Agenda, decisions and minutes

To elect Chair for 2026 / 2027.

Cllr Rhys Tudur was elected as Chair for 2026/27. ⁠

Cllr Rhys Tudur was elected as Chair for 2026/27. ⁠

To elect Vice Chair for 2026 / 2027.

Cllr Geraint Wyn Parry was elected as Vice-chair for 2026/27.

Cllr Geraint Wyn Parry was elected as Vice-chair for 2026/27.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Sian Williams, Elin Walker Jones, Dewi Owen, Rhys Tudur and Gweno Glyn Williams (Dwyfor Parents/Governors' Representative).

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Councillor Gwynfor Owen declared a personal interest in Item 8 on the agenda as he was a Governor at Ysgol Hafod Lon ⁠. The member did not consider it to be a prejudicial interest and did not leave the meeting during the discussion.

Sharon Roberts (Arfon Parents/Governors' Representative) declared a personal interest in Item 10 on the agenda because of her position with the Welsh Government. The member was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and she withdrew from the meeting during the discussion on the item.

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 meetings of this committee held on 19 of January 2026 and 12 of February 2026 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meetings of this committee held on 19 January 2026 and 12 February 2026, as a true record.

To consider the whistleblowing policy and procedure for elected members.

•           That the Committee declared support for the policy and asked the Monitoring Officer to make changes in line with his response to members' comments.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate and Legal Services and the Welsh Language submitted the report, reminding Members that the Cabinet had adopted an amended Whistleblowing Policy for staff in January. It was noted that adopting the policy had been a high priority and an important step forward in strengthening the Council's procedures and arrangements in response to the Our Bravery Brought Justice report.  It was explained that there had been a call at the same time for a policy that would provide a way for elected members and co-opted members to raise concerns about any misconduct.

It was noted that there was a need to prepare a policy that was appropriate for Cyngor Gwynedd elected members, as the staff whistleblowing procedure was based on employment legislation and legal protection under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. It was explained that the policy offered guidance to members on how to raise concerns in a safe and clear space, and that the procedure co-existed with other arrangements such as the Code of Conduct and the Safeguarding Policy. It was emphasised that this strengthened the Council's arrangements to respond to any impropriety for the benefit of the county's residents.

It was reported that discussions had been held with the Member Enquiries Task Group when preparing the policy, and that engagement had also taken place with all the members. It was noted that they had consulted with Protect, a charity with expertise in the field of whistleblowing, and that the Standards Committee had considered the policy earlier in the month and had expressed support for it. It was considered that the next step, after receiving the Committee's observations, would be to submit the policy to the Full Council in July with the intention of adding it to the Council's Constitution.

During the discussion, the following observations were made:-

The policy was welcomed, noting that it was a positive step forward. It was suggested that including a general definition of what whistleblowing meant made the policy easier to read and gave a clearer context. In response, it was explained that whistleblowing was an employment concept which derived from employment law, and that it was essentially a framework for raising concerns about serious matters. It was noted that the policy offered two things to elected members, namely a place to raise matters that they considered to be serious and an element of confidentiality in doing so. It was emphasised that the intention was to create a space that was as safe as possible to raise serious concerns.

It was acknowledged that the policy was an important step forward because this type of specific protection had not been available to councillors previously. The fact that the policy acknowledged concerns about significant misconduct or criminal or illegal behaviour, that it offered confidentiality when raising those concerns and that it stated that any type of poor treatment a member may face as a result of making a disclosure should be reported, was welcomed. However, many changes that would strengthen  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The present the draft Education Transport Policy following a consultation period on proposals to amend the content of the current policy.

1.         To accept the report and note the observations.

2.         To ask the Cabinet to pay particular attention to the Empty Seats Scheme when making a decision.

3.         To recommend to the Cabinet Member for Education:

•           That consideration should be given to modifying the Draft Education Transport Policy to designate parishes rather than distance in terms of transportation to faith schools.

•           To look at reducing the number of forms that parents of pupils with Additional Learning Needs had to complete.

The Cabinet Member for Education submitted a draft of the new Education Transport Policy, and the Committee was asked to submit observations on it. It was noted that the main changes had been clearly highlighted in the report, including the Empty Seats Scheme, faith schools transport, dual residency arrangements and the offer to post-16 learners.

It was explained, although this was a Cyngor Gwynedd policy, that it must operate within the Education Transport Measure and the associated statutory guidance set by the Welsh Government. It was noted that the Council did not have freedom to act as they wished in every case, because there were statutory requirements that they had to comply with. The opinion was expressed that the Welsh Government should review the Measure and the associated guidance because some elements of them did not make sense.

During the discussion, the following observations were made:-

The matter of the Empty Seats Scheme was raised, explaining that the scheme allowed children who were not eligible for free school transport to use empty seats on school transport vehicles for a fairly low cost. It was noted that the scheme had been paused since October 2025 and there was no provision for it in the draft policy. It was asked whether this meant that the scheme would permanently end and would not be re-established. In response, it was confirmed that there was no provision for an Empty Seats Scheme in the draft policy and such a policy would not be implemented from September onwards.

Significant concern was expressed regarding the decision, referring to a previous confirmation that there was no legislation preventing an authority from implementing an Empty Seats Scheme, and the fact that other authorities continued to implement such schemes. It was noted that the main reason for revoking the scheme was to reduce the financial and operational risk to the Council. It was acknowledged that the risk must be managed in a responsible way, but it was questioned whether the risk had been balanced appropriately against other considerations.

Reference was made to the Ffordd Gwynedd principles and the expectation to find practical ways of meeting the needs of Gwynedd residents. It was noted that revoking the scheme could lead to more cars travelling to schools, and it was questioned whether the environmental impact had been considered in the context of the climate emergency declared by the Council. It was questioned whether the decision had been considered in the context of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015, fairness for children in rural areas and the impact on children who faced an economic disadvantage. It was suggested that the Council's financial and operational risk had received more emphasis than all these other considerations, and it was asked whether the department's priorities were correct. It was asked whether an assessment had been conducted of the likely impacts of revoking the scheme. In response, it was noted:-

·       It was acknowledged that the offer could appear unreasonable at first glance, because providing an empty  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

For Committee Members to scrutinise performance matters within the Department.

1.         To accept the report and note the observations.

2.         To ask the Head of Education to share national comparative data on de-registration with members of the Committee together with the Youth Service Annual Report.

3.         That there was a need to look at including information and data in relation to pupils' attainment in the future performance report.

4.         That the Committee scrutinised the situation in relation to de-registration and Elective Home Education as part of its work programme when timely.

The Cabinet Member for Education presented the report, stating that the arrangement was relatively new but it was a useful way for the Members to see and understand the Education Department's range of work. It was noted that the report gave the Committee an opportunity to scrutinise the department's performance.

During the discussion, the following observations were made:-

General concern was expressed regarding the size of the reports pack submitted to the Committee, which included approximately 350 pages. It was noted that it was unrealistic to expect members to read all the material in detail, which could mean that some relevant questions would not be raised. In response, an apology was given about the length of the report, and it was explained that changes to the Education Department's performance challenge arrangements were underway. It was noted that the department was large and contained many different services, and identifying the most important matters amongst all the information had been a challenge. It was confirmed that every manager would continue to report on performance, but moving forward, the Assistant Heads of Department would provide summaries of approximately three or four pages, highlighting the successes and the fields that required attention.

Attention was drawn to the significant reduction in the number of applications for headteacher posts and to the increasing challenge of attracting individuals to leadership posts in schools. The development of the Future Leaders programme was welcomed, which provided practical support to individuals who wished to move to leadership posts. It was noted that 17 individuals from the primary sector and seven from the secondary sector followed the programme. It was asked how many had followed the programme in the previous year and whether the feedback had been positive.

Reference was made to the support programme for new headteachers and acting headteachers, with 26 individuals following the programme. It was noted that the response to the programme had been positive, and that new headteachers had provided good feedback regarding the support received from the Council. Attention was drawn to the fact that 13% of schools did not have a permanent headteacher, and members asked for the equivalent figures for the previous years to put the situation in context. In response, it was noted:-

·       That recruiting headteachers was a significant challenge and the problem was not unique to Gwynedd, as schools across Wales and beyond faced the same difficulty.

·       There had been a significant turnover amongst headteachers in Gwynedd over the last two or three years due to the age profile of the workforce. It was estimated that between 30% and 33% of schools had changed headteachers during that period.

·       Some headteachers had reached retirement age, whilst others had decided to leave the profession because they did not wish to remain in the role.

·       Primary headteacher posts had attracted three or four applicants in the past and secondary headteacher posts had attracted two or three, but posts were now being advertised without receiving any applications in some cases.

·       The situation had been included  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

For Committee Members to scrutinise performance matters within the Department.

1.         To accept the report and note the observations.

2.         To ask the Economy and Community Department to share data on numbers using Arosfan (motorhome) sites and information relating to enforcement issues with Committee members.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Community presented the report noting that it looked back on the department's performance over the previous year, with specific attention to the progress made against the Council's priority projects. It was acknowledged that many of the department's services had faced financial uncertainty because of changes to the Government's funding programmes, but pride was expressed in the performance of the department’s teams and the progress made in achieving the Council's commitments.

It was noted that 69 organisations across the county had received support through the Government grant in the last year. It was reported that 55 community councils across Gwynedd had been supported and that £8.9 million had been invested to improve town centre infrastructure. It was noted that a request had been made for the department to further research the additional actions the Council could take by using local authority powers, including options that did not necessarily align with existing guidelines. It was confirmed that work had already started on this.

It was reported that 118 Gwynedd businesses had received support over the previous year, with a £1.3 million investment. It was noted that 255 Gwynedd residents who faced barriers to employment had received support, as well as 130 additional individuals who had received support to ensure a better or full salary.

Satisfaction was expressed with the progress made with the Trawsfynydd science park. It was noted that members had received an invitation to visit the site and receive a presentation on the latest information regarding the plan, and it was confirmed that a further update would be presented to the Committee in due course.

It was noted that work had commenced over the previous year to develop a more sustainable model to support communities. It was explained that pilot arrangements were being considered in Tywyn, Abermaw and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It was reported that grants to the value of £217,000 had been allocated to community groups and food banks across Gwynedd to strengthen the local support available to residents.

It was noted that the number of visits to Byw'n Iach leisure centres during the previous year had been lower than the previous year. It was explained that the reduction stemmed mainly from a change in the method of gathering data, although there was also a small reduction in the number of primary children who received swimming lessons at the centres.  It was noted that the number of visitors remained slightly lower than pre-covid levels, and it was emphasised that there was a need to agree on new systems, improve the performance and encourage more people to use the swimming pools.

It was reported that the previous year had been challenging for maritime services, with winter storms causing damage and a large number of visitors arriving on weekends when the weather was fine, creating traffic problems and additional pressure. It was noted that waste and safety were matters that needed to be considered, as well as several other matters. It was acknowledged that the services'  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

For Committee Members to scrutinise performance matters within the Department.

1.         To accept the reports and to note the observations.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate and Legal Services and the Welsh Language submitted the performance report of the Corporate Services first. It was explained that the report referred to the progress made against the promises of the Council Plan 2023-28 and included the department's performance measures. It was noted that the Corporate Services led on six main projects, namely Keeping the Benefit Local, promoting the use made by Gwynedd residents of the Welsh language, workforce planning, ensuring fairness for all, women in leadership and a strategic review of health and safety management. It was reported that these projects had been scrutinised by the Cabinet Member during a performance challenging and support meeting in April.

It was noted that progress had been made during the year. Reference was made to developing and approving a new procurement strategy that placed an emphasis on local and social benefits. It was reported that training sessions had been developed for officers in the field of procurement to raise their awareness and their understanding of how to buy locally, gain social value and reduce carbon.

It was reported that significant work had been carried out to promote the Welsh language, including programmes with local schools and businesses, as well as research with Bangor University to analyse the public use of the Welsh language in Gwynedd. It was noted that work had been done with the Welsh Language Commissioner to expand on this.

It was reported that the Women in Leadership project had performed well, with many examples of women moving to leadership posts. Reference was made to a video created and a questionnaire sent to women who worked for the Council to gather their views on the project and the next steps. It was noted that prominent progress had been made in the field of health and safety by introducing the first phase of the new information technology system and providing training to managers. It was explained that this had improved the process of reporting accidents across the Council, and that positive feedback had been received.

It was acknowledged that there had been a delay with the workforce planning project, but it was noted that a draft plan had been created and a full consultation would be conducted in due course. It was explained that this delay had impacted the milestones for the Ensuring Fairness for All project. It was further noted that the milestone for the strategic review on health and safety management had slipped due to work on introducing a new system for human resources and payroll.

In terms of the department's day-to-day work, reference was made to a high percentage of staff who had completed mandatory training. It was reported that the department, during 2025-26, had dealt with every freedom of information request within the appropriate deadline. It was noted that the situation regarding sickness figures continued to be monitored to understand the pressure and take appropriate steps to manage it.

It was reported that there was strong performance in terms of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.