Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Einir Wyn Williams, Gareth Coj Parry, Sasha Williams and Eryl Jones-Williams.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Councillor Gwynfor Owen declared an interest on item 6 if matters about the charity Gorwel or Carers' Outreach were discussed - Gorwel was discussed and he left the meeting for this element.

A declaration of personal interest was received by Councillor Elwyn Jones on item 6 as he was a member of the Board of GISDA that received funding, but it was not a prejudicial interest and he therefore did not have to withdraw from the meeting.

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 meeting of this committee held on the 23^rd of November 2023 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, held on 23 November 2023, as a true record.

To consider the report.

1)    To accept the report and to note the observations.

2)    To make a request to the Scrutiny Forum for a Scrutiny Investigation into the Social Housing Allocation Policy in order to see how robust the procedure is and to look at the detail of the policy.

The report was submitted noting that it provided an overview of the progress seen on the Housing Action Plan. It was highlighted that good progress had been seen since adopting the plan in April 2021 with:

·         241 social houses built

·         202 empty houses had been brought back into use

·         32 homelessness units had been erected or were in the process of being erected

·         64 first time buyers grant had been given to renovate empty houses

·         633 housing adaptations grants had been allocated to enable disabled people to continue living in their homes.

It was generally expressed that the department felt strongly that they offered a variety of support and interventions and, as a result, that the plans met the needs of individuals in different areas of the county.

Members were guided through the projects, beginning with "Developing our own homes, buying private homes and purchasing building land for the future". It was noted that the three projects aimed at increasing the opportunities available for the people of Gwynedd by owning or renting suitable housing for their needs. It was explained that by implementing the buying and building houses schemes successfully during the Housing Action Plan period, the Council would have erected 90 houses and bought a 100 others that would be available to let for Gwynedd residents. It was highlighted that several developments were currently underway, with six developments in locations such as Bangor, Llanystumdwy and Llanberis in different stages of the process.

In terms of the Buy to Let Scheme, it was noted that 18 houses had now been bought with another 6 in the process of being bought. It was explained that these houses were bought across the county and in locations where it would be possible to respond to local people's housing needs. It was added, before letting the property, the houses needed to be brought to an accepted and statutory standard of living, and the department was in the process of discussing their letting arrangements. It was explained in terms of purchasing land, that land had been purchased in Mynytho, Llanystumdwy and Caernarfon for future development. In terms of Social housing, it was expressed that the Council continued to work closely with the Housing Associations to implement a Social Housing Development Programme in the county.  We aim to reach a target of building 700 social houses across the county during the term of the plan. It was reiterated to date that 241 houses had been erected, with 279 underway and that the programme was full for 2024/25.

Attention was drawn to the Grants Schemes, noting that the Action Plan included several schemes related to allocating grants to increase the opportunities available for the people of Gwynedd. It was explained that the Council had recently started a community regeneration grant scheme that provided grants for community groups to provide living units for local people. It was noted since the beginning of the Plan, that 633 adaptations had been made to enable people to remain in their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider the reports.

1.    To accept the report and to note the observations while welcoming the idea of a cross-departmental procedure to monitor grants.

2.    To receive a progress report on the field by the departments in 2025.

The report was presented by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to discuss the contribution of the third sector. It was noted that they were invaluable and it was critical to scrutinise their work as well as to scrutinise measuring the value of the sector. A huge debt was acknowledged for the work of the third sector, especially with the public sector shrinking as they responded so quickly and flexibly. It was emphasised that there was a need to ensure that the Council received the most value for money to ensure the most effective service.

The committee members were thanked for the enquiry to investigate this field. It was noted that it had been an opportunity to raise awareness of the work taking place. Thanks was also reiterated to the field, by emphasising that they were considered as an extremely important partner to the Council.

It was expressed that the committee's request had been very timely and had allowed the department to review their contracts. It was emphasised that this report only looked at organisations in the care field and organisations that only received contributions for running costs and not for commissioning specific services. Attention was drawn to the fact that the report highlighted matters that had arisen over the previous years, as well as historical matters that would be challenging to come to terms with and to look at how to build on this work. It was noted that a meeting had been arranged a fortnight ago, where the financial situation was discussed and it was announced that funding for 2024/25 would be the same as what was received in 2023/24, as well as highlighting the timetable to discuss the way forward and for future commission work.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:-

-       It was highlighted that the report showed the inconsistencies in terms of the level of detail received on performance information asked about the third sector, and it was asked whether further information had been received.

o   It was simply noted that there was a need for organisations to report on what they do with the funding received, it was agreed that there were inconsistencies across the sector, and that there was a need to reconcile the information received. 

-       It was enquired what were the arrangements in terms of monitoring and whether the Council received value for money.

o   The Scrutiny Committee was thanked for bringing the matter to the attention of the departments, it was noted that a great deal of information came back to the Council but the discussion had motivated both departments to have a strong system to monitor and reconcile across the sector.

-       It was highlighted that only some of the third sector organisations were available in the report and some organisations seemed to be missing.

o   ⁠It was explained that the report focused on preventative work in the Adults Department and the Children's Department. It was highlighted that other departments such as the Housing and Property Department used  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the report.

a)    To accept the report and to request the Corporate Director to consider distributing the information to the public if possible.

The report was submitted by noting that the item had arisen following a question asked by the former chair some time ago, which was what people should do if individuals fell in their communities. It was not possible to respond to the question quickly, but after some discussions with the Welsh Ambulance Trust and co-workers in the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board, it was highlighted that there was no national or regional protocol for this matter. It was explained that the "I Stumble" protocol was used by the trust, the Health Board and some other local authorities, but that this protocol looked at how to help individuals if they fall and how to deal with them after they fall. It was highlighted that the protocol did not deal with the question which is how to respond if individuals fell and an ambulance was not available for 8-10 hours, and what advice could be given to a carer.

It was expressed that work had been made to translate and add to the "I Stumble" system, and specifically to the "Very Long Waiting Time?" part. It was emphasised that the observations were superficial, but it was not possible to go into much detail as it was a very difficult situation as every case was different. It was explained that the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board Therapists Regional Director was happy to put a Health Board badge on it. It was added that a consultation on the document would be held to see whether there was a better way of sharing the information. Following this, it was noted that training would be held for internal carers and external providers.

In addition to this, it was noted that officers within the Welsh Ambulance Trust were very eager to start a pilot in Gwynedd to see whether it was possible to locate equipment to lift individuals that have fallen in suitable locations within the communities, and to train local volunteers on how to use them. It was noted that they were expecting a specific plan in terms of locations etc., and despite it being different to the protocol, it was explained that it had developed as a result of the discussions that had risen.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:-

-       Gratitude was expressed for the report, and congratulations was given on creating a clear report, considering that a protocol was not in place before this. It was highlighted that the 'Very Long Waiting Time?' element might need to be in another colour to draw attention to it.

-       It was enquired whether there was a timetable to hold training on the protocol jointly with the Health Board, or whether there was a timetable for the pilot scheme.

o   It was noted in terms of the training, that there was no definite timetable but that there was no reason to delay and it was hoped that it would be possible to hold it during the spring, ready for the summer and autumn.

o   He noted,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.