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No. | Item |
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CHAIRMAN To elect a Chairman for 2016/17 Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED to
elect Councillor Caerwyn Roberts as Chair of this Scrutiny Committee for
2016/17. |
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VICE-CHAIRMAN To elect a Vice-chairman for 2016/17 Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED to
elect Councillor Dilwyn Morgan as Vice-chair of this Scrutiny Committee for
2016/17. |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies
were received from Councillors Stephen Churchman, Tudor Owen, Mike Stevens and
Glyn Thomas. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest Additional documents: Minutes: The
following members declared a personal interest in relation to the item noted
below: • Councillor
Angela Russell, in item 9 on the agenda, due to the nature of her work. • Councillor
Linda Morgan, in item 12 on the agenda, as she worked at Coleg
Meirion-Dwyfor. They both
left the room during the discussion |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any
items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for
consideration. Additional documents: Minutes: None to
note |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held
on 12.1.2016 be signed as a true record.
Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes
of the previous meeting of this committee, held on 12 January 2016, were
accepted as a true record of the meeting. |
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PUBLIC CONVENIENCES PDF 244 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor Dafydd Meurig To consider the report and make recommendations on a Scheme to keep
public toilets, which are under threat of closure due to the cuts, open for the
future Additional documents:
Minutes: a)
Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for the Environment recommending a scheme to seek to keep those
public toilets that are under
threat of closure, open and operational
into the future. Reference was made to the Gwynedd Challenge exercise where the Council, at its meeting on
3 March 2016, recommended making
cuts including 'closing 50 out of 73 public toilets in the County" and cut £244,000 from the budget for the service. It was explained that the intention of this alternative scheme was to meet the cut by attempting to maintain the existing provision of public toilets in the County. The Cabinet Member made
a request for the Committee to consider the scheme and refer
its recommendation to the
Cabinet. It
was explained that the Scheme depended on obtaining interest
amongst Community and Town Councils in order to ensure
the continuation of the provision,
by contributing financially towards the scheme. Attention was drawn to the two options: ·
Option 1 - contribution level of £4000 for each toilet
that is open throughout the year and a contribution of £2000 for each toilet
that is open seasonally. ·
Option 2 - a contribution equal to a third (33.3%) of the average annual cost of operating the toilet It was noted that the
scheme was a means of maintaining the provision and unless the scheme would be approved, there would be a need to assess the local need. b)
During the discussion, the following observations were noted against the recommendation: ·
The scheme had not been sufficiently scrutinised. ·
A White Paper from the National Health Service (NHS) noting that the patient experience needed to be improved by 'listening
and learning' and for organisations
to develop clear strategies to address this - closing public toilets was contrary to this. ·
Insufficient consideration had been given to vulnerable residents and residents
with health conditions. ·
It must be ensured that plenty of public toilets were available - Gwynedd was an area that
depended on tourism, therefore, high quality public
toilets were needed. ·
A petition against the decision to close the toilets was gathering momentum with over
2000 names on it - there was no sufficient reason
to close the public toilets c)
In response to the observations, Members were reminded
that a cut to the service
had already been agreed in the Full
Council in March 2016, therefore,
there was a need to consider a way to move forward. The Cabinet Member accepted the comment that the subject was one that highlighted
concerns amongst communities. He also noted that
he completely sympathised with residents with health conditions and that he
would give full consideration to this. It was reiterated that the toilets would remain open
until consultation would have taken
place with the relevant communities. ch) In response, the following observations were noted in support to the ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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A REVIEW OF THE COUNCIL'S GREEN WASTE COLLECTION ARRANGEMENTS PDF 559 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor John Wynn Jones To consider the report and make recommendations on
arrangements suggested for charging residents a fee for the collection of
garden waste Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Angela Russell left
the room during the discussion. a)
Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for the Environment highlighting the Highways and Municipal Department's intention to charge a fee for garden waste collections. At a meeting
held on 16.12.14, the
Cabinet approved the implementation
of a range of efficiency savings plans including
'A Review of the Garden Waste
Service' to achieve savings
of £750,000 in the 2017/18 financial
year. Under the Controlled Waste
Regulations 2012, authorities
can charge residents a fee for the collection
of garden waste (excluding
the cost of its disposal) and the Environment Protection Act 1990 provides flexibility on charging a fee should there be a wish to charge a reasonable fee for the service. Welsh Government, in
its good practice 'Collections Blueprint' recommends that residents should be charged a fee for the fortnightly
collection of garden waste in order to reduce
the amount of garden waste put out by
household for collection and in order to save
on collection and landfill costs. It was reported that
garden waste contributes towards achieving recycling targets and in March 2016 the Council had
managed to achieve 58.75% (statutory target of 58%). It was noted, should the recycling percentage reduce below the target then the Council would face fines. It was highlighted that there would be a likely reduction in the demand for
the service in the first year, but
it was anticipated that there would
be an increase in the following year. An observation was made
that charging a fee on any
service was not a popular issue; however, there was a need to respond to the cuts or consideration would have to be given to further cuts in other
services. The Options
Considered; -
Option 1: Continue to collect garden waste for 12 months
a year and set a fee level of £33 per annum (annual saving
- £750,000) -
Option 2: Collect garden waste for 9 months
a year and set a fee level of £30 per annum (annual saving
- £756,410) b)
In response to an observation regarding concern about being
fined for failing to meet national recycling targets, the Head of Highways and Municipal Service said that the department
shared those concerns and emphasised
the need to continue to achieve and maintain
the service to the same standard and monitor the situation carefully. c)
During the discussion, the following observations were made: ·
That introducing these changes was not timely considering the recent changes made to recycling arrangements - this would be a step back · That six jobs were
at stake - this was not good news · A request for the Council to consider Hessian sacks as
an option ·
Did not support the payment ·
A likely increase in fly
tipping and misuse of the residual waste bin - how would this be policed?
· A need to consider how vulnerable ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
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"MORE THAN BOOKS" STRATEGY AND DELIVERY MODEL: GWYNEDD COUNCIL LIBRARY SERVICE PDF 278 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor Ioan Thomas To scrutinise the process followed in order
to create the strategy. Additional documents:
Minutes: a)
A report was submitted by the Senior Community Learning Manager, Economy Department, asking members to scrutinise the process followed for drawing up
the 'More than Words' Strategy. The Cabinet Member noted that providing
a Library Service that is 'inclusive and efficient
for all who wish to use it'
is a statutory requirement under the Public Libraries and Museums
Act 1964. b)
It was reported that a public consultation
to gather the views of residents, users and partners on
the "More than Words" Strategy
had been held during May - July 2015. It was reiterated that a range of recommendations had been submitted by the consultants who were gathering
and analysing the feedback submitted by the public and
partners. Some of the observations submitted by the consultants were noted; •
The
need to adapt the vision and strengthen some of the priorities. •
that
continuing with the existing situation was not sustainable. •
general
unwillingness amongst the public to see any change to the network of libraries,
even in a challenging financial context. It was highlighted that
the Strategy recommended that the Libraries Service focussed on four
priority fields, namely, reading offer, information offer, health and well-being offer and digital offer. In order to achieve
the Strategy within the budget, it was recommended to categorise the type of provision required across the County and it
was recommended to move to
a provision based on four models. •
Catchment
area libraries •
Community
libraries under the Council's control •
Mobile
Services •
Community
Link c)
During
the discussion, the following observations were made: •
Concern that this placed an additional burden on Community Councils. It was noted that volunteers
acted on behalf of the Councils and that the numbers
of members were reducing due to the additional responsibilities that were being
offered to them from every direction. It was highlighted that discussions needed to be held to highlight these additional expectations. In response to the observation,
it was noted that the concern regarding the capacity of volunteers to achieve had been considered and the recommendation was for the Council to make an 'offer of what it could achieve'
with the response dependent on 'what
community councils could achieve'. It was reiterated that solutions were not being shared but
rather a statement of what
the Council could offer... •
In response to a reduction in the book-buying budget, a proposal was made to hold an 'Amnesty
Day' •
A need to consider bringing services together - libraries, tourist centres, public toilets. •
The
need to hold discussions locally in order to respond positively to the
challenge was emphasised •
The models to be welcomed and ones
that responded creatively to ensuring that this special
libraries service continued in Gwynedd. •
What
was the value of 'Lori Ni'? • Further investment was needed in Welsh language bold print ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |
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HOMELESSNESS - SCRUTINY INVESTIGATION PDF 302 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor Ioan Thomas To receive a report back from the Cabinet
Member on the implementation of the Scrutiny Investigation’s recommendations Additional documents: Minutes: a)
Submitted - a report detailing the Housing Department's action plan that was developed in response to the recommendations of the Homelessness
Investigation completed on 17.9.2016. Gratitude was expressed for Members' input
into the investigation and the Cabinet Member noted that the majority of the recommendations
had been implemented. The Senior Housing Manager added that
the investigation had been valuable and useful
to improve the service. b)
In response, Councillor Eric M.
Jones (Chairman of the Investigation)
noted that he had been glad
of the opportunity to be a part
of the investigation and make a positive contribution to the homelessness service - he thanked
the Housing Service staff for
what had been achieved and for
the progress report. c)
When discussing the recommendations an update was provided
on those that had been completed
and on those
in the pipeline. The Cabinet Member noted that the scrutiny investigation had been a part of the process and that
it was to be welcomed. ch) During the discussion, the following observations were noted: •
Concern that people from
outside the County were presenting themselves as homeless
and thus given priority over local
residents due to the points system •
Lack of social housing for local people. d)
In response to the comment, the
Senior Housing Manager noted that standard
and local considerations were made for each
application. It was noted that
all attempts had been made to escalate the 'local' element as much as
possible in the priority list. It was agreed that the department did not always meet needs and
that this was due to difficult situations. It was highlighted that over 80% of allocations were made to individuals with a link with
'the community' over 90% with a link with
'a nearby community' and a very small
number (2%) with no link whatsoever. It was reiterated that they had to act within the Law and therefore priority
was given to the 'need'. In the context
of 'escalating language', it was noted that
contact had already been made with the Assembly and that
this could not be escalated further. It was noted that England
had a Localism Act but that this did not exist in Wales - Wales depended upon the Housing Act. It was proposed, as a result of the recent changes to the Assembly's Cabinet, that this message could
be resubmitted. The progress report was accepted and the work already
implemented on the majority of the recommendations in order to improve
the service was welcomed. |
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SECTION 106 AGREEMENTS PDF 251 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor Dafydd Meurig To consider the sub groups findings on the
purpose and the extent of Section 106 agreements Additional documents: Minutes: a)
Submitted - a report to the Scrutiny Committee reporting upon the observations and recommendations of a Task and Finish
Group (a small group of councillors and officers) who were
looking into possible options on the Council's use of 106 Agreements in future. Input from external specialists
was received into these discussions. It was noted that the group's work had been very useful
and had considered the main
matters relating to the use of 106 agreements. It had become apparent that improvements needed to be made to address the concerns that had arisen over the past years. b)
The Cabinet Member highlighted that the Task and Finish
Group meetings had been valuable and that
the recommendations noted in the report were
reasonable and obvious. The Committee was invited to consider the sub group's conclusions and recommendations. c)
In response to the report, it was agreed with the criticism that 106 Agreements were suitable for major
developments and that problems arose
with small, single development and self-build developments. d)
In response to a question regarding the viability of imposing a 106 agreement on a property, it was noted that each
application had to be considered
individually.
It was reiterated that the service would need to consider
the suitability and flexibility of the 106 agreement and tailor it
to what was needed. To ensure whether or not it was viable, the service would use
the District Valuer to better understand the situation, that the correct arrangements were being followed
and that confirmation was given in terms of viability.
e)
In response to a question regarding educational contributions in situations where
new housing developments are found in communities,
it was confirmed that the cost of a school pupil was being considered and not the value of the house. It was confirmed that there was a legislative base to this and a specific
formula to follow - it was very difficult
to maximise this cost. In response, Councillor G Williams noted that these
rules needed to be challenged. RESOLVED
to adopt the recommendations
noted in paragraph 9 of the report. |
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POST 16 TRANSPORT - SCRUTINY INVESTIGATION PDF 376 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor Gareth Thomas To receive a report back from the Cabinet
Member on the implementation of the Scrutiny Investigation’s recommendations Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Linda Morgan
left the room during the discussion. a)
Submitted - a report by the Cabinet Member on further
progress made in relation to the to the recommendations of the Post-16 Education
Transport Scrutiny Investigation.
It was highlighted that the recommendations had been divided into
three categories -
Immediate
action -
Collaboration in the medium term with other services
/ partners to investigate
the practicality of implementing
the recommendations -
Not
to consider these recommendations for the time being It was reiterated that
a number of the recommendations
had been included in the new Transport Policy and that
the remaining recommendations
were subject to discussions. It was acknowledged that some of the discussions had been slow and that
the greatest barrier had been holding discussions
with the college, and resolving the 'flexible travel' problem. It was reported that a lot of work had been done
in an attempt
to resolve the above, however, this had not come into fruition
yet. He accepted that the process was slow, along with any
reprimand for this. The
Senior Schools Manager accepted that the formal response had been slow, but
he reported that he had now
received a letter (dated 16.5.16) from the College noting its wish to be an agent and
that it was open to further discussions. It was added that
these discussions were to commence on 21.6.16. It was reiterated that the College had noted in the letter
that they were considering 'transferring the entire provision' therefore there was a need to discuss the content of the letter in detail. Reference was made to the fact that the letter was only from Meirion-Dwyfor, therefore, this needed full consideration
also. It was reported that there was an intention
to establish a User Forum, however, there was a need to ensure that 'an
offer was on the table' in the context of responding to the need to increase the flexibility without additional costs. It was highlighted that the Users Forum would include
representatives from the College, Council Officers,
Transport Providers and Students. It was hoped that
the Forum would mature so that
it would place emphasis on politicians to act. It was noted that the monthly part-payments system had been established, however, in the context of students receiving late allowances to pay costs, this was not a priority for the Colleges. The intention of raising this during the discussions with the College was reiterated. It was reported that
37% of travelling routes
had a time restriction; 40%
of routes were unrestricted and 23% were pure college
buses. The greatest challenge was seeking a solution to the restricted travelling routes. b) In response to the report, Councillor G Williams noted that what was available in England needed to be compared with what was available in Wales. He had ongoing ... view the full minutes text for item 12. |