Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology was received from Councillor Dafydd Owen Davies.

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.

None to note.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held on 06 November 2025 be signed as a true record. 

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 6 November 2025, as a true record.

To consider:

·       Request form a member of the public

·       Officers’ response to the points raised in the request for scrutiny

·       If a specific recommendation(s) needs to be made

It was resolved to:

·       Note the response of the officers, acknowledge that governance arrangements were in place and to continue to scrutinise the Plan on an annual basis.

·       Recommend to the Cabinet Member for Environment that consideration should be given to ways of increasing the response to public consultations and obtaining input from the public and others.

·       Request that information on expenditure be highlighted and detailed in the Climate and Nature Emergency Plan Annual Report to ensure transparency.

It was confirmed that the member of the public was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances. In his absence, the Scrutiny Adviser read out a written statement provided by him, which elaborated on his request by setting out the following points:

·       The money spent as part of the Climate and Nature Emergency Response Plan should meet the public benefit test of the Charities Act 2011, to ensure that decisions were evidence-based, transparent and could be scrutinised effectively.

·       That it was harder to demonstrate how projects were prioritised and whether they met the public benefit test, whether any other projects had been considered and what evidence had been used to reach a decision if public consultations and Cabinet oversight were not part of the governance of the Plan.

·       The importance of good governance arrangements.

·       It should be ensured that experimental schemes were fit for the future. If the Council ran an electric fleet vehicle pilot, the results of the pilot would not reflect the true future cost of the electric fleet.

·       The Plan's projects should identify the public benefit over time into the future. Public benefit from any project could diminish if costs continued to rise. The Council needed to demonstrate that this was being taken into account.

·       Delegated rights increased the risk of untested assumptions. Concern that projects may be approved on the basis of outdated information or optimism bias  without being scrutinised.

In response to the request for scrutiny and to the written statement elaborating on the individual's request, the following observations were submitted by officers:-

This request by a member of the public to scrutinise the issues was welcomed, appreciating the public interest in the Plan's work.

Assurance was given that the governance of the Climate Change and Nature Board was being considered continually, giving close consideration to its operations and financial decisions, and noting that a written response to the request for scrutiny had been submitted as part of the meeting documentation.

The Corporate Director confirmed that the Charities Act 2011 did not apply to the operation of the Board or the Council generally, clarifying that the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 and democratic procedures were the relevant considerations for Cyngor Gwynedd.

In response to the request for scrutiny and to the written statement elaborating on the request, the following observations were submitted by Members:-

They thanked the individual for submitting this request for scrutiny, taking pride in the public interest in the field.

They disagreed with the concept that Climate Change and Nature Board matters were not subject to scrutiny, as this committee scrutinised the matter regularly. It was added that a cabinet member was present for that scrutiny process and that the observations of this committee had a positive impact on the Board.

It was confirmed that public consultations were being held regularly on climate and nature emergency matters to ensure that the people of Gwynedd had the opportunity to voice their views in the formulation of the Board's projects. However,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To review the Climate and Emergency Plan as part of the Cyngor Gwynedd Plan 2023-28, A Green Gwynedd.

It was resolved:

·       To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

·       That the Committee welcomed the intention to revisit the Council's ambition to be Net Zero Carbon by 2030.

·       To recommend to the Cabinet Member for Environment that:

Ø  the successes and work carried out to deliver the Plan should be communicated to the public.

Ø  the use of open questions in public consultations needed to be increased in order to receive responses that would enrich the information available to inform future direction.

Ø  consideration should be given to modifying the following wording: “... we will continue to reduce our emissions over the next few decades until we reach the net zero target ' (Page 6, Climate and Nature Emergency Plan, Version 2), in order to be more ambitious in meeting the target.

Submitted – a report by the Cabinet Member for Environment, Corporate Director and the Climate Change Programme Manager. Attention was drawn to the following main points:

It was confirmed that the revised plan had been developed following feedback from a public consultation carried out during the summer months of 2025. It was pointed out that there had been changes to the plan's projects, also noting that there was a greater number of projects.

Members were reminded that the original plan provided details of in-house Council projects only, confirming that this had now been changed to also include external projects. It was elaborated that further work had been carried out on the original projects to ensure public value and to ensure that every effort was made to ensure that all communities joined the Council to help prevent the climate emergency. However, this was recognised as having an impact on resources, and it was reported that work was being undertaken to try to estimate the costs of some projects.

It was emphasised that a number of factors in dealing with the climate and nature crisis were beyond the control of the Council, stressing that everything was being done to strive to address the crisis while other governments were more committed to the cause.

During the discussion, the following observations were made: 

Details were provided of the percentages of some of the specific questions in the public consultation and it was considered that it would be useful to include some open questions. It was felt that the inclusion of such questions would lead to suggestions that would improve future services and would be a means of seeking new ideas for development in the field. In response, the Climate Change Programme Manager confirmed that including questions of this kind would be considered in the future.

Some observations were made out of concern that the Board was not responding as effectively as it could because it did not receive specialist scientific information. It was expanded upon that the Board was made up of the Council's experienced officers along with Elected Members, highlighting the need for specialist experts within the fields of science. Similarly, there was concern that some of the plan's projects led to increased costs suggesting that a portion of this funding could be used to respond to current challenges affecting the people of Gwynedd rather than striving to solve problems that may arise in the future.

Reference was made to page 6 of the Plan, which stated: “... We will continue to reduce our emissions over the next few decades until we reach the net zero target”, considering whether reducing emissions over the next few decades is an unattainable target. The need to revise this wording to include a realistic and ambitious target for the future was discussed. In response, the Corporate Director agreed with these observations emphasising that it was key to set realistic targets as it was unlikely that the aim could be met.

It was noted that Section 10  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To scrutinise the Active Travel projects as part of the Council Plan 2023-28, Green Gwynedd.

It was resolved:

·       To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

·       That the Committee welcomed the work of trying to meet the maintenance costs of active travel routes.

·       To recommend to the Cabinet Member for Environment that:

Ø  there was a need to look at expenditure for the maintenance of active travel routes and costs of grass cutting/growth on verges to consider whether there were any potential savings.

Ø  questions about the maintenance of active travel routes and a question about local issues should be included in the public consultation.

Ø  risk assessment arrangements should be examined.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Environment, Head of Environment Department, Assistant Head of Environment Department (Transport) and the Traffic and Projects Service Manager. The following main points were highlighted.

Members were reminded that there was a wide range of schemes in place across the County, in both rural and urban areas. Examples were shared of similar projects in progress by Council partners to give a complete picture of the active travel network.

It was explained that projects were prioritised through the implementation of two grant streams which were funded by the Welsh Government. It was elaborated that one related specifically to active travel and safe routes within communities and for schools. The need to assess different projects to ensure that they met the criteria of those grants in order to be approved was detailed. It was updated that active travel plans also received further consideration under the Regional Transport Plan.

It was reported that active travel developments were being regularly updated with different projects at different levels of maturity. It was noted that this allowed new routes to be developed on a regular basis to meet the needs of communities.

It was noted that the Department was keen to increase the grant opportunities available in this area in the future. The ongoing challenge of maintaining these routes was explained and members were reminded that capital funding was provided to install the infrastructure but no additional funding was allocated to the Council to maintain them. It was acknowledged that a number of these routes were developed next to highways but it was emphasised that the work programme for highway maintenance did not meet the needs of users of the active travel routes to ensure that they were adequately swept and ensure that vegetation was controlled. The hope was that successfully funding an effective maintenance programme would achieve the aim of the project such as reducing traffic congestion and ensuring that there were no parking problems in urban areas. It was noted that the department had submitted a One-off Bid for funding to try and meet the demand for this work this year. It was emphasised that officers were also developing a package to support and equip schools to promote the use of these routes into the future.

Pride was expressed that the Department was working with the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board to develop routes that would assist Council partners. A specific example was shared of an active travel route in the Penrhosgarnedd area of Bangor, where it was hoped that the use of those routes would reduce the traffic and parking burden for the Health Board at Ysbyty Gwynedd and the wider area. Members were reminded that maps of active routes were available detailing their locations across Gwynedd and nationally.

It was emphasised that there was no risk assessment in place should the situation arise where there was no funding from the Welsh Government for the maintenance of the routes. Particular attention was drawn to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To scrutinise the work of the Public Services Board.

Resolved:

·       To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

·       That the Committee welcomed the Board's work in relation to poverty, children's rights and being trauma informed.

Submitted – the report of the Deputy Leader of the Council and the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board Programme Manager. They referred briefly to the following main points:

A summary of the work of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board (the Board) in implementing the Well-being Plan 2023-2028 was presented.

It was reported that the Board was in its third year of its five-year plan, confirming there was evidence of positive progress towards its objectives. It was elaborated that most objectives had been completed or were developing and on-schedule. Pride was expressed that the Board had been able to collaborate with its partners at an operational and strategic level and were constantly sharing resources and good practice with each other.

Pride was expressed that the Board had been able to enhance the partnership and work with the Welsh Government, the Future Generations Commissioner, the Welsh Language Commissioner and the Children's Commissioner which had now led to innovative work across several priority areas.

It was confirmed that the Board's Language Sub-Group had completed the 'Good Recruitment Practices' project as well as the ‘Busting the Myths about Working in Welsh' project. It was emphasised that this work highlighted that prioritising the Welsh language was a principle that was embedded across all elements of the Board's work.

Pride was expressed that the Board continued to be innovative by being the first Public Services Board to co-sign an Active Travel Charter. It was noted that this was an objective within its climate priority confirming that six board members had now formally committed to it and that a further four partners were in the process of doing so.

It was emphasised that work was ongoing to develop the Board to become trauma-informed. It was explained that specialist sessions had been held for all Board Members with follow-up work to assess their understanding and current practices. It was confirmed that there were plans to expand this training across North Wales.

Reference was made to some of the Board's further developments such as working with Public Health Wales's Healthy Weight Team to develop resources that helped organisations review their internal policies for a whole-system approach. Similarly, pride was expressed in the establishment of a regional website (agenda.wales) to share resources and good practice with Public Services Boards across the north Wales region.

This Scrutiny Committee was thanked for its observations and recommendations to constructively challenge the Board to ensure it was effective and delivered meaningful outcomes for residents.

During the discussion, the following observations were made by Members:-

The Board was thanked for its work to become Trauma-informed as well as the work done to assist anyone living in poverty. The Board's work to identify where trauma and poverty originated and to work on ways to address that effectively was welcomed. Statistics on child poverty were presented, explaining that there were an estimated 4.5 million children living in poverty in the United Kingdom (31% of the child population). It was emphasised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To adopt a revised work programme for 2025/26.

A revised work programme for 2025/26 was adopted.

The report was presented by the Scrutiny Advisor.

Members were reminded that a revised forward programme for 2025/26 had been adopted by this Committee at its meeting on 06 November 2025.

It was noted that the 'implementation of the Article 4 Direction' item had been scheduled for this meeting (22 January 2026). It was reported that the High Court's judgment of 27 November 2025 had quashed the Article 4 Direction and the Council's verbal application for leave to appeal this decision had been refused. It was elaborated that a written application to appeal the decision had been submitted, clarifying that there would be a hearing at the Court of Appeal if the application was accepted. It was clarified that due to this legal position, it was not appropriate for this Committee to scrutinise the matter at this time and it was recommended that the matter be identified as an item for scrutiny when it was timely.

Further, it was reported that the 'New Local Development Plan – Strategic Options, Vision and Objectives' item had been scheduled for this meeting (22 January 2026). It was explained that the Environment Department had submitted a request for this item to slip into the work programme for 2026/27 as circumstances beyond the department's control had arisen meaning that the Plan's work programme had slipped. It was confirmed that one of those factors was awaiting current data such as household growth projections from the Welsh Government.

As a result, it was reported that the 'Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board Progress Report' item had been rescheduled to this meeting from the meeting of 19 March 2026.

Members were asked to approve the revised work programme as presented in the report.

In response to a question from a member, the Scrutiny Adviser stated that the Article 4 situation would be monitored and the Chair and Vice-chair of the Committee would discuss the timetable in their liaison meeting with the Cabinet Member for Environment and the Head of Environment Department.

RESOLVED

To adopt a revised work programme for 2025/26