Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda - Council Offices, Caernarfon. View directions
Contact: Sion Owen 01286 679665
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No declarations of personal interest were
received from any members present. |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration. |
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The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the last meeting of this committee held on 11th July 2017 be signed as a true record. Minutes: The Chair signed
the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 11 July 2017, as
a true record. |
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MATTERS RAISED BY MEMBERS PDF 110 KB Present issues regarding support for members. Minutes: A short presentation was received from the
Democratic Services Manager noting that matters had been
raised by Council Members in several forums. The Committee was given
an opportunity to share their comments on the matters that had arisen in their
role when assisting to develop Members' services. Meeting
Venues It was noted that
comments have been received that travelling to different meetings in Caernarfon
took a great deal of Members' time. Observations arising from the discussion:- -
Encourage the use of Council meeting rooms at
Penrhyndeudraeth. -
Encourage the use of technology in order to
facilitate attending remote meetings, enabling Members to participate fully in
the meeting. -
This Committee should also take a lead role in
developing technology and the required arrangements. -
In order to ensure success, the importance of a
strong broadband connection across the county was emphasised. -
That chairing a meeting with an element of
remote attendance was a different experience and more difficult compared to one
where all the attendees were in one room. -
That other organisations already used
technology such as Skype in order to bring staff at different locations
together, and consequently the organisation's culture had changed. -
It was necessary to bear in mind the
requirement to web-broadcast meetings when working on remote attendance. In response the
Head of Democratic Services noted that the Council was just starting the
journey in terms of using technology to facilitate conducting meetings with
elements of remote attendance. Contacting Departments, information and
communication from Departments and Publishing Members' addresses on the web It was noted that some Members were discontent as developments had occurred in their wards
without the Members being informed. It was also noted
that a concern had arisen regarding personal details being published on the
web. Observations arising from the discussion:- -
The importance of communication between
departments and Members was highlighted, it was noted that communication needed
to be developed, especially in two-member wards. -
It was noted that 'Rhaeadr' was available on
the Members' Portal, and part of its purpose was to provide information to
Members. -
The Contact Centre was praised for responding
in a professional manner to Members' enquiries. -
That publishing personal details on the web was
part of the post, and assisted the public to contact their councillor. In response the Head
of Democratic Services encouraged Members to share specific examples of their
experiences of a lack of communication in order to understand the actual
situation and to give further attention to the matters raised. |
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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERVIEWS PDF 247 KB To update the committee on messages from meetings with new members. Minutes: It was noted that
the personal development interviews had taken place with Members in order to
identify their development needs. 10 meetings had been
conducted and the following matters had been highlighted: -
There was a great deal of work for new Members
to become acquainted with the Council and its culture, especially the
constitutional arrangements and how the Council worked. -
There was often confusion regarding the correct
point of contact for matters where the Members needed to contact Council officers,
and it should be ensured that the details on the Members' Portal were correct
and current. -
It was necessary to continue to offer training
and various opportunities for Members to develop. Observations
arising from the discussion:- -
It was necessary to be aware that Members had
jobs and other commitments when organising meetings and development sessions. -
In response to an enquiry, it was noted that an
element of performance appraisal was part of the personal development meetings. -
That it would be beneficial for new Members to
receive assistance with Ward work, as soon as possible once they had been
elected. -
That problems arose with the electronic devices
distributed to Members to assist them with their work. In response, the Democratic Services Manager
noted that additional sessions to the session that took place on 10th of
September would be conducted on matters concerning
Committees. Personal development
meetings would also continue to be offered to all
Members to assist them with their personal development. The Democratic Service
would look at alternative methods of conducting development sessions for
Members. The Head of Democratic Services noted that
different persons learnt through different methods and this would
be considered when planning future support for Members. RESOLVED:
1 - To convene a sub-group of Members
of this Committee to assist with the development of the Members' Portal and to
trial alternative methods of conducting meetings and training. Councillors Annwen Hughes, Nia Jeffreys and
Dewi Roberts were appointed to the sub-group. 2 - That a questionnaire be circulated to all Members to see what the problems were
with the IT equipment, the results would be collated in a report to the next
meeting of this Committee. |
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INDEPENDENT REMUNERATIONS PANEL FOR WALES - CONSULTATION PDF 276 KB To receive observations of the Democratic Services Committee in response to the consultation. Minutes: The joint report of the Chair of this
Committee and the Democratic Services Manager was presented
discussing the consultation of the Independent Remuneration Panel. The Panel's main
recommendations were that the Members basic salary should increase by £200
(1.49%) in 2018/19, the removal of the two tier arrangement for Cabinet Members
and Committee Chairs, and there was encouragement for those eligible to claim a
reimbursement for costs associated with arranging care. The Committee's observations were invited. Observations arising from the discussion:- -
Was there a possibility that Members would not
have to vote for their own salaries? -
Would it be possible to include a specific box
to claim a reimbursement for the costs of care on the relevant page within the
Self-service system? In response, the Democratic Services Manager
noted that removing the two tier of higher allowances would mean that no vote
would be required on the Members future salary levels. It was a decision for individual Members if
they wanted to accept the salary available or part of it. The Head of
Democratic Services noted that only one authority had benefited from the
ability to present two tiers of higher salary. She encouraged the eligible
members to claim a reimbursement for childcare costs, in order to enable them
to participate fully. RESOLVED:
to accept the report's recommendations as a response to the consultation. |
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An update on diversity data in accordance with the Committee’s request at the last meeting. Minutes: Submitted - Diversity Data in accordance
with the request of this Committee at its meeting on 11th July 2017. The
information showed that the work of the Diversity in Democracy Sub-group had borne
fruit to an extent, and that there was room for improvement. Observations arising from the discussion:- -
In order to raise awareness amongst school
pupils it was suggested that a pilot promotion event was conducted and that
school pupils from Gwynedd should be invited to participate. -
It was noted that it was important to draw the
community into discussions and activities.
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That there was a link between the salary
available and the Members' age profile: That persons who were close to, or had
retired were more likely to stand as councillors as the salary was not an
essential factor for them. On the other hand, it was noted that the salary
available to Members was fairly attractive to students, and that it was persons
in employment or raising a family that were least likely to stand in an
election. -
That the Gwynedd provision for Members appeared
to be one of the best. In response, the Head of Democratic Services
reported that representatives of the Independent Remuneration Panel had
recently stated that the salary of an elected Member was
based on a working week of 21 hours.
Reference was also made to the White Paper on Local Government being
prepared by the Assembly, and specifically to the likelihood that it would
include proposals to amend regulations for candidates and
also the right to vote, that may possibly be a boost to increase the
level of diversity in democracy. RESOLVED 1.
To re-convene the Diversity in Democracy
Sub-group with Councillors Annwen Daniels, Olaf Cai Larsen, Anne Lloyd Jones
and Catrin Wager as members. 2.
Organise a
pilot event to promote democracy, by inviting pupils from Ysgol y Moelwyn to
take part. |