Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda - Council Offices, Caernarfon. View directions
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
No. | Item | ||
---|---|---|---|
APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillors Menna
Baines, Selwyn Griffiths, Huw Wyn Jones and Keith Jones; Anest
Gray Frazer (Church in Wales) and David Healey
(Teachers Unions). |
|||
DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declarations of personal interest. Additional documents: Minutes: No declarations of personal interest were received from any members
present. |
|||
URGENT ITEMS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair noted that
she had received a request from Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd to raise an urgent
item relating to transport. Councillor Alwyn Gruffydd expressed his concern
that it appeared that children in the county had been travelling on buses
without any kind of insurance cover. The Chair explained, having received legal
advice, that she could not allow the matter to be discussed at this
meeting. Therefore, she would raise the
matter at the informal session with the members to be held after this meeting
to see whether or not this was a matter to be scrutinised. |
|||
The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 13th December, 2017 be signed as a true record (attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed the
minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 13 December, 2017, as
a true record. |
|||
NORTH WALES GROWTH DEAL BID - PROGRESS REPORT PDF 134 KB To consider the report of the Council Leader (attached). *10.10am – 10.50am Additional documents:
Minutes: Submitted
- the report of the Council Leader noting the progress with the development of
the North Wales Growth Deal Bid, and identifying some matters which required
consideration. The
Leader and the Director expanded on the content of the report, and also
responded to questions / observations from the members. The Chair summarised the main conclusions of the discussion as follows:-
·
All members were encouraged to attend the Growth Deal
Scheme workshop on 15 February to understand the field and what the projects
were, and to also consider the need for more sessions. ·
There was general support for the ambition of ensuring
economic growth across north Wales, but it would be a significant challenge. ·
There was a clear message of support for the Growth Scheme
in mid Wales also, especially in relation to the Meirionnydd area, and there
was a need for strong input and collaboration with that project, and
collaboration with Ceredigion and Powys also at the same time, given also the
importance of securing projects across Gwynedd. ·
There was a need to secure the status of the Welsh
language in this work and to use the North Wales Growth Board as a driver to
promote it. ·
A clear message to learn from past lessons and to
ensure that best use was made of resources; and when challenging schemes, a
need for those schemes to be thoroughly challenged. ·
There was a need to develop the element of challenge
and scrutiny in relation to Gwynedd to ensure a clear understanding of the
arrangements and to consider how members could have general input in the
proposed projects and influence them in good tiem. ·
This committee should receive regular feedback. |
|||
RE-MODELLING THE YOUTH SERVICE PDF 359 KB To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing, Leisure and Culture (attached). *10.50am – 11.40am Additional documents:
Minutes: Submitted
– the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing, Leisure and Culture outlining
the steps taken to identify the preferred option for Remodelling the Youth
Service and inviting the scrutiny committee's observations on the plan to
submit them to the Cabinet on 13 March, 2018. The
Cabinet Member and officers expanded on the content of the report, and also
responded to questions / observations from the members. During the discussion, there was considerable emphasis on the fact that
the four options outlined in the report involved cutting/reducing the annual
grant given to the Urdd, Young Farmers', the Guides
and the Scouts, and that these organisations would be supported in a different
way. Proposed and seconded - a motion not to cut grant for the voluntary
organisations on the grounds that they did excellent work in their communities. In response, it was explained to the members:- ·
That such a recommendation would lead to
much less being available for the young people of Gwynedd as it would involve
asking the Cabinet to create a different option to that of the four options
already under consideration that would retain the £76,000 element for voluntary
organisations, but would reduce the budget for the rest of the Youth Service. ·
There were a number of other voluntary
organisations in the county, such as rugby clubs, that did not receive any
grants from the Council. A vote was taken on the proposal.
Six members voted in favour and six members against. No casting vote was taken. There was not a majority in favour, therefore
the committee did not have a recommendation to submit to the Cabinet Member. The Chair summarised the main conclusions of the discussion as follows:-
·
It was acknowledged that the situation was very
difficult for everyone, as the budget had already been cut and no one liked
change. However, the status quo was not
an option. ·
The scrutiny work had shown that there was a differing
opinion among committee members in terms of whether the preferred option for
remodelling the Youth Service was fair to all young people in Gwynedd, offered
value for money, and was sustainable in future, and this was because of concern
regarding the effect of the budget cut on young people. ·
The number of respondents to the questionnaire was
very positive and showed that there was a lot of interest in the field. ·
The committee supported the idea of looking to
establish clubs in the community and to assist those clubs to set-up. Also,
that the committee sent a strong message to the Department to contact the
community councils to see how they could be assisted to hold activities and
projects on behalf of the Youth Service. ·
There was concern regarding the impact on those young
people who live in deprived areas, specifically in terms of accessing the
service, and concerns also regarding the impact on the language. |
|||
ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT POST 16 EDUCATION PROVISION IN GWYNEDD PDF 331 KB To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Education (attached). *11.40am – 12.25pm Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted
- the report of the Cabinet Member for Education inviting observations or
questions from members of the scrutiny committee on a draft brief for
commissioning a consultant to undertake an independent assessment of the
current post-16 education provision in Gwynedd. The
Cabinet Member and officers expanded on the content of the report, and also
responded to questions / observations from the members. The main conclusions of the discussion were as follows:- ·
The work of assessing the language medium
of the courses should get to the root of the situation, rather than depend on
the figures that the organisations will provide. ·
The assessment was expected to consider
that the performance baseline for A Level was different to the GCSE performance
baseline. ·
There was a need for the assessment to
look at the evidence that young people selected subjects that do not involve
travelling between sites during the day because of convenience. ·
It was agreed to submit the report on the findings of
the research to this committee in September (subject to delivering the work
within the original set timetable) to understand the current situation before
identifying a way forward. |
|||
To consider the report of the Democratic Services Manager (attached). *12.25pm – 12.40pm Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted
– the report of the Chairman asking the committee to adopt the principle of
holding an investigation into the "impact of new building developments for
schools on the quality of education" and identify five members to be part
of the investigation. RESOLVED (a) To
support the principle of undertaking an investigation into the "impact of
new building developments for schools on the quality of education". (b) To
identify Councillors Steve Collings, Cai Larsen and Paul Rowlinson to be part
of the investigation and to contact all committee members to see who else would
be interested. |
|||
SCRUTINY FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME 2017/18 PDF 155 KB To submit, for information, the scrutiny forward work programme, as it stands at present (attached). *12.40pm – 12.45pm *estimated times Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted
- the scrutiny work programme, as it currently stood. The work
programme was accepted with the updates noted in bold print as below:-
|