Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Beca Brown.

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

No urgent items were received.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 23 June 2025 be signed as a true record  (attached)

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 23 June 2025 as a true record.

To consider the report.

To accept the report, noting the observations received during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Head of the Environment Department and the Senior Executive Officer. They referred briefly to the following main points:

Members were reminded that the department included a range of front-line services and came into contact with the public regularly through fields such as waste and recycling, transportation, planning and public protection. Reassurances were given that every effort had been made to ensure that these services were delivered in the customer's language of choice, ensuring that the services are available through the medium of Welsh.

It was reported that the Department was leading on the Council Plan project of preparing a new Local Development Plan, which is a priority within the 2023-28 Council Plan (A Green Gwynedd). Similarly, it was noted that the Planning Policy Team was monitoring the Joint Local Development Plan 2011-26 and regularly prepared Supplementary Planning Guidance. It was emphasised that Planning Policy PS1, which related to the Welsh language and culture, is central to these Planning and Guidance. Pride was expressed that this provision went further than the Welsh Government's statutory requirements on the Welsh language, sharing an example that the requirements and guidance on Welsh language assessments and statements within the field were in more detail than what is expected nationally.

Attention was drawn that Cyngor Gwynedd was the first local authority in Wales to introduce the Article 4 direction, noting that it was a tool to ensure that houses in Gwynedd were available to residents and that the Welsh language was being supported. It was acknowledged that the direction was currently facing challenges, but that it continued to be operational.

It was highlighted that the Building Control Service was responsible for naming streets and naming and numbering properties. Assurances were given that the service was taking a proactive approach to highlight the historical and cultural significance of Welsh names on properties, although it was acknowledged that they had no powers to refuse applications unless names were duplicated or if the choice of name was inappropriate. It was reported that 113 applications had been received to change or register property names and that 88% of the names registered were Welsh names. Furthermore, pride was expressed that 18 property owners had changed the name of their property from English back into Welsh following discussions with the Service. Likewise, reference was made to the Planning Service where a planning condition was imposed on 54 new businesses and 110 new houses to ensure that they were named in Welsh.

Following a request by committee members, an update was provided on the 'Tir a Môr' bilingual education pack led by the Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation team. Pride was expressed that hard copies of the pack had been distributed to every primary school in Gwynedd since the Department submitted their previous report to this Committee. It was elaborated that the Special Area of Conservation team were also working to produce a bilingual magazine, 'O Dan y Don', to raise awareness of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider the report.

To accept the report, noting the observations received during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Assistant Head of Finance - Accountancy and Pensions, and the Assistant Head of Information Technology. They referred briefly to the following main points:

Members were reminded that the Department implemented the Cyngor Gwynedd Digital Plan 2023/2028 by encompassing 29 projects in order to be a 'Digital Council'. Specific attention was drawn to the Organisational Management System, which assisted the payroll and human resources systems, which had now reached the procurement system. Pride was expressed that the Department had gone beyond the expectations of linguistic measures when undertaking the procurement procedure for this system. It was explained that 26 questions relating to the Welsh language were included within the process, which was substantially higher than the Gwynedd and national standard procurement arrangements.

It was highlighted that artificial intelligence was a major technical development at present. It was explained that a pilot was currently being held to assess the strength and accuracy of the Microsoft 'Copilot' software, which was an artificial intelligence resource. Attention was drawn to the fact that this could not be done in the past as it was not available in Welsh.

An update was given that the Council's phone systems had now been updated. It was explained that the phone systems had now been installed on the computers of staff members and the default had been set as Welsh, in the software that allowed this, on all of the Council's corporate computers, as well as all computers in Gwynedd schools. Pride was expressed that this system was innovative, and that the Council had been able to sell this software for external use.

It was reported that Audit Wales was auditing the accounts of Cyngor Gwynedd, North Wales Economic Ambition Board, Gwynedd Harbours, Pensions and GwE, with the cooperation of the Finance Department which had developed and administrated those accounts. Pride was expressed that meetings with Audit Wales officers were still being conducted through the medium of Welsh. Members were reminded that challenges had arisen when trying to hold discussions with them in Welsh in the past; however, pride was expressed that those difficulties had led to the development of training plans within the organisation in order to ensure that more Welsh speakers were available to carry out audits.

Attention was drawn to the Council's Trainee and Apprenticeships plan, confirming that the department had taken advantage of this plan this year by appointing two professional trainees as well as four new apprentices. It was detailed that those individuals worked in the field of pensions, taxation and benefits, and were an important recruitment source to meet the needs of the department by offering a strong career pathway. Pride was expressed that Tomos Pritchard, who was an apprentice in the accountancy service, had received an invitation to represent the Council on a panel at the Welsh Language Commissioner's conference in Cardiff, which would be discussing the use of Welsh in the workplace. Pride was also expressed that this opportunity had emerged to share his experiences  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the report.

To accept the report, noting the observations received during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC and the Business Development Manager. They referred briefly to the following main points:

It was reported that the department was leading on three of the Council Plan projects at present, namely Clean and Tidy Communities, Acting on flood risks and Extending opportunities for play and socialising for children and young people in the County.

It was reported that 11 smart benches had been installed in Gwynedd this year. It was explained that these benches could report nearby local history, by working with well-known individuals such as Casi Wyn, Rhys Iorwerth, Guto Dafydd, Gwyneth Glyn, Manon Steffan Ros and Cedron Sion. Pride was expressed that this project was innovative as it was a new method of sharing local history through the medium of Welsh. Attention was drawn to the fact that the benches had been installed in Bangor, Caernarfon, Pwllheli, Cricieth, Tywyn and Porthmadog.

Members were reminded that Ymgynghoriaeth Gwynedd was being run as a commercial entity, confirming that the new Business Plan had been launched in April this year, which would be valid for the next five years. Assurances were given that this business plan was developed and disseminated through the medium of Welsh. It was elaborated that improving staff's language skills was a goal during this period, by providing Welsh education and training. The Ymgynghoriaeth Gwynedd recruitment video that would be shared on social media soon, was shared.

It was confirmed that the department was collaborating with local businesses and sub-contractors on a regular basis, sharing an example that the Environment Category Team had held an event in Tŷ Gwyrddfai in Penygroes with the cooperation of the Council's other departments, Adra Cyf Housing Association, as well as other companies. Similarly, it was noted that the Department was attending job fairs and events to engage with the people of Gwynedd, by holding face-to-face conversations on the opportunities of the company and the benefits of working for an organisation with a Welsh workforce.

The Finance Department and the Information Technology service were thanked for developing a system to manage the Council's Fleet through the medium of Welsh, as it assisted with the process of ordering materials, recording work, managing drivers, conducting a maintenance programme and keeping vehicle details. It was noted that this programme was Welsh and had been sold to other authorities, as noted previously during a previous item at this meeting.

An update was given that the Department was in the process of updating the fleet vehicles to be electric vehicles, and it was noted that 88 electric vehicles were in the fleet at present. It was acknowledged that using electric vehicles continued to be a new experience for Council staff members and therefore a Welsh video 'Sut i ddefnyddio cerbydau trydan' (How to use electric vehicles), was being developed by the Department to assist staff members when using the vehicle and charging it.

It was detailed that the Department employed 433 staff members and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.