Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Stephen Churchman and Councillor Arwyn Herald Roberts.

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

No declarations of personal interest were received.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration.

No urgent matters were raised.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the last meeting of this committee held on the 15^th of June 2023 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 15 June 2023, as a true record.

To ask the Committee for their observations in order to respond to The Independent Remuneration Panel’s draft report consultation.

To accept the report and present the committee’s observations in order to respond to The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales’ draft report.

The Democracy and Language Services Manager presented the report by explaining that the panel were the ones responsible for setting the financial remuneration level for councillors. It was noted that their role was completely independent and that they published a report annually in October to outline the proposal for the subsequent financial year. For the 2024/25 financial year, it was explained that the panel had not suggested any significant changes but that they proposed increasing the basic allowance offered to Councillors and that it would be payable from April 2024 onwards. There would be an increase in the sum offered to the Councillors who received senior salaries as well.

It was explained that the other main change was that the panel addressed matters relating to payments for co-opted members. It was explained that the current arrangements noted that co-opted members should receive financial remuneration based on a full-day or half-day.  But due to changes to work practices, such as more frequent on-line briefing meetings etc., it was explained that the panel considered offering flexibility when paying co-opted members, including hourly rate payments. 

The Democracy and Language Service Manager explained that six questions were included in the consultation and asked whether it would be possible for the committee to provide comments on the different aspects per question in order to use the comments to prepare a response to the panel's consultation.

·        Question 1: Balance between affordability and sufficient financial remuneration for representatives?

o   It was noted that the panel’s proposals seemed affordable enough compared to the Council's budget as a whole and therefore seemed fair enough.

·        Question 2: Opinion on the flexibility of payments to Co-opted Members?

o   The Members agreed that the reasoning behind the change to the way Co-opted Members were paid made sense considering the change to the work circumstances and that it happened in a more fragmented and consistent way by now.

o   The system's flexibility and the way that it could be changed when new circumstances arose was praised.

·        Question 3: Good practice in terms of using the Panel's powers to encourage more sustainable travel amongst Members?

o   It was noted that the option of hybrid working had now led to more sustainable working and that providing Councillors with the choice was a good way forward.

o   Questions were asked relating to the situation regarding insurance if sharing a car with another Councillor to attend meetings.  In response, it was confirmed that there would need to change the insurance to a policy that covered business trips to be able to use it by virtue of the post.

o   Attention was drawn to the fact that travelling costs were significantly higher if one did ward work when living in a rural ward compared to an urban ward and that no recognition was given to that issue.

·        Question 4: Awareness of the Councillors' rights for reimbursements and the steps to improve that.

o   The Democracy and Language Services Manager noted that information regarding the Councillor's rights was available  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To submit the report of the Head of Democracy Services.

To accept the report and the information contained therein.

The Head of Democracy Services presented the report, reminding the committee that there were four priority fields outlined to receive attention during 2023/24 namely safety and support for Councillors; personal development discussions; review of scrutiny arrangements and a paperless Council.

In terms of the safety and councillor support aspect, it was explained that information regarding health and well-being matters would be provided on the Members' Intranet and regular updates were given on the field in the Members' Bulletin.  It was noted that not many Councillors were aware of the bulletin and that it would be useful to have the committee members' opinion on how to ensure better use of the Members' Intranet and weekly bulletin to communicate important key information.

It was explained that every member had received an invitation to take advantage of a Consultation Session which was an informal discussion with a specialist from the Learning and Development field to discuss their role as a member. It was noted that up until now they were rarely used and so the members were reminded that they would have to contact the Members Development Officer to arrange a session.

In the context of the shift to become a paperless Council, it was explained that there had been developments over the summer.  Recognition was given to the fact that it had not been an easy shift and the members were thanked for their cooperation on the matter.  The members were reminded that it would be possible for them to get in touch if they needed an additional screen or to arrange a 1:1 training slot to understand the equipment. 

In terms of other developments, it was explained that changes were made to the sound system in Siambr Hywel Dda following observations from the Councillors. An overview of the training opportunities given to members was given also. 

Matters raised during the discussion:

-        The department was thanked for the support.

-        Regarding the shift to become a paperless Council, appreciation was expressed of the fact that the department had held individual discussion with those who continued to receive paper copies.

-        Attention was drawn to the fact that there were reception problems in some rural areas in Gwynedd and that it could be problematic when trying to read documents on-line. 

-        It was noted that the safety and support to Councillors was important and that being proactive was necessary when ensuring priority for the field. The Head of Democracy Services confirmed that the matter would be a priority area for quite some time. 

-        Astonishment was expressed regarding the low number of members who attended training and it was questioned whether the training provide covered what Councillors needed?

o   In response, it was noted that that the department understood that the Councillors’ time was in demand but that they were encouraged to attend the training sessions.

o   Attention was drawn to the fact that one of the Council's new priorities was increasing the Council's diversity and that meant more Councillors had other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the report.

To accept the report and the information contained therein.

The report was presented by explaining that ensuring support for Councillors had been key in Cyngor Gwynedd for quite a while. With the support of Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), the Council collaborated and compared with other local authorities, learning and benefiting from their experiences. It was explained that by now, the WLGA had developed a voluntary Self-assessment Framework that offered different areas for the Councils to concentrate on to self-evaluate their performance. It was noted that an advisory document had been developed by the association and that Cyngor Gwynedd had ensured opportunity to present observations in response to the advisory document.

It was explained that Cyngor Gwynedd were eager to plan to proceed with the work following the approval of the final framework. It was recommended that a small group of the Democracy Services Committee's members met to assess the following from the final framework:

·        Is the Council responsible for the field or not?

·        The Council's current performance against the framework's expectations.

·        Is it a priority of the Council?

·        Are there any potential improvement steps?

It was explained that the above steps could be used to create a work programme of improvements by using the framework as grounds to identify matters to prioritise.   It was noted that it would be an effective starting point, but it was emphasised that the framework must be used wisely whilst considering the resources available to the Council.

Matters raised during the discussion: -

·        In terms of creating a small group, it was explained that the Democracy and Language Service Manager would contact the representatives as soon as possible after the framework would be finalised.

·        It was proposed that Councillors Dewi Owen, Beca Roberts, Anne Lloyd-Jones and Cai Larsen would form the group.

RESOLVED to accept the report and the information.