed up the process once the system was in place.  

In conclusion, the successes within the Department were noted, including 90% of the work in the field of Street Works being carried out by contractors within the original timetable.  

Observations arising from the discussion 

·                It was noted that the work completed by the Department was huge and that it played a major part in the priorities within the Council Plan. It was considered that they deserved praise for their achievements. 

·                Pride was expressed in the fact that the time taken to process Land Charges times was reducing and the work of the Department in dealing with these issues was acknowledged. It was obvious that the Department was trying its best, and was succeeding to tackle the workload, and it was suggested that the Department could share these efforts and solutions in an effort to change perceptions. 

·                The Department was wished well in the work of taking over some aspects of Highways and Municipal services.  

·                A question was raised about the control of motorhomes, and whether the timetable noted in the report was realistic in relation to capacity and the planning application timetable.  

·                In response, the Assistant Head of Department noted that there were challenges such as the identification of suitable sites, which had been challenging due to planning restrictions. It was noted that planning applications should have been submitted for the sites before Christmas, which demonstrated that the timetable had slipped. It was confirmed that discussion was continuing in relation to funding matters with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To accept and note the information in the report.

The report was submitted by Cllr Berwyn Parry Jones. 

DECISION 

To accept and note the information in the report. 

DISCUSSION 

The report was submitted, conveying appreciation in the first place for the employees working in difficult and busy circumstances gritting roads during the recent cold weather, and they were thanked for their work.  It was reported that the Waste Collection and Treatment Services had been transferred to the Environment Department, and Gwynedd Consultancy Department had now moved to the Highways and Municipal Department. The Cabinet Member wished to note his appreciation for the work of all the Department's officers, and to recognise their key contribution during this period. The intention to change the Department's name following the recent changes was noted. The preferred name following consultation with staff was the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department. 

It was noted that there was a significant amount of work facing the Department over the coming months, including a review of the Street Cleaning Service and also a very detailed examination of the budget. A report was provided on the projects in the current Council Plan which included the Clean and Tidy Communities project, Strengthen Communication and Engagement and the Service Mapping project. As part of this project it was intended to place the Department's different assets on a map where customers would be able to view the status of the asset and report any defects such as street lamps or grit bins. 

Attention was drawn to the Fleet Strategy, and the opportunity was taken to emphasise the decision made by the Climate Change Board, that no manager should renew or dispose of any vehicle without prior discussion with the Fleet Manager. It was explained that this was crucial to the success of the Fleet Strategy. This was due to a perception that there had been excessive purchasing of vehicles on an ad-hoc basis in the past. It was believed that this guidance would soon be shared with the Departments.  

Reference was made to other projects in the report, such as the Fairbourne project, before moving on to report on the Department's performance, noting that performance was satisfactory. Reference was made to replacing all the Council's street lights to LED technology, in addition to the street cleaning work, highways maintenance and the public toilets service. 

In conclusion, reference was made to the work of Gwynedd Consultancy Department (YGC), a service which generated a significant income for the Council, whilst also undertaking statutory functions in water and flood management, before referring to the Department's financial position. It was noted that there was currently an overspend of £600,000 within the existing Highways and Municipal Department following the transfer of some services to the Environment Department, but there was work in the pipeline to understand the reasons for the overspend and to take steps to reconcile the situation. It was reported that YGC were underspending by nearly £30,000.   

Observations arising from the discussion 

·                  The members expressed their thanks for the report, and the change to the Department's  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.