Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Gwynfor Owen, Richard Glyn Roberts and Sasha Williams and also from Elise Poulter (NEU).

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Councillors Beth Lawton, Llio Elenid Owen and Gareth Tudor Jones declared a personal interest in item 6 as they were Directors of Byw'n Iach.

The members were not of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, but although they did not leave the meeting during the discussion, they did not participate in the discussion and did not vote. In accordance with Section 7.6 of the Constitution, no member may be involved in scrutinising decisions in which they had been directly involved.

Councillor Dewi Jones declared a personal interest in item 6 as he was a member of Byw'n Iach.

The member was not of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and he did not leave the meeting during the discussion.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chair for consideration.

None to note.

The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 14th September, 2023 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee, held on 14 September 2023 as a true record.

Cabinet Member – Councillor Beca Brown

To submit a report on the above.

To accept the report and to note the observations and receive a progress report on the response to the recommendations in 9 months’ time.

The Cabinet Member for Education and officers from the Education Department and GwE were welcomed to the meeting.

The Cabinet Member's report on the Estyn report on education services in Cyngor Gwynedd was submitted requesting the committee to provide observations on the content of the report and to consider any scrutiny arrangements on the progress against the recommendations in the report in a timely manner.   

The Cabinet Member set out the context and thanked the Education Department and GwE for their thorough work supporting schools over the years, especially during the challenging post-Covid period.  She also paid a tribute to the work of teachers and staff in schools, and to the children and young people for all their efforts despite the pandemic and its intense side-effects.

Members were then given an opportunity to ask questions and submit observations. 

It was noted that the report was very strong and authority officers and GwE officers were thanked for all their support.

It was asked how the Authority intended to act on the Estyn recommendations in terms of improving monitoring, evaluating and promoting pupil attendance and strengthening provision to respond to the needs of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and ensuring monitoring arrangements and improving the quality of that provision. The following was noted in response:-

·         That the decline in pupil attendance was a trend seen nationally.

·         The accompanying grant for this field was used to appoint 3 officers in the Welfare Team to look at continuous absences, more frequent absences or significant attendance difficulties in school, freeing up the usual welfare officers attached to schools to target absences such as taking holidays during school term or missing the same day over a period of time along with looking at the codes schools use in terms of the registers.

·         That detailed reports were provided in terms of monthly attendance, and that there was also weekly data that looked at the trends, targeting specific schools and working with families in a bid to increase attendance.

·         That attendance was a duty for everyone, and not just the welfare officers, and an attendance campaign was planned over the year to raise awareness about the importance of attending school regularly and how not attending had an impact on school and pupil outcomes.

·         In terms of inclusion, Mrs Caroline Rees, who produced a report on the service in 2019-20, would conduct another inspection in December, specifically on inclusion, and make recommendations on how to strengthen provision.

·         That steps had already been put in place to strengthen monitoring processes around the secondary hubs, etc.

It was noted that the report recognised that the multimedia resources used in the immersion centres to reinforce language and vocabulary patterns were valuable and questioned whether there was a proactive all-Wales effort to promote and disseminate them. In response, it was noted that this was certainly something to consider.
 

It was noted that a comment had been made in the Audit Wales Report that the scrutiny committees did not scrutinise items/projects in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Cabinet Member – Councillor Nia Jeffreys

To submit a report on the above.

1. To accept the report and to note the observations.
2. To write to the Health and Social Services Minister highlighting the work being carried out by Cwmni Byw’n Iach in respect of the National Exercise Referral Scheme and the need for additional finance to fund its operation in Gwynedd.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Operational Economy Matters, the Managing Director of Byw'n Iach and the Head of Economy and Community were welcomed to the meeting. 

The report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Operational Economy Matters was submitted inviting the committee to scrutinise the arrangements of Cyngor Gwynedd and Cwmni Byw'n Iach to provide leisure services in Gwynedd following the issue being placed on Cyngor Gwynedd's Corporate Risk Register due to the risk of Cwmni Byw'n Iach being unable to continue to provide services in Gwynedd leisure centres as a result of the side-effects of Covid-19 and the increase in the cost of living on their income

The Cabinet Member and Head of Economy and Community set out the context and thanked the officers for the report and to the Byw'n Iach Team and Council representatives on the Byw'n Iach Board for their work. The Managing Director of Byw'n Iach then detailed the company's performance during the year.
 

Members were then given an opportunity to ask questions and submit observations. 

Officers were asked to elaborate on the collaboration between Cwmni Byw'n Iach and Alliance Leisure to prioritise the plans to create additional income streams. In response, it was noted:- 

·         That Alliance Leisure was a specialist company that supported local authorities and commercial companies in the leisure field, and that the Council had also worked with them in the past.

·         That the main focus of discussions with the company over the past year has been focused on Bangor, largely due to the challenge facing the more traditional income streams to Byw'n Iach facilities in Bangor in light of competition from the private sector, and also the fact that Bangor was a very significant population centre.

·         The facilities in Bangor were not among the strongest, and there was a lack of dry side provision for sport. Also, the situation in Bangor was complicated due to the presence of the University and their respective facilities.

·         Bangor residents wished to see a broader offer, but currently holiday services could not be provided for children and young people in Bangor due to the lack of dry facilities, etc.

·         That there was a commercial opportunity in Bangor due to the size of the population, and that the discussions with Alliance Leisure were looking at two potential projects, one relating to a play facility as an extension to the existing building and the other looking at adapting the fitness offer in Bangor not to compete head-to-head with some of the private competitors, but rather to look more at the well-being sector, looking to collaborate more within the exercise referral programme, working with health partners and targeting older people and people interested in low intensity exercise.

·         Grant applications had been submitted to the Welsh Government for funding to make these schemes a reality and there were Lottery Fund applications also pending.

It was asked how Cwmni Byw'n Iach saw the risks in the future, i.e., in terms of the number of users reaching  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Cabinet Member – Councillor Nia Jeffreys

To submit a report on the above.

To accept the report and to note the observations.

The Assistant Head of Economy and Community and the Maritime Service Manager were welcomed to the meeting.
 

The report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy Operational Matters invited the committee to scrutinise the arrangements for beach management in Gwynedd.

The Cabinet Member set the context and the Assistant Head of Economy and Community elaborated on the content of the report.  Members were then given the opportunity to ask questions and offer observations.

With reference to Table 1 in paragraph 5.2 of the report, it was questioned whether the increase in employee costs was due to an increase in overtime pay. In response, it was noted:- 

·         That the expenditure patterns highlighted the immense pressure on the coast over the last 2-3 years which had resulted in extending the period for beach wardens along with paying overtime.

·         That the current permanent structure consisted of only one Senior Beach Officer and one other Beach Officer, and as part of the increase in income, it was proposed to establish two more posts to address the gap, namely a Beach Officer for Meirionnydd and a Beach Officer for Morfa Bychan.

·         Much of the preparation took place over the winter period and it was recognised that the structure needed to be strengthened in that regard.

It was asked whether there was a possibility of a getting a bylaw to give the beach officers powers to fine people who misbehave with cars, etc., on the beach. In response, it was noted:- 

·         That the Service worked closely with the Police, and in particular at Morfa Bychan, which was the only beach in Gwynedd where driving and parking was allowed on the beach.

·         That there were strict rules in place with signs on the beach with the Police and Council logo on them.  Staff walking the beach used body cameras and staff also had cameras in the vehicles, so evidence could be passed on to Police. 

·         That it would be beneficial if the beach officers, particularly the chief officers, had powers to introduce punitive fines for beach offenders, and it was believed that this required guidance from the Legal Department.

It was asked whether beach management was safe from cuts, etc., given that it was a non-statutory service to local government. In response, it was noted:- 

·         Although the service was non-statutory, the field touched on several statutory responsibilities, and although there was uncertainty in terms of the legal framework, it was not believed that neither the Department nor the Service would recommend that there be no responsibility at all, be that as almost a moral responsibility, more than a legal responsibility.

·         There had been previous service interruptions due to the need to secure savings, but unfortunately, it had been observed that not providing a service could lead to problems.

·         That it was a matter for all the members to identify how the Council would respond to the financial challenges, but that the Department was aware of the importance of providing the provision on our beaches.

·         There  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To elect two members to serve on the Autism Plan Task and Finish Group.

1.    That Councillors Dawn Jones and Gwynfor Owen (who have a connection with the autism field) submit applications for dispensations to allow them to represent the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee on the Autism Plan Task and Finish Group.

2.    To ask the Standards Committee to convene a special meeting to consider applications for dispensations from Councillors Dawn Jones and Gwynfor Owen.

3.    To elect Councillors Cai Larsen and Beth Lawton as reserve members to represent the Committee on the Task and Finish Group.

A report was presented by the Scrutiny Adviser inviting the committee to elect two members to represent the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee on the Autism Plan Task and Finish Group.

The names of Councillors Dawn Jones and Gwynfor Owen were proposed. It was highlighted that both had a connection to the autism field. A member noted that he had had a conversation with the Monitoring Officer about the situation. He elaborated that during the conversation that a request for a dispensation could be submitted to the Standards Committee.      

As the next meeting of the Standards Committee was on 19 February 2024, and the Task Group was scheduled to report back to the Care Scrutiny Committee on 1 February, it was noted that the Standards Committee would have to be asked to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the requests for dispensations.

It was also noted that two reserve members of the Task Group should be elected in case one, or both, requests for dispensation be refused by the Standards Committee.

RESOLVED

1.         That Councillors Dawn Jones and Gwynfor Owen (who have a connection with the autism field), submit applications for dispensations to allow them to represent the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee on the Autism Plan Task and Finish Group.

2.         To ask the Standards Committee to hold an extraordinary meeting to consider requests for dispensations from Councillors Dawn Jones and Gwynfor Owen.

3.         To elect Councillors Cai Larsen and Beth Lawton as reserve members to represent the Committee on the Task and Finish Group.