Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Beca Roberts, Arwyn Herald Roberts and Robert Glyn Daniels.

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 22 January 2026 be signed as a true record. 

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 22 January 2026, as a true record.

To provide an overview to Members of the activities of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Community Safety Partnership.

Resolved:

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

2.     To request that future Annual Reports include data on performance measures including crime related measures, and a map highlighting the location of crimes.

3.     To request further data and information about the 'Don't Steal My Future' sessions, hosted by RASASC Cymru (Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre).

4.     To request data on the number of sessions and the number of individuals who have undertaken VAWDASV (Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence) training, and that this data be included within the future Annual Report.

5.     To urge Cyngor Gwynedd to proceed to obtain the 'Trauma Informed Council' accreditation.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being and the Senior Operational Officer of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Community Safety Partnership.

It was confirmed that the report provided a comprehensive update on the work of the Community Safety Partnership, showing how it works together to tackle crime and disorder across Gwynedd and Anglesey and to improve safety for our communities.

It was explained that the Partnership worked to an annual plan that was based on the priorities of the Safer North Wales Board’s Strategy. It was elaborated that the Partnership receives quarterly data from the police in order to identify trends, steer discussions, support early intervention and solve local problems within communities.

It was stressed that the Partnership did not have permanent core funding and it does not commission services directly except for Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR). It was explained that the partnership relied mainly on short-term or competitive grant opportunities to support its wider work.

Details were provided of the Partnership's activity, confirming that it continued to deliver a Community Safety Plan and provided quarterly reports on it to the Safer North Wales Partnership Board. It was also noted that the Partnership provides an active contribution to the North Wales Serious Violence Strategy, which was a new national duty.

They were pleased that £65,000 had been allocated for seven preventative projects in Gwynedd and Anglesey. The projects in Gwynedd included:

·         'Don't Steal My Future' sessions held by RASASC Wales (Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre) to raise awareness of sexual violence with pupils and to influence attitudes and behaviours.

·         An awareness campaign around selling vapes illegally and child exploitation, in order to share intelligence.

·         An additional youth provision over school holidays for 11-25 year olds in areas facing a high risk of crime, violence and anti-social behaviour.

·         A joint project with the Council's Education Department to reduce exclusions and prevent serious violence through training, mentoring and group work, with the aim of keeping pupils in school and safe.

Reference was made to other projects that the Partnership had carried out, such as upgrading CCTV cameras in Caernarfon, Bangor and Pwllheli; developing and piloting an awareness pack around Serious Organised Crime for local authority staff, and continuing as a Member of the Council's Strategic Safeguarding Panel and Safeguarding Operational Group.

They highlighted that the partnership worked closely with the Regional Lead for Suicide and Self-Harm in the Health Service, noting that a multi-agency workshop had been delivered by the Partnership to examine the link between domestic abuse and suicide. They also referred to the Partnership's ongoing work with a regional Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy that was aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm.

It was explained that the Partnership had delivered professional training on the themes of sexism, masculinity and violence. It was confirmed that the Welsh Government had approved a VAWDASV (Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence) capital grant application to purchase 100 security cameras for survivors of domestic abuse and contribute to regional  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To scrutinise matters in relation to Waste Collection and Recycling Services as part of the Council Plan 2023-28 – A Green Gwynedd.

Resolved:

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

2.     To recommend to the Cabinet Member for Environment that:

·       consideration should be given to intensifying training / campaigns to educate on the importance of recycling.

·       consideration should be given to introducing penalties for failure to recycle appropriately.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for the Environment and the Assistant Head of Environment Department. They highlighted the following main points.

It was reported that the Department was currently working to develop a Waste Strategy and was taking an ambitious approach to solve problems. It was recognised that Governments' targets such as the target of recycling 70% of all waste in the county, were very challenging to meet.

It was confirmed that the Department had adapted the operational structure of waste collection arrangements into two parts to improve performance. It was explained that the South area operated for Dwyfor and Meirionnydd with the North serving Arfon. It was reported that changing the operational structure had improved the service's performance. Similarly, they reminded members that the Bartec system was used by the Department to dynamically adjust routes according to the operational needs of the service. They highlighted that members would receive a presentation on how these systems assist the department at the Council's Area Forums later this year. Similarly, it was reported that the installation of a camera system on the collection vehicles had also helped to improve visibility for the work of staff, improve health and safety and introduced the ability to respond to complaints with robust evidence.

It was explained that a consultation had recently taken place as part of developing the Waste Strategy. They noted that 1,245 responses had been received to the consultation. They reported that 62% of respondents indicated that their residual waste bin was only about three-quarters full or less at the end of the 3-week period. They elaborated that 15% of respondents stated that they were unable to cope with the current capacity of the bin and the collection schedule as it was full before the collection day. They noted that re-assessing the collection frequency and the size of residual bins were adjustments they could implement to support the Council in meeting the target of recycling 70% of waste. It was emphasised that the Department was working with WRAP Cymru (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to research the actual difference that changing this would make.

The members were reminded that the Department had begun trialling the use of hessian sacks instead of the recycling cart, reporting that the results of that trial were relatively successful. It was noted that they planned to carry out trials in other areas of the county before the summer. They explained that the sacks were cheaper than the 'cartgylchu' (recycling cart) and would allow residents more recycling capacity if the Council decided to recycle more goods such as soft plastics.

They confirmed that work continued to improve residents' behaviours towards recycling and stated that a letter would be sent to every household in the County over the next week to improve recycling in Gwynedd. In considering enforcement issues within the waste service, it was confirmed that enforcement actions could not be carried out if households over-produced waste unless it led to issues such as fly-tipping.

They  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To scrutinise matters in relation to footpaths in order to provide assurance of operation.

To accept the report noting the observations submitted during the discussion.

The report was presented by Cabinet Member for the Environment, the Assistant Head of Environment Department, the Traffic and Projects Service Manager and the Footpaths Team Leader. They referred briefly to the following main points:

They reported that public right of way paths were a valuable resource that addressed several of the Council's strategic objectives, while their users got to enjoy the diverse landscape of the County. They elaborated that they were a means of ensuring access to fresh air for their users, a good way of keeping fit and healthy and that they also reflected the history and culture of the communities. It was expressed that Gwynedd's public rights of way network was long, with so many miles of footpaths to walk that it was equivalent to walking from Caernarfon to Cairo (2,418 miles).

It was explained that the public rights of way routes included the Wales Coast Path, the Lonydd Glas network in Gwynedd and a number of active travel routes that were being developed by the Council, along with other paths.

They referred to some of the service's challenges arising from budget cuts, while there was an ongoing legislative expectation on the Council to ensure that some of the paths remained open for use.

Reference was made to the work programme of the Footpaths Team, explaining that their main activities included:

·       Cutting seasonal growth

·       Restoring infrastructure (bridges, walls, gates, stiles, culverts)

·       Installing new infrastructure

·       Implementing a signage scheme

·       Responding to queries, complaints and freedom of information requests

·       Dealing with all legal issues in the field:

o   Maintaining the official map/record of public rights of way in the County

o   Dealing with requests for claims, changes and diversions to the official network and map which were subject to legal processes.

It was confirmed that work was underway to ensure that these routes were as accessible as possible, swapping stiles for gates where possible so that more users could follow the paths.

It was added that the effects of climate change and turbulent weather can force officers to change the direction of paths, if it was no longer possible to use them, such as if there had been landslides near any path. It was noted that there were additional costs involved in doing this, which had an impact on the service's budgets.

It was noted that work was underway to revise the rights of way policy and the Rights of Way Improvement Plan and they confirmed that the service would undertake a consultation on the matter. It was hoped that a cross-section of various communities from different areas of the County would contribute comments and feedback within that consultation.

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

It was pointed out that several paths within the county could not be used due to overgrowth. In response, the Footpaths Team Leader explained that a lack of resources had forced the Team to categorise paths according to their usage, and he stated that there were no budgets or  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.