Agenda, decisions and minutes

To accept any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Menna Baines, Anwen J. Davies and Linda Ann Jones.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

The following members declared that they had an interest in relation to the item noted:

·        Councillor Elwyn Jones in item 5 as members of his family were homeless. The Member was of the opinion that it was not a prejudicial interest and he did not withdraw from the meeting.

·        Councillor Gwynfor Owen in item 8 on the agenda as his son was autistic. The Member was of the opinion that it was not a prejudicial interest and he did not withdraw from the meeting.

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

None to note.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meetings of this committee held on the 22^nd of June 2023 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee, held on 22^nd June 2023, as a true record.

To consider the report.

DECISION

a)     To accept and note the report.

b)     To ask the officers to report back to the Committee in due course on any potential implications for the policy after assessing the contents of the Welsh Government's White Paper.

c)     To ask the officers to consider whether the Committee should contribute to Cyngor Gwynedd's response to the consultation following the publication of the White Paper.

The report was submitted explaining that a further update on the Housing Allocation Policy was in question and that the policy had already been submitted before the Care Scrutiny Committee in the past. It was explained that changes had been made to the Council's policy in the context of which bands housing applications were determined to and that the current policy had now been in operation for nearly three years. It was noted that the policy had managed to maximise the number of houses let to Gwynedd residents from 90% to 96.7% and that this was a very high percentage, especially considering that local connection could not be considered as an essential priority criterion in every application.

It was explained that the Welsh Government intended to publish a White Paper in October 2023 that would review the legislation and undertake fundamental changes on the way homelessness was dealt with in Wales. Due to the link between homelessness and social housing, the side effect of examining the legislation review on homelessness was the need to re-examine how social housing was let and any side effects that derived from that process.

It was noted that the Housing Department was waiting eagerly to see the White Paper to gain an understanding of the Government's direction. It was explained that they had a fairly good idea as they had attended regular meetings and discussions with the Government over the past few months and had been given an opportunity to note their opinions and feelings about the potential changes. Therefore, it was noted that they hoped that nothing too shocking would be included in the White Paper, but the department would need a bit of time to evaluate its contents and any impact it could have on Council policies. It was explained that considerable work was likely to face the department once the White Paper would be published.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted: 

-        The members expressed their thanks for the report noting pride in the success of the policy so far.

-        Questions were raised about the definition of local connection and concern was expressed that the Council could say it had been successful when providing a house to someone from Aberdyfi in Bethesda. An explanation was requested of how it could be ensured that vulnerable people could remain in their communities.

o   In response, it was explained that although every authority had an element of flexibility when it came to a Housing Allocation Policy, that statutory priority had to be given to 5 categories of people and, therefore, the local connection element had to be secondary to those statutory categories.

o   It was noted that Cyngor Gwynedd had added a community connection tier which went further than local connection. In a situation where applicants were equal in the same priority band, it was explained that people with a community connection would be given priority over those who did not have a community connection.

o   It was explained that 54% of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider the report.

DECISION

a)     To accept and note the report.

b)     To receive a progress report within a year's time.

c)     To ask the Cabinet Member and the Housing Department officers to contact the housing associations to see if they could attend a meeting of the scrutiny committee and organise ways of facilitating communication between the councillors and the housing associations.

The report was submitted, explaining that the intention of the One Stop Shop was to operate as a front door for all housing service enquiries and to facilitate the process for the customer. It was explained that a report on this had been submitted to the Committee in the past but work had substantially developed since that report had been submitted.

To begin, it was explained that consultation sessions had been held with key partners, including the housing associations and third sector organisations, over the past 18 months to identify opportunities to strengthen current arrangements and any potential impact on the nature of the contact that individuals would have with the organisations. Discussions had also been held with all department services to gain a better understanding of the contact with residents in the context of the enquiries the One-Stop-Shop would support.

It was noted that an initial consultation with the public had been held in January 2023 to receive feedback on the general experiences of Gwynedd residents who had contacted the housing service. It was noted that 154 responses had been received and that the majority of these had been positive. The fact that the consultation had highlighted a clear desire by the public to be able to complete an on-line application form for social housing applications was recognised, with over 70% of responses noting that this would be a positive development. It was noted that this had already been identified as a priority for the department but there was no capacity within the current system to enable people to complete applications on-line. The consultation had also highlighted that some members of the public believed there was a need to improve communication between the Council and the customer and, therefore, better on-line presence to receive information without having to pick up the phone or e-mail would be beneficial.

Another key development noted was appointing a leader for the One-Stop-Shop in February 2022 which had enabled the department to research how an appropriate structure could be put in place for the shop's operation. In light of this, it was resolved to incorporate the Housing Options Team Unit in the One-Stop-Shop as this was the work area that received the majority of enquiries by the public. It was explained that the team's structure was now nearing completion as a deputy leader had been appointed in May 2023.

It was noted that the department had researched a new system that would enable them to store comprehensive and up-to-date information in one place. It was explained that the system chosen would modernise the service offered to the public and that the ongoing programmed work included arrangements to establish the system, a trialling period and dates for relevant training. It was also explained that the department had decided to use the FFOS internal system for the work of receiving calls and the shop's day-to-day administrative work as it was already linked to the Council website and website accounts.

In addition, it was noted that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the report.

DECISION

a)     To accept and note the report on the situation regarding supported accommodation for individuals with learning disabilities in Gwynedd, as there is no reference to mental health and support for women in the report.

b)     To ask the officers to share information with the committee members about supported accommodation that is provided by the mental health service and for providing support to women.

The Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being submitted the report to provide context and an update on the situation regarding supported accommodation for individuals with learning disabilities. He thanked the Senior Learning Disabilities Manager and the whole team for their work stating that it was difficult to convey in words how important was this work.

It was explained that the Welsh Government's Learning Disability Strategic Action Plan 2022 to 2026 outlined the agenda for services for individuals with learning disabilities and that the department collaborated with partners to plan and develop supported accommodation models that were suitable to meet those needs. It was noted that 70 people were currently waiting for accommodation and that these were divided into three categories: the individuals who needed priority namely accommodation within the next year; the individuals who needed accommodation within the next two years and the individuals who needed to be planned for over the next years. It was noted that the department collaborated with the Housing Department and the housing associations and that this link was essential. It was explained that work had just been completed on a new house in Groeslon which would be able to provide support for three individuals and it was hoped to be able to accommodate people by November.

It was explained that the Council had a fairly full picture of the situation in the county and that it completed continuous assessments of families/individuals who came through the system and that preparing for the future was part of everyone's package. It was also confirmed that the Learning Disability Team and the Derwen Team regularly met to discuss the situations of individuals of transition age, i.e., approximately 6 months either side of 18 years old, in order to prepare and collaborate for those children who become adults.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:

-        The members expressed their thanks for the report and the developments were welcomed.

-        It was noted that the contents of the report did not match the item title on the agenda and that the item on the agenda was much broader than what had been included in the report.

o   In response, it was noted that this was a fair enough observation confirming that the other elements were part of the picture although there was no reference to them in the report.

o   It was explained that the element in terms of support for women tended to overlap with matters that are under the responsibility of the Housing Department and this may be an example of an area where cooperation between departments could be strengthened.

-        Concern was expressed that the definition of learning disability was too narrow and there was a tendency to focus on the definition alone, without considering how the needs are very similar to mental health needs. It was noted that better cooperation between the learning disability service and the mental health service would be very beneficial rather than placing the matters in separate blocks.

-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider adopting the brief and to elect members to undertake the work of the Task and Finish group.

a)    To adopt the brief and add that the group will look at the Autism Plan in its entirety.

b)     To elect Councillor Jina Gwyrfai to be part of the Autism Plan Task and Finish Group.

c)     To engage with all members of the Care Scrutiny Committee via e-mail in order to receive two other names to be part of the Task and Finish Group.

The draft brief was submitted as members of the Care Scrutiny Committee had decided at their meeting in April that they had not received sufficient information about Gwynedd's Autism Plan. In light of this, they were eager to receive more detail about the service on offer and, therefore, it was resolved to establish a Task and Finish Group.

It was decided that the Task and Finish Group would include members of the Care Scrutiny Committee and the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee, as well as representation from the Children's Department, Adults Department, Education Department and the Health Board. A request was made for three representatives from the Care Scrutiny Committee to undertake the work of the task and finish group.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:

-        It was noted that the brief was very general and although the committee's decision in April had referred to a discussion on the implementation of the plan in its entirety with the new team, there was no reference to this in the brief.

o   In response, it was explained that this was an error, and the wording should correspond with the wording of what had been resolved at the committee meeting.

-        It was proposed that the Task and Finish Group examined the Autism Plan in its entirety initially and maybe it would be possible to implement or examine specific matters in more detail following the group's recommendations. It was resolved that this would be a fair way of giving the new team an opportunity to make a difference and to implement its work programme.

-        It was noted that more representation from the adults department would be beneficial as more than one team dealt with the matter and it was argued that it was essential for the Coordinator of the Autism Services Project to be part of the discussion.

It was explained that the Task and Finish Group would not be long, approximately 2-3 meetings at most. Councillor Jina Gwyrfai put her name forward to be a member of the Task and Finish Group. As all Committee members were not in attendance at the meeting, it was resolved that an e-mail would be sent to members of the Care Scrutiny Committee to enquire who else was interested in being part of the group. Should no names be put forward, then an invitation would be extended to the rest of the Council members. It was noted that representation from the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee would be confirmed at the committee meeting on 9 November.

RESOLVED

a)     To adopt the brief and add that the group will look at the Autism Plan in its entirety.

b)     To elect Councillor Jina Gwyrfai to be part of the Autism Plan Task and Finish Group.

c)     To engage with all members of the Care Scrutiny Committee via e-mail in order to receive two other names to be part of the task and finish group.