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  • Agenda, decisions and minutes

    The Cabinet - Tuesday, 23rd January, 2024 1.00 pm

    • Attendance details
    • Agenda frontsheet PDF 52 KB
    • Agenda reports pack PDF 6 MB
    • Printed decisions PDF 106 KB
    • Printed minutes PDF 151 KB

    Venue: Hybrid - Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Swyddfeydd y Cyngor, Caernarfon LL55 1SH. View directions

    Contact: Annes Sion  01286 679490

    Media

     
    Items
    No. Item

    1.

    APOLOGIES

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 1.

    Minutes:

    The Cabinet Members and Officers were welcomed to the meeting.

     

    No apologies were received.

     

    Front-line staff were thanked for their work during the harsh weather. 

    2.

    DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 2.

    Minutes:

    There were no declarations of personal interest.

     

    3.

    URGENT ITEMS

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 3.

    Minutes:

    There were no urgent items.

    4.

    MATTERS ARISING FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 4.

    Minutes:

    There were no matters arising from overview and scrutiny.

    5.

    MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON pdf icon PDF 86 KB

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 5.

    Minutes:

    The minutes of the meeting held on 19 December 2023 were accepted as a true record

    6.

    REVENUE BUDGET 2023/24 - END OF NOVEMBER REVIEW 2023 pdf icon PDF 529 KB

    Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Ioan Thomas

    Additional documents:

    • Item 6 - Appeindix 1 , item 6. pdf icon PDF 290 KB
    • Item 6 - Appendix 2 , item 6. pdf icon PDF 371 KB
    • Webcast for 6.

    Decision:

    1)    To accept the report on the end of November 2023 review of the Revenue Budget and consider the latest financial situation regarding the budgets of each department / service.

    2)    To note that significant overspend is anticipated in the Adults, Health and Well-being Department, the Children and Supporting Families Department, and the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department this year.

    3)    Approve the transfer of £4,241k of underspend on corporate budgets to the Council's Financial Strategy Reserve.

     

    Minutes:

    The report was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas. ⁠

     

    DECISION

     

    1)    To accept the report of the end of November 2023 review of the Revenue Budget and to consider the latest financial situation regarding the budgets of each department / service.

    2)    To note that significant overspend was anticipated in the Adults, Health and Well-being Department, the Children and Supporting Families Department, and the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department this year.

    3)    Approve the transfer of £4,241k of underspend on corporate budgets to the Council's Financial Strategy Reserve.

     

    DISCUSSION

     

    The report was submitted, and it was noted that the review detailed the latest review of the Council's revenue budget for 2023/24, and the forecasts towards the end of the financial year. It was explained that the review suggested that all the ten departments would overspend by the end of the year. It was added that there would be a substantial overspend by the Adults, Health and Well-being Department, the Children and Supporting Families Department and the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department.

     

    It was noted that the department anticipated a financial gap of £8.1m compared to the £9.1m noted in the August review. It was explained that the position was better by a million because of the use of one-off funds to assist the situation within departments.

     

    The following main issues were highlighted:

    Adults, Health, and Well-being Department - It was noted that the latest forecasts suggested £5.4 million overspend, which was a combination of several factors including several new and costly cases, higher staffing costs and sickness levels and high rates of non-contact hours.  It was conveyed that the work commissioned by the Chief Executive was now underway to obtain a better understanding of matters and create a clear response programme.

     

    Children and Supporting Families Department - it was explained that the financial situation had worsened substantially since the end of August review, and this was due to an increase in the costs of out-of-county packages. It was noted that the Department anticipated an overspend of £1.3m. 

     

    Education Department - It was noted that there was increasing pressure on the
    transport budget with an anticipated overspend of £1.15m. It was explained that there was a strategic review to try and manage the increase and to try and reduce the overspend. 

     

    Byw'n Iach - it was expressed that Covid had had an impact on Cwmni Byw'n Iach and it was noted that the financial support would continue this year and the required amount for this year had been decreased to £360k.

     

    Highways, Engineering and YGC Department - an overspend of £780k was anticipated by the department, it was noted that this was because of a reduction in the commissioned work that had had a negative impact on the income of highway services. It was noted that income losses in ground maintenance and public toilets were also a factor.

     

    Environment Department - it was noted that there was an annual trend of overspending in the waste collection and recycling fields, it was explained  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

    Awdur: Ffion Madog Evans

    7.

    SAVINGS OVERVIEW: PROGRESS REPORT ON REALISING SAVINGS SCHEMES pdf icon PDF 714 KB

    Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Ioan Thomas

    Additional documents:

    • Item 7 - Appendix 1 , item 7. pdf icon PDF 685 KB
    • Item 7 - Appendix 2 , item 7. pdf icon PDF 692 KB
    • Item 7 - Appendix 3 , item 7. pdf icon PDF 631 KB
    • Webcast for 7.

    Decision:

    To accept the information in the report and note the progress towards realising the savings schemes for 2023/24 and previous years.

     

    Minutes:

    The report was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas. ⁠

     

    DECISION

     

    To accept the information in the report and note the progress towards realising the savings schemes for 2023/24 and previous years.

     

    DISCUSSION

     

    The report, which summarised the situation with the Council's savings, was submitted.  It was noted that to close the funding gap this year £7.6m worth of savings needed to be implemented during 2023/24. It was a combination of almost one million previously approved, savings for Schools of £1.1m, £3m for Council departments and a further £2.4m by reviewing the Council's capital debt repayment policy.

     

    Recent years had highlighted difficulties in realising savings in some of these areas most prominently in the Adults, Health and Well-being Department and in the Waste field. It was expressed that £2m worth of schemes with significant risks for delivery were scrapped as part of the End of August Review.

     

    ⁠It was explained that 98% of the schemes from 2015/16 up to the 2023/24 financial year had now been realised namely £33.7m of the £34.3m. In the context of new schemes in the current financial year, it was noted that 81% had already been realised and a further 6% were on track to be realised on time. ⁠It was clarified that there was a slight delay to the realisation of £694k worth of savings schemes, but the Departments did not anticipate a problem to realise these. It was emphasised that the majority of this amount consisted of £539k savings from schools as they worked in line with the academic year and therefore realisation would slip into the next financial year.

     

    It was emphasised that £39m of savings had been realised from the required £41m over the period.  It was anticipated that an additional 1% would be realised by the end of the financial year.

     

    The Head of Finance highlighted the comments and points raised in the Governance and Audit Committee as follows. It had been asked how one could choose between financial propriety and the performance of a statutory duty, and what would need to be done once the money ran out. It had been explained that it was essential that the Council did everything to ensure that it did not get to this point. It had been noted that there was a need to ensure the Council received value for money and made the most of every pound. It had been expressed that failure to do this gave rise to a need to make a s114 statement, and that everything needed to be done to avoid getting to this point.  It had been acknowledged that there was concern about a lack of resources to get things done but that this was the current reality.

     

    It had been noted that there was an application to undertake modelling to predict future demand, and it had been explained that the Research and Information Team was at the forefront of this area.  It had been highlighted that members had indicated that they were rapidly reaching the point where  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

    Awdur: Ffion Madog Evans

    8.

    CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2023/24 - END OF NOVEMBER REVIEW pdf icon PDF 1 MB

    Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Ioan Thomas

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 8.

    Decision:

    ·         To accept the report on the end of November review (30 November 2023 position) of the capital programme.

    ·         To approve the revised financing as shown in part 3.2.3 of the report, namely:⁠ - an increase of £3,576,000 in the use of borrowing - an increase of £2,373,000 in the use of grants and contributions - an increase of £317,000 in the use of revenue contributions - an increase of £1,038,000 in the use of renewal and other reserves.

     

    Minutes:

    The report was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas. ⁠

     

    DECISION

     

    ·         To accept the report on the end of November review (30 November 2022 position) of the capital programme.

    ·         To approve the revised financing as shown in part 3.2.3 of the report, namely:⁠ - an increase of £3,576,000 in the use of borrowing - an increase of £2,373,000 in the use of grants and contributions - an increase of £317,000 in the use of revenue contributions - an increase of £1,038,000 in the use of renewal funds and others.

     

    DISCUSSION

     

    The report was submitted noting that the main purpose was to present the revised capital programme and to approve the relevant financing sources. It was explained that the main conclusions were that the Council had concrete plans in place to invest around £86.8m in 2023/24 on capital schemes, with £41.5m funded via specific grants.

     

    It was expressed that the impact of recent financial challenges continued on the capital programme, with £23.2m namely 27% of the budget spent up to the end of November this year, compared to 40% over the same period a year ago.  It was noted that an additional £27.4m of proposed spending had been re-profiled from 2023/24 to 2024/25 and 2025/26.  Attention was drawn to some of the schemes which included £12.2m School Schemes, £11m Housing Strategy Schemes, £3.9m Coastal Risks and Flood Prevention Schemes.

     

    It was highlighted that the Council had been successful in attracting additional grants since the last review which included £661k Circular Economy Capital Grant, £550k Grants for a 3G Community Synthetic Field on the Syr Hugh Owen School site.

    Observations arising from the discussion

    ·         It was stated that there was so much worry about the revenue schemes that the capital programme was often forgotten. It was made clear that the Council's ten-year assets plan would be set over the coming months, and it was highlighted that each service's requirements came to a total of £82m with capital funding at £38m and therefore there would be a need to cut back on expenditure.

    ·         It was noted that this year's spending share was reported to be 27% which was lower than last year, and it was asked what the reason for this was. It was explained that this was due to poor profiling and some education schemes that had not moved forward.

     

    Awdur: Ffion Madog Evans

    9.

    PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR EDUCATION pdf icon PDF 196 KB

    Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Beca Brown

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 9.

    Decision:

    To accept and note the information in the report.

     

    Minutes:

    The report was submitted by Cllr Beca Brown. ⁠

     

    DECISION

     

    To accept and note the information in the report.

     

    DISCUSSION

     

    The report was submitted and Gwern ap Rhisiart was congratulated on his new role as Head of the Education Department. Members were reminded that the Authority had received a positive Estyn report published in September last year which testified to the organisation's hard work and everyone was thanked for their work.

     

    It was highlighted that the department had been implementing plans within the new Council Plan but they were early days as it was a new plan. Some areas were highlighted as follows. In terms of the Transforming Early Years Education plan, it was noted that an external commissioner had been commissioned and a draft work plan had been created.  It was expressed that this would reduce inconsistency in terms of the offer across the county. It was made clear that the Council was ahead of the Government's free school meals timetable, and that the upgrading work had now been carried out within schools.  It was added that promotion work was needed specifically in some schools where the rate of children who benefited was lower.   

     

    It was expressed regarding the modernising of buildings and the learning environment that money may be re-directed to invest in Ysgol Hirael and Ysgol Tryfan in Bangor, as construction costs had increased so much.  It was added that in terms of the Well-being of Children and Young People and the Cost of sending Children to School that a questionnaire had been shared which would identify the actual cost of sending children to school and highlight the obvious costs of school uniforms, as well as drawing attention to more hidden costs. 

     

    In terms of the Immersion scheme, staff were thanked for their work and the children for all their efforts and there was a real need to celebrate the number of new Welsh-speakers the service had created. It was expressed that training continued within schools and that some secondary schools were in a Say Something in Welsh pilot scheme with the Welsh Government and that this highlighted that the department was seeking every opportunity to ensure the use of Welsh.

     

    On a day-to-day basis it was highlighted that the attendance level remained an issue, but was visible locally, nationally and internationally following Covid.  It was noted that the reasons were complex, but a great deal of work was being done. Sadness was expressed that Cabinet had taken the decision to close Ysgol Felinwnda but staff were thanked for all their work and the children were wished well in transferring to the two neighbouring schools.⁠

     

    Observations arising from the discussion

    ·         The Head of Education added that the report highlighted a great deal of good news but the department was facing challenges; however, he was looking forward to moving on to work closely not only with department staff but also with the schools.

    ·         It was highlighted that a teacher’s job was not an easy job and all teachers and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

    Awdur: Gwern ap Rhisiart

    10.

    PERFORMANCE REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR FINANCE pdf icon PDF 256 KB

    Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Ioan Thomas

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 10.

    Decision:

    To accept and note the information in the report.

     

    Minutes:

    The report was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas. ⁠ 

     

    DECISION

     

    To accept and note the information in the report.

     

    DISCUSSION 

     

    The report was presented, and it was noted that the department's performance had been generally good over the last few months and had made satisfactory progress with the relevant priority projects. Key issues arising from the department's performance were highlighted including the following items. 

     

    In terms of the IT Service – Support, it was noted that the service had been successful in filling key vacancies. It was highlighted that there had been over 3,453 requests for IT support during October and November 2023, with 93% calls opened and closed during the period. In looking at the IT Service – Infrastructure, it was noted that the availability of the Core Network and Critical Systems had been 100% during the period and there were no serious cyber incidents or service breaches.

     

    Looking at finance services, the following projects were highlighted. ⁠In terms of the Income Service it was noted that the report continued to address the progress of the cases the service referred to the Legal Service to ensure that there was effective collaboration between both units.  It was highlighted that the Benefits Service was performing consistently well, and the Manager and all service staff were thanked for ensuring that Gwynedd's most vulnerable people received the financial support they qualified for.  It was expressed that the Payroll service had responded in a timely manner to the pay agreement for 2023/24 and had ensured that increases and remuneration had been paid to staff during November. Concern was highlighted at the failure of some services to notify the Payroll Service in a timely manner of any change in an individual's position so that action could be taken on time.

     

    Much work had been undertaken to carry out the Ffordd Gwynedd review on the Tax service, and clear improvements had now emerged from the commitment of the Manager and the whole team to do the work. The savings schemes were highlighted and it was noted that all schemes except for one had been delivered for the 2015/16 – 2022/23 schemes. It was noted that the department did not anticipate that the scheme – Attracting additional income through an Internal Collection Agency would realise the £35k savings target so the department was looking for an alternative scheme.  The total savings for 2023/24 for the Finance Department were noted to be £294,060 over 7 schemes. It was explained that £19,820 worth of schemes had already been realised and there were 3 other schemes and a total of £138,670 that were on track to deliver to the timetable. It was highlighted that 2 schemes worth £135,570 were slipping. 

     

    Observations arising from the discussion

    ·         Attention was drawn to the Benefits Service, and it was noted that the department was consistently good; however, there was a need to encourage the people of Gwynedd to use the service to ensure they received the financial support available to them. 

     

    Awdur: Dewi Aeron Morgan

    11.

    FORWARD WORK PROGRAM pdf icon PDF 74 KB

    Cyflwynwyd gan: Cllr. Dyfrig Siencyn

    Additional documents:

    • Webcast for 11.

    Decision:

    To approve the Forward Work Programme included with the meeting papers. 

     

    Minutes:

    The report was submitted by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn. ⁠

     

    DECISION

     

    To approve the Forward Work Programme included with the meeting papers. 

     

    DISCUSSION

     

    None to note.

     

     

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