Venue: Zoom
Contact: Natalie Lloyd Jones 01286 679780
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ELECT CHAIR To elect a
Chair for 2021/22. Additional documents: Decision: To elect Councillor
Berwyn P Jones as Chair of this committee for 2021/22. Minutes: To elect Councillor
Berwyn P Jones as Chair of this committee for 2021/22. |
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ELECT VICE CHAIR To elect a
Vice-Chair for 2021/22. Additional documents: Decision: To elect Councillor
Glyn Daniels as Vice-chair of this committee for 2021/22. __________________________________________________________________________________ |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillors
Simon Glyn and Dafydd Owen |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of personal interest were received
from Councillors Elwyn
Jones and Annwen Hughes on Item 7 of the Agenda as they were Community Council clerks. The members
weren’t of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest and therefore
didn’t leave the meeting during the discussion on the Item. |
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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: There were no urgent items
to note. |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held
on 22ND April, 2021 be signed as a true record. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the previous committee meeting held on 22 April
2021, as a true record. |
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To report
on the current situation. Additional documents: Decision: a) To accept the report and to note the
observations received. b)
That a
further report will be submitted to the committee to provide an update on the
situation. Minutes: A foreword
was received from Councillor Catrin Wager, the Cabinet Member
for Highways and Municipal, reminding the Committee of the cuts made over the years
which had led to community Councils taking responsibility for the salt bins. It was explained
that work had been commissioned to look at the provision as there was a sense that it was unfair on more rural community
councils or those on different terrain
that needed more provision. The Head
of Highways and Municipal Department added that the report highlighted the existing gritting arrangements and arrangements regarding the main priority and second priority
roads. During the discussion,
the following observations were made by members:- - The members
were thanked for the report and the Chair and
Vice-chair were congratulated on their appointments. - It was asked
whether it would be possible to work with local farmers
and contractors in the area so
that they had a supply to use and
consequently salt bins would not be needed around the area. - Enquiries
were made as to whether town and
community councils had insurance cover in the event of accidents when people went to fetch salt, or was this a responsibility of the Authority. - It was noted
that, in some areas, farmers
had worked with the Council for years
and enquiries were made as to whether this would
continue, particularly in areas with
steep roads, compared with more level towns. - It was suggested
that it would be fairer for the cost to be divided equally between town and
community councils so that there
was less pressure on smaller villages
that needed to use it more. - One
member reminded the committee that we had not yet experienced a hard winter since
this duty fell on town
and community councils and enquiries
were made about the cost of all the accidents
that could occur should there
be no supply. - A question
was raised about the
£100,000 savings target as this had not been delivered and enquiries
were made as to whether there were
better options in order to avoid
any difficulties for community and
town councils. - A member
asked how many community and town councils
had committed and whether the Council continued to fill bins in communities
that had not committed. In response to the
observations, the Head of Highways and Municipal Department noted the following:- - It was agreed,
if the Council would be addressing the provision, that an opportunity to collaborate and keep the benefit local was needed here, by awarding contracts to local contractors or farmers. - In terms of insurance, it was noted that the salt bins were
there to use at the individual's own risk and so
there was no subsequent liability against the community or town council. - It was noted that if there was any risk, that the responsibility stood ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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TRANSPORT - SOCIAL VALUE PDF 190 KB To update the Committee on the progress to date. Additional documents: Decision: To accept the
report and note the observations received. Minutes: The Head of Environment
Department submitted the report and he began by reminding the Committee of the
main matters around public transport, i.e. the cost, over-reliance on specific
companies and people's over-reliance on buses. It was emphasised that the bus
network had developed recently and it was reiterated that the residents' needs
had changed as a result of a change in practices over the pandemic. A discussion was held on the
main matters under consideration when creating the strategic review in
question, which included the following: - Identifying the need in each
community as some were wholly dependent on specific routes in order to meet
their basic needs. - The engagement work that had
taken place locally in order to use the responses to identify the need. - Identifying the social value
of investing in public transport services. - The committee was reminded
that Gwynedd's position as a more rural area created more challenges around
transport needs. - A discussion was held on
encouraging passengers to travel on buses once more following a period of low
use. During the discussion, the following
observations were made by members:- - Gratitude was expressed for
the useful information within the report and it was noted that losing services
in some communities had been a blow, as many people needed them in order to
visit the dentist or doctor. - It was proposed that there
was a need to look at the bus timetable, e.g. offering an earlier service in
order to use this for work or education purposes. - Clarity was sought on the bus
timetable and services as mentioned in page 33 of the Agenda regarding the Bus
Service number 14 following the University's report. - Enquiries were made as to
whether there had been discussions on the shuttle buses as they finished early,
and that later journeys would be advantageous so that towns and villages could benefit from
visitors. - It was reiterated that later
buses would enable people to park in Caernarfon and travel to Snowdonia, rather
than park by the mountains. - Enquiries were made as to
whether the timetable reflected the current needs of locals as the buses were
passing by half-empty. - It was reiterated that there
was a need to encourage former passengers to return to using the buses and
there was a high social value if people used them to go shopping and for
similar journeys. In response to the members’ observations,
the Head of Environment Department noted the following:- - That the department sought to
put pressure on Welsh Government to review their timetables, however, they were
eager to have a relatively swift journey through Wales. - It was noted that it should
be suggested to Welsh Government that every other T2 service travelled into
communities and that the rest travelled more directly through Wales. - It was explained that a climate change department had been established within the Government and that they were focusing on public transport and on trains and buses in ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
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PUBLIC SERVICES BOARD ANNUAL REPORT PDF 294 KB To outline the progress of the work of the Public Services Board during
2020/21. Additional documents: Decision: To approve the work
programme. Minutes: The report
was submitted by the Council
Leader and he noted that
the Public Services Board's
activities had been greatly affected by Covid, but had now recommenced. He turned to the Gwynedd and
Anglesey Public Services Board's
Programme Manager who guided the Committee through the report and noted
the following; - That
the Board had four sub-groups which carried out their
work on various
roles, and an update was provided
on these. - In relation to the Climate Change sub-group, it was noted that workshops
were being held, along with
engagement within the community. - It was noted
that the Homes for local people sub-group
had ended as other departments had taken the lead, and that
the group's work was now complete. - Reference
was made to the work streams under the Mental Health, Adults and Children
sub-group, and that the Board was collaborating with the leaders. - In relation to the sub-group associated with the Welsh language, it was noted that this group
now had a leader and so the work
had recommenced. During the discussion,
the following observations were made by members: - A question
was asked about why the sub-group relating to housing for local people
had ended. - It was suggested
that there was a need to engage with residents about climate change
and how to cope with challenges
such as flooding. - The question
about houses for local people
was reiterated, and it was noted that there
was a concern about the lack of houses in more southern areas of the County, e.g. in Tywyn, which faced a housing
crisis and had a growing community. - A question
was asked as to whether there was an intention
to plant more trees in
Gwynedd as a part of the climate
change agenda. - That
the Welsh Government requires
a courtesy level of Welsh language skills within their jobs. The member added that
a more natural use of the
Welsh language is needed across Wales. - That
a quota of second homes is needed in Gwynedd because of the loss of housing stock and the reduction
in rental properties available. In response to the
above observations, the following was noted:- - That
there was a need to avoid duplication at all costs and that
was why a decision was made to end the work on houses
for local people. The Council Leader reiterated that a huge amount
of work had been done on housing. - It was noted
that we had a lot to learn from residents and that it was intended to go out and hold a dialogue
within communities to see what mattered
to them. In terms of climate change, it was noted that this was a future discussion topic with residents. - That the work of the Welsh Language Sub-group regarding ensuring that the ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |
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SCRUTINY DRAFT WORK PROGRAMME 2021/22 PDF 216 KB To submit
the scrutiny draft work programme 2021/22 for adoption. Additional documents: Decision: To approve the
draft work programme. Minutes: The draft
scrutiny work programme for 2021/22 was submitted to be adopted by the committee following the workshop that was held on the 4th May 2021. It was noted
that there was one adjustment to the work programme since the workshop. It was explained that because of reasons beyond control, the Item ‘Annual update
on the Community Safeguarding Partnership’ has been moved
from the meeting scheduled for the 4th November, 2021 to the meeting schedule for the 13th January, 2022. RESOLVED To approve the
draft work programme. |