Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

None to note.

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

None to note

To note any items which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chairman so they may be considered.

None to note

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this committee, held on 13^th November 2025, be signed as a true record.

The Chair accepted the minutes of the previous meetings of this committee held on 13 November 2025 as a true record

To consider the report and offer comments

DECISION:

·        To accept the contents of the report

Note:

·        To receive an update on the 5/9/24 items (hold an information session on homelessness) and the 10/10/24 items (update on Emergency Care Audit recommendations): Flow Out of Hospital) by the next meeting

A report was submitted providing an outline of how the Council's departments had responded to the decisions of the Governance and Audit Committee so that Members could be assured that their decisions were being addressed. It was noted that the report gave Members an opportunity to consider the decision made with the intention of removing the item / decision when the action had been completed.

The members thanked the officer for the report

RESOLVED

·        To accept the contents of the report

Note:

·        To receive an update on the 5/9/24 items (hold an information session on homelessness) and the 10/10/24 items (update on Emergency Care Audit recommendations): Flow Out of Hospital) by the next meeting

To consider the report

DECISION:

·       To accept the detail of the Response Plan

·       To thank the Officers for their work and welcome that the Response Plan is being discussed in several forums

·       That a simple and definite summary/front page of the main action points is needed

·       That the Committee receives regular updates on the actions that have been taken or are being considered to be a suitable and appropriate response to the situation

·       Request by the Committee for Estyn to acknowledge the weaknesses of their report on the Council's safeguarding arrangements, June 2023

·       That the Whistleblowing Arrangements and Safeguarding Arrangements need to be among the best;

-    would welcome reviews to these policies

-    need an update on the work, the timetable and how they are adopted

Note:

Request to review the last paragraph 2.5 of the Response Plan: 'Investigation into the events of 2019 that has been the subject of press coverage' – more context is needed about the independent investigation that was completed and what reason was for the decision not to share the report/findings.

Request to set out the context for Estyn's commendation of the Council's safeguarding arrangements (June 2023). The wording as it is, is inappropriate given the failures that later emerged.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Nia Jeffreys, thanked the Chair for the invitation to present the Council's response plan to the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report.

As Leader, she sincerely apologised to the victims and all those affected by the horrific crimes of the former Headteacher of Ysgol Friars. The children's voices had not been heard and she made it clear that their experiences and voices were important to her. She reiterated that without action, an apology would be merely empty words, and the greatest tribute that could be given to the courage of the victims was a reassurance and a promise of change; the aim of the plan was to ensure that such failures did not happen again in Gwynedd and that the challenges facing the Council to change systems and the culture were vital to such a serious issue. It was noted that she would appreciate the committee's comments in the context of managing and monitoring the plan's risks; that transparency was necessary and restored confidence among the public.

It was explained that the Response Plan was a live, public document and that the minutes of the Response Plan Programme Board meetings would report on the progress taking place.

She thanked the Committee for its willingness to discuss such a difficult subject, but that its contribution would lead to an improvement in the Council's safeguarding arrangements to ensure that this did not happen again. She expressed that safeguarding and protecting children from harm was everyone's responsibility. She expressed her gratitude for the fantastic collaboration that had taken place to date with Sally Holland (Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board), everyone involved in the Scheme, with fantastic work from several Council Departments involved in the response. While no single Service, Department, political group or individual could achieve this alone, she stressed the need for collaboration across Committees, across Departments and across political divides, so that real and timely progress could be made in this vital area. As a result, the scrutiny process would not only hold the Council to account but would also contribute to shaping a safer future for the children and young people of the County.

She suggested returning to report on the progress of the Plan within 6 months to a year, should the Committee so wish.

The Chief Executive presented the details and functionality of the Response Plan. He highlighted that the original Response Plan had been adopted by the Cabinet (January 2025) and as with any living document, it had evolved since that time. Since the publication of the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report (November 2025) the Plan had been amended to address the themes and recommendations set out in the report. Comments / considerations, from other consultees, from this Governance and Audit Committee meeting, the extraordinary meetings of the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee and the Care Scrutiny Committee and the Extraordinary Meeting of the Full Council, would be included in the final Response Plan to be formally submitted to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive the information, consider the risks arising from the forecast expenditure against the budget, and scrutinise the decisions to be presented to Cabinet regarding budget management by the Council and its departments

DECISION:

·        To accept the end November 2025 report and review of the Revenue Budget

·        To note the latest financial position regarding the budgets of each department / service.

A report was submitted by the Cabinet Member for Finance asking the committee to scrutinise the situation and relevant risks in relation to the Council's budgets and its departments. It was explained that the report detailed the latest review of the Council's revenue budget for 2025/26, and the projections towards the end of the financial year. The Committee was asked to scrutinise the information and offer comments before submitting it for Cabinet approval on 20 January 2026.

Following a review at the end of November it was noted that the forecasts suggested an overspend of £6.5 million by Council departments, which was a slight increase from the August forecast and 76% of which was in adults and childcare. It was explained that, following on from a trend in previous years, there was also significant overspend in waste, highways and municipal, but underspending on corporate budgets, which reduced the overspend forecast as a whole to £2.3 million.

Attention was drawn to the main issues:

·       Adults, Health and Well-being Department - latest projections suggested that with no changes in the actions during the year, there would be a financial deficit of £3m by the end of the year. £3 million’s worth of permanent funding had been allocated to the field for 2025/26, but £1 million’s worth of savings and cuts had not been achieved to date.

In the context of older people services, an increase had been seen in the demand for older people residential care and an unexpected and unusual increase for residential care due to mental health issues; the pressure on the domiciliary care provision also continued.

·       Children and Families Department - projected a budget deficit of £1.8 million, with areas such as out-of-county placements and the provision for children with disabilities in the Derwen and Hafan y Sêr services facing pressure.

·       Byw'n Iach – over the past few years, Byw'n Iach had received annual financial support from the Council that was above the contracted payment of the provider contract, to enable them to sustain their services. It was reported that the financial support continued this year and the forecast of the amount required by the end of the year had increased to £295k.

·       Department for Highways, Engineering and YGC - a budget deficit of £492k was forecast, with savings not realised contributing to the situation. There had been a reduction in the amount of work commissioned by external agencies which as a result had a negative impact on the income of the highways service. In the Municipal Unit, it was highlighted that there was a combination of factors, which included additional pressure on the budgets of street cleaning and public toilets cleaning staff; income losses were land maintenance and public toilets issues.

·       Environment Department – a budget deficit of £685k was forecast, with the annual trend of overspend in waste collection and recycling continuing and accounting for £617k of the overspend. 

·       Housing and Property - a trend of substantial pressure on the emergency accommodation service continued, with expenditure projections  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To receive the information, consider the risks regarding the Capital Programme, and scrutinise the decisions for the Cabinet

DECISION:

·       To accept the report and agree on the recommendations for the Cabinet to consider

Submitted - a report by the Cabinet Member for Finance outlining the capital programme (end of November 2025 position) and also approving the relevant funding sources. The Committee was asked to scrutinise the information and offer comments before submitting the report for the Cabinet's approval on 20 January 2025.

Reference was made to a Departmental breakdown of the £152 million capital programme for the 3 years 2025/26 - 2027/28 along with the sources available to fund the net increase of approximately £0.8 million since the position of the last review.

It was elaborated that,

·       There were firm plans in place to invest £93.7 million in 2025/26 on capital schemes, with £48.2 million (51%) of it funded through specific grants.

·       That an additional £6 million of proposed expenditure had been re-profiled from 2025/26 to 2026/27 and 2027/28.

·        The main schemes that had slipped since the original budget included £4.5 million for Schools Schemes (Sustainable Learning Communities and Others), £3.2 million in Levelling-up Fund Schemes, £2.8 million in Vehicle Replacement Schemes, £1.5 million from Economic Boost and Industrial Units Schemes and £1.0 million from Waste and Recycling Schemes

A list of additional grants that the Council had been able to attract since the last review was highlighted which included, £1million – a grant from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) towards Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for packaging; £0.6 million – Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme (TACP) Grant from the Welsh Government; £0.3 million – a grant from the Welsh Government's Brilliant Basics Fund towards the Enjoyment of Our Coast scheme and £0.3 million – a grant from the Sports Council towards synthetic pitches.

Reference was made to the information about the Council's Capital Prudential Indicators and highlighted that, in accordance with the CIPFA Prudential Code, the Council was obliged to report the information - he added that the Council had complied in full with the policy on borrowing for capital purposes.

The report was appreciated by members.

In response to a comment about relevant schemes causing major changes to funding sources, in particular 'Re-profiling the Buy to Let element of the Housing Strategy beyond this three-year Capital Programme to a period of more favourable economic circumstances (Department for Housing and Property)', and what was the context of 'more favourable economic circumstances', it was noted that increases in the cost of construction materials and interest rates meant that this particular scheme could not be funded, but that the situation could be revisited in the event of a reduction in costs and interest in the future.

In response to a comment that the 27/27 and 27/28 figures were significantly lower than the 25/26 figures, it was confirmed that this was because no new plans had come forward to date.

In response to a comment that the Football Association of Wales had invested in Football Clubs in the County (e.g., Talysarn, Porthmadog and Tywyn) and whether the money was part of a Sport Wales Grant or a separate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To note the position and the relevant risks regarding the Savings Overview, consider the decisions for the Cabinet and comment as necessary.

DECISION:

·       To accept the report

·       To note the progress, the position and the relevant risks in the context of the Savings Overview

Note / Suggestion

Offer targeted support on schemes that Departments are unable to realise

Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance requesting that the Committee noted the position and relevant risks in respect of the Savings Overview, considered the information for the Cabinet's approval (20-01-26) and provided comment as necessary.

In the 2025/26 Budget Report to the Full Council on 6 March 2025, it had been reported that savings of £3.5 million had been profiled for the 2025/26 budget which was a combination of £100k newly approved in 2025 and £3.4 million that had been approved in previous years. Members were reminded that, as had been consistently reported to the Committee, there had been difficulties in realising savings in some areas.

The Assistant Head of Finance reiterated, ⁠

·       It was noted that 98% of historical savings had been realised, namely £33.8 million of the £34.3 million savings, had now been realised. Detailing the schemes that remained unrealised (worth £590 thousand), the majority of them were in the Adults, Health and Well-being Department.

·        Of the new savings schemes worth £15.6 million, 81% of the savings were reported to have already been realised and a further 3% was on track for timely delivery; risks to realising the savings were evident in some areas with the main ones being the Adults, Health and Well-being Department and the Environment Department.

Following an announcement in December 2025 that there was a 4.1% floor for the Local Government financial settlement, meaning there was no urgency for the Council to implement savings for 2026/27, there would be a need to continue to identify savings for subsequent years which was likely to be challenging.

Summing up the picture, it was reported that £47 million of savings had been realised which was 93% of the £50 million required over the period. It was anticipated that a further 1% would be realised by the end of the financial year, but there would be delays and some risks to the delivery of the remaining plans.

The members thanked the officers for the thorough report.

It was accepted that 98% of the 2015/16 - 2025/26 historical savings plans (going back over 10 years) had been realised, but only 81% of the new savings plans 2023/24 to 2025/26 had been realised and 23 schemes had slipped or had risks to their delivery. However, it was suggested that the Central Services considered offering targeted support on schemes that the Departments were unable to realise.

There were risks to the public and to the Council by seeking savings that were not available, particularly if demand for services increased. It was suggested that a thorough risk assessment of the risks of cuts should be carried out on all schemes. In response, the Cabinet Member for Finance expressed that the situation of finding cuts was becoming more difficult and the impacts to the services of the County's residents were more evident. The Head of Finance reiterated that it was difficult to find savings and that alternative arrangements were in place. As the Finance Department reviewed and discussed plans with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To identify the relevant position and risks in relation to the content of the Policy, consider the Cabinet's decision and comment as necessary.

DECISION:

·        To accept the report and note the situation and relevant risks

·        To welcome the Cabinet's decision to approve the Policy

·        To welcome that the Policy is under ongoing review and can be adapted as any legislative changes or changes in circumstances are introduced.

Note / Suggestion

Reword paragraph 3.3 appendix 2 – Equality Impact Assessment to reinforce the statement

Add sustainable tourism as a priority area to paragraph 4.5, Cabinet Report

Submitted - a report by the Cabinet Member for Finance in response to a request from the Committee following a discussion held at the 13 November 2025 committee on Council Tax Collection Rates. The Head of Finance highlighted that the Cabinet had approved the Policy (11.11.25) and in line with Council procedures, it had become operational on 26.11.25. It was stated that Section 13A(1)(c) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 gave the Council additional discretionary powers to reduce the amount of Council tax payable by individuals or classes of taxpayers.

It was highlighted that the Council used Section 13A of the 1992 Act as a means of introducing local, optional exceptions in very limited cases and prior to the approval of the policy, only Cabinet had the power to make these decisions. Following changes in Legislation and the introduction of a premium, the situation highlighted the need for a policy that would give officers the right to deal with applications for reductions (exceptional circumstances), without going through Cabinet. In addition, operational guidelines had been drawn up, and in line with Cabinet approval, a panel had been set up to consider the applications as a means of achieving consistency in decisions. The panel would consist of the Cabinet Member for Finance, Head of Finance (or Assistant Head) and the Taxation Manager with the Corporate Director and Monitoring Officer invited to observe and advise. It was reiterated that five meetings had been scheduled for 2026 with the flexibility to meet more often if needed. It was reported that the Welsh Government was consulting on the policy, which may lead to the modification of some of the statutory exemptions. It was noted that the Policy would be kept under ongoing review and modified as any legislative changes or updates to the policy were introduced.

The members expressed their thanks for the report

Observations arising from the ensuing discussion:

·        It was noted that the plan was a huge step in the right direction.

·        That willingness to modify the policy according to circumstances was to be welcomed.

·        In the context of an impact assessment, the impact on the Welsh language and families who made a living from tourism needed to be considered – sustainable tourism must be highlighted as a priority.

·        Accepted that there would be ongoing reviews to the policy and that the Welsh Government had recently consulted on the Council Tax Premium.

·        Accepted that the new policy has been developed with input from the Tax Unit.

In response to a comment that there would be a legal risk of having a premium without a policy, the Head of Finance noted that there was a legal risk whether there was a policy in place or not. He reiterated that all policies were balanced on the basis of fairness and safeguarding risk. Should exceptions arise, or certain cohorts needed to be looked at, such as self-catering accommodation failing to reach the 182-day threshold (under current rules, holiday accommodation must be let for 182 days  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To provide an update to the Committee on reports recently published by Audit Wales

·        Temporary accommodation, long-term crisis? 

DECISION:

Postponed until the 03/02/2026 meeting

The Council's Business Support Service Manager highlighted that a Welsh language version of the Council's response to the audit was not included on the agenda and therefore suggested that the discussion be postponed until the next meeting so that Members had all available information to discuss/consider.

RESOLVED:

Postponed until the 03/02/2026 meeting

To consider the work programme

DECISION:

·       To accept the work programme until February 2027

Submitted - a forward programme of items for the Committee's meetings until October 2026. Members were reminded if they wished to add another item to the forward programme then they could submit such proposals by emailing the Chair or Head of Finance.

RESOLVED:

·        To accept the work programme up to February 2027