Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive any
apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillors: Beth Lawton, Dewi Owen, Mair
Rowlands and Gareth Williams. Anest Gray Frazer (Church in Wales) and
David Healey (ATL) Councillor Gareth Thomas (Cabinet Member for
Economy) |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any
declarations of personal interest. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Selwyn Griffiths declared a
personal interest in the following items for the reasons noted - ·
Item 6 - Supporting Gwynedd businesses to respond to Brexit - as his son was a co-author of the report. The member was of the opinion that it was not
a prejudicial interest, and he did not withdraw from the meeting during the
discussion on the item. ·
Item 8 - An outline of the TRAC Scheme in Gwynedd - as
his daughter-in-law worked for the Service.
The member was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest and he
withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item. |
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URGENT BUSINESS 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 previous meeting of this committee held on 10th
October, 2019 be signed as a true record
(attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed the minutes of the previous
meeting of this committee held on 20 June 2019, as a true record. |
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REVIEW OF HAFAN PWLLHELI AND HARBOUR PDF 101 KB Cabinet Member – Councillor Gareth Thomas To consider a
report on the above (attached) *10.30am – 11.30am Additional documents: Minutes: Presented - the report of the Cabinet Member
for Economy, detailing the work that had been carried out thus far on the
development of management options for the Pwllheli Hafan and Harbour. The officers elaborated on the content of
the report, and also responded to questions / observations from members. The Chair summarised the main
observations of the members arising from the discussion as follows: ·
Responses were provided to a number of
questions during the discussion, and this had deepened our understanding of the
situation in Pwllheli. ·
The Members had emphasised that ensuring a
resolution for the dredging situation and removing the sediment to keep the
channel clear was essential for the whole situation. ·
This work had been in progress for some
time now, and the business case now needed to be prepared. More clarity was
required with regard to the potential investment costs, the possible
opportunities, the relationship with Plas Heli, etc. in order to raise the standard and attract more
customers to the Hafan. ·
There was a need to continue to engage
with local companies, etc. RESOLVED to accept the report, and request an early update on the Hafan and Harbour Management Plan (including the business
cases) for this Scrutiny Committee. |
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SUPPORTING GWYNEDD BUSINESSES TO RESPOND TO BREXIT PDF 73 KB Cabinet Member – Councillor Gareth Thomas To consider a
report on the above (attached) *11.30am – 12.15pm Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet Member for the Economy submitted
a report outlining how the Council and other organisations were raising
awareness amongst businesses of the implications of the UK's decision to leave
the European Union (Brexit) and supporting them to
overcome any resulting obstacles. The officers elaborated on the content of
the report, and also responded to questions / observations from members. The Chair summarised the main
observations of the members arising from the discussion as follows: ·
As the Brexit situation was
constantly changing, and nobody knew what was going to happen, it was very
difficult to provide definitive observations. ·
However, it was clear from the report and the
responses given that the Council was providing support to the business sector
to face the challenges of Brexit, and that we needed
to continue with this support, by giving particular focus to the agriculture,
tourism and countryside sector, as well as the fishing sector. RESOLVED
to accept the report. |
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SAVINGS 2020/21 - EDUCATION AND SCHOOLS DEPARTMENT AND ECONOMY AND COMMUNITY DEPARTMENT PDF 72 KB Cabinet Members – Councillors Gareth Thomas and
Cemlyn Williams To consider a
report on the above (attached) *12.15pm – 1pm *LUNCH BREAK – 1pm – 1.45pm Additional documents: Minutes: The report of the Cabinet Member for Education
and the Cabinet Member for the Economy was submitted, inviting the committee to
scrutinise the proposals of the Education Department and Schools and the
Economy and Community Department to deal with their share of the potential £2m
deficit in the 2020/21 budget, along with proposing alternative plans to meet
the lack of current savings schemes for the Education Department. The Cabinet Member for Education, both Heads
of Services and officers expanded on the content of the report, and also
responded to questions / observations from the members. The Savings Proposals by the Economy and
Community Department During the discussion, it was noted that,
although it was accepted that the savings proposals would have some impact on
the residents of Gwynedd, the Department had managed to mitigate the impact as
far as possible. The Savings Proposals by the Education
Department and Schools During the discussion, considerable concern
was expressed by members regarding two specific savings proposals, namely
'Integration - Individual Development Plans (IDP)/Statements' (£112,530) and
increasing the pupil / teacher ratio in the allocation formula (£463,900). Having received some further explanation on
what either scheme would mean for the county's schools, it was noted that one
scheme would involve less support for pupils with additional learning needs who
were not the subject of an IDP / Statement, and the other scheme would lead to
a reduction in the number of teachers and / or a reduction in the number of
ancillary staff, thus impacting the educational standards. Members further noted: ·
That the schools had already had to cut back to the
bare bone. ·
That the Council should send a letter to Welsh
Government to state their complete dissatisfaction with regard to the
insufficiency of the grant, which had led to a financial situation where the
Council had had to make substantial savings. ·
That the proposals should be revisited in more detail
in order to see what exactly was being recommended. ·
That the schools would not be able to do their work
without the funding, and that the changes impacted the morale of teachers and
children. ·
That savings should be sought from elsewhere. In response to the observations, the Chief
Executive noted: ·
This year for the first time, the expenditure per head
on education in Gwynedd was the highest amongst all Welsh rural authorities,
and even by making these cuts, Gwynedd would still be at the top. ·
That they had managed to protect the entire schools' budget
last year. ·
That this Council had been corresponding and meeting
with the Government regularly, and that the Government was very aware of the
concerns. ·
As a frugal Council, that they needed to plan for the
possibility of having to discover the potential £2m deficit in the 2020/21
budget. · That every Council department was now under pressure, and that the scrutiny committee's role was to decide, should it be required that the Department submit savings proposals, whether the proposals listed in the report or other proposals would have ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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OUTLINE OF THE TRAC PROJECT IN GWYNEDD PDF 69 KB Cabinet Member – Councillor Cemlyn Williams To consider a
report on the above (attached) *1.45pm – 2.30pm Additional documents:
Minutes: The report of the Cabinet Member for
Education was submitted, outlining the TRAC Scheme, which provided additional
assistance to support vulnerable children in schools or to engage them back in
education. The Cabinet Member and officers expanded on
the content of the report, and also responded to questions / observations from
the members. The Chair summarised the main
observations of the members arising from the discussion as follows: ·
The Committee would like to congratulate
the Department on their work, and the members were proud that the lives of children,
who would have otherwise fallen through the net, were being transformed. ·
That the report highlighted what was
possible to do when resources were available, and that this was a lesson for
politicians on all levels. ·
That the report also demonstrated the
difference purposeful planning could make. RESOLVED
to accept the report. |
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UPDATE ON THE GWYNEDD AND ANGLESEY ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS AND INCLUSION SERVICE PDF 58 KB Cabinet Member – Councillor Cemlyn Wiliams To consider a
report on the above (attached) *2.30pm – 3.15pm *estimated times An informal
meeting will be held for members at the close of the meeting Additional documents:
Minutes: The report of the Cabinet Member for
Education was submitted, which provided an update on the development of the new
service structure along with the legislative changes that would become
operational in September 2021. The Cabinet Member and officers expanded on
the content of the report, and also responded to questions / observations from
the members. A question was raised by a member on behalf
of an individual who was unable to attend the meeting with regard to a specific
school's budgetary situation. As it would be inappropriate to discuss this in
an open forum, it was suggested that the author advised the school in question
to contact the department. The Chair summarised the main
observations of the members arising from the discussion as follows: ·
The members acknowledged the detailed work
that took place within the Department. ·
It was accepted that there were challenges,
however major developments had taken place and the fact that this would
continue was welcomed. Also, the
committee took pride in hearing that Gwynedd was so much ahead of the other
authorities in this field. ·
The Committee would like to congratulate
the Department on their work, and the members were very glad to hear that the
service was available in Welsh to every child, whatever their difficulties. RESOLVED
to accept the report. At the end of the meeting, the Head of
Education Department noted that the TRAC Scheme Manager and the Senior Learning
Needs and Inclusion Manager worked within the two most difficult fields within
the education service, with scarce resources, and both of them and their teams
were thanked for their work of transforming the lives of the most vulnerable
and needy children. |