Agenda, decisions and minutes

To appoint a Chair for 2023/24.

To appoint Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn as Chair of the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee for 2023/24.

RESOLVED to elect Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn as Chair for 2023/24.

To appoint a Vice-chair for 2023/24.

To appoint Councillor Mark Pritchard as Vice-chair of the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee for 2023/24.

RESOLVED to elect Councillor Mark Pritchard as Vice-chair for 2023/2024.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from the following:-

·                Councillor Llinos Medi Huws (Isle of Anglesey County Council) with Councillor Gary Pritchard deputising;

·                Councillor Mark Pritchard (Wrexham County Borough Council);

·                Dafydd Gibbard (Cyngor Gwynedd) with Geraint Owen deputising;

·                Neal Cockerton (Flintshire County Council) with Andrew Farrow deputising;

·                Emyr Williams (Snowdonia National Park Authority) with Iwan Jones deputising.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Alwen Williams, CJC Interim Chief Executive, declared a personal interest in item 8 as the report involved extending the period of her secondment to that role. She was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and withdraw from 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 held on 26th May, 2023 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 26 May 2023, as a true record.

Dewi A. Morgan, Head of Finance (CJC’s Statutory Finance Officer) and Sian Pugh, Assistant Head of Finance to present the report.

To note and accept the Corporate Joint Committee's projected expenditure for 2023/24 as submitted in Appendix 1 to the report that was presented to the Joint Committee.

The report was presented by Sian Pugh, Assistant Head of Finance.

RESOLVED to note and accept the Corporate Joint Committee's projected expenditure for 2023/24 as submitted in Appendix 1 to the report that was presented to the Joint Committee.

To consider extending the appointment of Alwen Williams as the CJC’s part-time Chief Executive, on a temporary secondment basis, up to the end of March, 2024.

To extend the appointment of Alwen Williams as the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee's Interim Chief Executive, on a temporary secondment basis, until the end of March 2024.

The report was submitted by Geraint Owen, Cyngor Gwynedd.

Further to the content of the report, it was noted that the NWEAB had agreed at its meeting earlier that day to release Alwen Williams from her role for the period in question.

RESOLVED to extend the appointment of Alwen Williams as the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee's Interim Chief Executive, on a temporary secondment basis, until the end of March 2024.

DISCUSSION

It was asked whether the secondment meant that there was underspend on Alwen Williams' salary as Portfolio Director for the NWEAB. In response, it was explained that the amount transferred to the NWEAB for releasing Alwen Williams on a part-time basis created an underspend, but that this money was being used for another officer in the Portfolio Officer who was deputising for Alwen Williams for the two days that she worked for the Corporate Joint Committee.

The Leader of Flintshire Council expressed his concern that it appeared, therefore, that there was back-filling of the role in the NWEAB whilst the work of the Corporate Joint Committee was being fulfilled, and he added that he had no recollection of this ever being discussed in the NWEAB. In response, it was explained that part of the arrangement when the secondment was approved originally, was to give assurance to the NWEAB that there would be stepping up in terms of the role of the Portfolio Director in order to support the Growth Deal, and that this had been reported to the NWEAB at the time.

It was noted that the report referred to the fact that another item on the meeting agenda elaborated on the additional resource identified to support the Interim Chief Executive with the work of establishing the Corporate Joint Committee finally by 1 April 2024, but that no reference to this could be seen in the papers. In response, it was suggested that this was a question to ask the Interim Chief Executive after she returned to the meeting for the next item as it was she who had put this arrangement in place.

Following the vote on the item, the Leader of Flintshire Council noted that he wished to record that he had voted against the secondment as he had no recollection of a report being submitted to the NWEAB regarding who would be filling in for the Portfolio Director.

The Chair noted that the question could be put to the Interim Chief Executive after she returned to the meeting, and he asked the member whether he wished to continue to note his objection.

The Leader of Flintshire Council noted that he wished for his concern to be noted and that he was asking for a report to the NWEAB and to the Corporate Joint Committee explaining who was filling in in the NWEAB for the two days when the Portfolio Director was not available, and how and when that appointment/those appointments had been made.

Alwen Williams was called back to the meeting, and was asked to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Alwen Williams, Interim CJC Chief Executive, to present the report.

To approve the proposed branding for the Corporate Joint Committee.

The report was submitted by Alwen Williams, Interim CJC Chief Executive.

RESOLVED to approve the proposed branding for the Corporate Joint Committee.