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. An apology
was received from Cllr W. Gareth Roberts |
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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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ANNUAL EQUALITY REPORT 2017-18 PDF 67 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Nia Jeffreys Additional documents:
Decision: To accept
and note the Annual Equality Report Minutes: The report
was submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys. RESOLVED To accept
and note the Annual Equality Report DISCUSSION The report was submitted, noting
that it was a statutory duty on the Council, according to the Equality Act
2010, to abolish discrimination, harassment and persecution and to promote
equal opportunities and nurture a good relationship between those who share a
protected characteristic, and those who do not share these
characteristics. It was expressed that
it was a duty on the Council to create a Strategic Equality Plan every four
years and to report on the matter annually.
It was explained that the Council had created a
Strategic Equality Plan in 2016 and that four of the Council's objectives were
noted in the Plan. It was emphasised
that although a Plan was needed, that it was also important to ensure that a
culture of equality was deeply embedded in the Council's services. It was added that equality was at the centre
of all Council decisions and it was reiterated that an e-module had been
created to raise staff awareness. A summary was received, noting some of the
year's highlights and emphasising that a fifth objective had been added to the
Equality Plan, namely to "Improve our information provision for people who
do not use Welsh and English as a first language or who need information in
different formats". It was
expressed that some work had been done but that more information was required
on the matter. It was expressed that
there was an intention to contact relevant organisations to ascertain the
demand and to be aware of any obstructions.
Observations arising from the discussion It was expressed that the report noted that just over a third of the Council's staff was over fifty years of age, and it was asked whether this was a reflection of the society or did it meant that there were fewer opportunities for young people? It was expressed that Workforce Planning was one of the elements that the Learning and Development Team was focusing on. It was noted that substantial work was being done, in particular with Apprenticeship Schemes, Trainees and Specialists for the future, to offer opportunities for young people. Awdur: Delyth Gadlys |
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WELSH LANGUAGE PROMOTION PLAN PDF 79 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Nia Jeffreys Additional documents:
Decision: Approve the Welsh Language Promotion Plan and the initial Work Programme
to implement the priorities. Minutes: The item
was submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys RESOLVED Approve the Welsh Language
Promotion Plan and the initial Work Programme to implement the priorities. DISCUSSION The report was submitted and attention was
drawn to the plan's format, noting that the new format was clear in terms of
its order, it was concise and it was easy to understand. It was
added that there was a Statutory requirement on the Council under Standard 145
of the Welsh Language Standards Regulations (No. 1) 2015, to produce a five
year strategy relating to Welsh language promotion. It was noted that Gwynedd Council had a long
history of Welsh language promotion, noting that the 2011 census revealed that
65% of Gwynedd's population were able to speak Welsh. It was reiterated that an increase in Welsh
speakers could be seen in some areas of Gwynedd and attention was drawn to the
fact that the increase was above the 70% threshold in the Clynnog ward. Despite the
increase, it was noted that there had been a general reduction in the number of
wards where over 70% of the population could speak Welsh, with 39 from 71 wards
according to the Census. The challenges of Welsh language promotion were
emphasised, emphasising the challenges posed by the influence of technology.
Emphasis was placed on the long-term hopes of the Council, along with what the
department wished to see during the lifespan of the Strategy, noting that the
Action Plan was in line with the plans.
Observations arising from the
discussion - It was noted that a drop had been
seen in the number of Welsh speakers aged over 65 years, but that the greatest
increase was to be seen amongst the youngest residents, in the 3-4 years and
5-15 years age groups. It was added that the good work needed to continue and
to work closely with Universities and other Bodies. - It was noted that the Language
Charter had been central to the promotion of the language in schools. It was
noted that the Primary Language Charter could now be seen across Wales and that
work continued on the Secondary Language Charter. The importance of not only
teaching the language to children, but rather to encourage them to use the
language socially, was emphasised. - It was asked how the work of
promoting the Welsh language could be measured and monitored; it was noted that
the Officer would report back through the performance challenging system. It
was added that it would be difficult to measure but that the first step would
be to get all main partners around the table to share information and
resources. Awdur: Gwenllian Mair Williams |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR CORPORATE SUPPORT PDF 120 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. Nia Jeffreys Additional documents: Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. Minutes: The item was submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys RESOLVED To accept and note the information
in the report. DISCUSSION The report was submitted, and as a
new Cabinet Member for the department, she noted that she had spent the summer
visiting the teams and meeting staff. The staff were thanked for their warm
welcome. Attention was drawn to some of
the Council Plan's projects. It was
noted that the work of using the Welsh language within the Council's services
continued but it was noted that weaknesses had been highlighted in the
recruitment process. It was noted that the language requirements of jobs were
not always clear and steps were now in place to help with the situation. It was added that support was available to
staff who wished to improve or refresh their language skills. It was explained that managers and
some officers had now received training to equip them to put Ffordd Gwynedd
into action. The need for follow-up was emphasised and members were encouraged
to challenge their departments to enable the Council to put the people of
Gwynedd at the centre of what it does. The department's performance was
discussed and it was noted that the Communication and Engagement Service
continued to receive very positive observations. It was added that the service
also felt that they did not measure the efficiency of the Council's
communication and the service, consequently, would be looking at ways of
measuring the impact of the Council's public statements. It was expressed that
the Council's Research and Analytics Service was developing this further and
had recently been awarded a GwE tender contract. The Council's latest development was
explained, following an increase in the number who use the on-line service,
namely "ap Gwynedd". It was added that the app was now live and that
individuals had started to download the app.
Observations arising from the
discussion - A discussion was held on the success
of Ffordd Gwynedd. It was explained that
this was a difficult question as Ffordd Gwynedd changed cultures, and that this
would be difficult to measure. It was added that managers needed to understand
that the Ffordd Gwynedd culture needed to be embedded in their teams,
emphasising that accountability lay with the managers. It was expressed that
the Ffordd Gwynedd journey could be seen in teams across the Council but that
the teams were on different steps of the journey. It was explained that the
actual measure of Ffordd Gwynedd would be all units measuring the correct
things for the Residents of Gwynedd and the percentages being as high as they
could be. - The Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families noted that the measure "Number of defects discovered in programmed inspections" in terms of Health, Safety and Well-being, suggested that there were large gaps in the department and he asked whether the department was aware of this. It was noted that this had been raised within departments and that this would need to be discussed in the departmental Forums ... view the full minutes text for item 7. Awdur: Dilwyn Williams |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PDF 130 KB Additional documents: Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. Minutes: The item was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas RESOLVED To accept and note the information
in the report. DISCUSSION The report was submitted noting that
the figures available in the report were some for the first quarter of the
year. It was noted that the Council Plan's Projects had now commenced. Concerns
were raised about the number of high value jobs that had now moved from Parc
Menai in Bangor to Anglesey. It was expressed that the work of developing the
Llanbedr site continued but that the owner was still awaiting confirmation of
funding by Welsh Government. Concern was added about the Arloesi
Gwynedd Wledig project on how the project would move forward. It was noted that
the free WiFi project in Aberdaron had been a success and that other areas were
eager to trial the project. Disappointment was expressed that
Festival No.6 was taking a break next year but it was hoped that another
festival would be held during the same period. It was added that the Red Bull
Hard Line event had been successful and it was reiterated that there had been
commitment and close collaboration between the Major Events Unit and Red
Bull. It was explained that the Economy
and Community Department would hold a workshop with the tourism sector in
September to ascertain their views on improving and maintaining Gwynedd
destinations and raising the standards of the tourism sector. It was added that a discussion was being held
regarding Pwllheli Harbour and Hafan regarding its future, along with
Glynllifon Country Park. Observations arising from the
discussion - The concern of losing Festival No.6
was reiterated, but it was explained that the organisers needed to reconsider
the arrangements. The organisers' commitment to Portmeirion was expressed and
the Council would be collaborating with the organisers on every option. - A discussion was held on the fact that the trend
of job creation by supported ventures was reducing. It was noted that the reason for this was a
reduction in the resources and buildings that the Council had to offer to
businesses that wished to expand. It was expressed that this was a consistent
message seen across north Wales, namely that no bespoke locations and buildings
were available for private businesses. It was noted that the North Wales Growth
Plan was looking at this and that discussions were being held regarding a
joint-venture with the Government to improve the supply of land or bespoke
buildings. |
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PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR FINANCE PDF 147 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr Peredur Jenkins Additional documents: Decision: To accept and note the information in the report. Minutes: The item was submitted by Cllr Peredur Jenkins RESOLVED To accept and note the information
in the report. DISCUSSION The report was submitted, noting
that the Cabinet member was happy with the department's performance and that
appropriate steps had been taken to improve performance. It was explained that
the period of the current Information Technology Strategy was coming to an end
and that discussions were being held to plan a new strategy. In addition, it
was noted that the department was collaborating with Education Department
officers to develop a new strategy that would focus on providing the best
Information Technology support service for Gwynedd schools. It was noted that the department's
performance was generally good, but attention was drawn to some problems that
had arisen. It was noted that some of the schools' auxiliary staff had received
the wrong salary in April. It was added that the problem had been identified
immediately and that the Service had responded appropriately to it. It was
explained that steps were now in place to ensure that the same problem would
not happen again. It was expressed that three
occasions had arisen during the year where a significant disruption was caused
to the ability of Council staff to act due to the loss of access to the
Information Technology service. It was reiterated that this had led to the department
commissioning an independent assessment to consider the architecture of the IT
network and they would report back on the findings in due course. Observations arising from the
discussion - It was noted that the graph shown
for the Payroll Unit showed the Ffordd Gwynedd Culture within the Department in
the fact that they were open about their performance and that they learnt from
the problems arising. It was added that clear explanations could be seen and
that steps had been taken to ensure that the same problems would not arise
again. - The Cabinet Member for Education
noted that a delay had occurred over the years before schools would pay
invoices, as a result of school holidays, but now the Education Department had
changed their systems and consequently the figures were much improved. - It was noted that there were no
figures for Investment and Treasury Management for the quarter, as they were
unavailable for the performance challenging meeting. It was noted that much better returns than
expected were seen on the investments of the Pension Fund and it was hoped that
a reduction in the pension contributions of some employers could be offered by
2020. - A discussion was held on the uncertainty of Brexit and its impact on the Pension Fund. It was noted that the majority of the Fund's assets had been invested overseas, and that the slump of the pound against the US dollar following the vote to leave the European Union had meant that the value of overseas assets had increased as the pound weakened. The Head of Finance Department had asked for an analysis from the Fund's actuary ... view the full minutes text for item 9. Awdur: Dilwyn Williams |