Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Arwyn Herald Roberts, Berwyn Parry Jones, Elfed Powell Roberts and Elin Hywel.

To receive any declaration of personal interest

A declaration of personal interest was received from Councillor Stephen Churchman, as he was the Chair of the Garndolbenmaen Village Hall Committee, which receives a grant under the Community Grant Scheme. It was noted that it was not a prejudicial interest, and he did not withdraw from the meeting for the discussion.

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 meeting of this Committee, held on 23 January 2025 be signed as a true record. 

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 23 January 2025, as a true record.

To scrutinise the introduction of public electric vehicle charging points as The Council Plan 2023-28 – A Green Gwynedd.

Resolved:

1.     To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

2.     To recommend to the Environment Department that there must be a minimum of two charging points at every site.

3.     That the Committee receives an update, including the Business Plan and information regarding the provision in Gwynedd's rural areas in a year's time.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for the Environment, the Assistant Head of Environment (Transportation) and the Traffic and Projects Service Manager. 

It was reported that this field became clearer and gained a higher profile, with more electric vehicles on the road, reflecting the target for 2030 to reduce and then prevent generating petrol and diesel vehicles. It was noted that the department led on providing public charging points which was a priority project under the Green Gwynedd objective in the Council Plan 2023-28, as there was a feeling in some areas of Gwynedd that the private sector did not satisfy the need as in other areas. It was explained that the intention was to fill the gaps where there was no provision from other sectors.

Attention was drawn to the dynamic nature of the field, with developments happening often and quickly. It was explained that it was unclear where the technology would go next, but the ambition would be to have provision availability which would mean that the time it took to charge electric vehicles would be the same as the time it took to fill up a diesel or petrol car.

It was noted that work had already been done to install the charging points and there was reference in the report towards a 'Zapmap' website, which showed many new charging points across the country. It was noted that this would influence the Council's role when moving forward, as it would become increasingly difficult to coordinate and have an overview of the locations.

It was explained that the machines were now being installed in workplaces, shops, other developments and car parks that are owned by the Council near the Byw'n Iach centres. It was confirmed that work was underway to introduce more rapid charging points. It was explained that the focus over time would move from geographical availability towards how many points would be available, assuming that the demand would increase regularly.

It was noted that the Gwynedd Electric Vehicles Infrastructure Strategy was currently being developed, bearing in mind that it was not only the public charging points that required attention, but also the opportunity for people to be able to charge at home. It was explained that work was underway to look into how to enable people to charge on the street, although this could be complicated due to health and safety considerations and the Highways Act principles.

During the discussion, the following observations were made:

Thanks were expressed for the report, noting that there had been good progress towards creating an electric vehicle charging network and that the new and proposed sites had been welcomed, especially the rapid charging points. Concern was expressed that there was too much dependency on slow 7kW charging machines. It was elaborated that they were suitable for overnight charging but not for rapid charging in locations such as car parks.

The option of using bank cards to pay instead of cards or apps from specific companies such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider the Progress Report on Gwynedd Local Toilet Strategy.

Resolved:

To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and YGC, the Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC Department and the Municipal Assets Manager.

It was noted that Gwynedd currently had 61 public toilets and 39 toilets in businesses which took part in the Public Facilities Grant Scheme. It was emphasised that a large part of Gwynedd was located within the Eryri National Park, and therefore the National Park and National Trust also had public toilets. It was therefore noted that a good number of facilities were available across the county.

It was explained that the report provided an update on the implementation of the Public Toilets Strategy since 2019, and included an action plan which noted the next steps and the steps that had already been achieved to improve the image of the public toilets and address the expectations of users, as well as explaining which funding sources were available to improve the provision, what the latest timetable was in terms of introducing contactless payment technology, and what the situation was in terms of income.

⁠It was noted that various grants had been attracted through a variety of ways over the last year, including the Shared Prosperity Fund. It was emphasised that efforts had continued to get access to grants, with an application being submitted for the next round of funding by the Shared Prosperity Fund.

It was noted that the service's revenue budget was limited, and it had been under substantial pressure due to the condition of the buildings and vandalism. It was noted that most of the budget had been used for the maintenance of current facilities, leaving a small amount for restoration or improvement.

Reference was made to the grant scheme by the Welsh Government which provided funding to businesses that were happy to open their facilities to the public. It was noted that it was a requirement for the businesses to ensure appropriate signs, and that officers monitored that this was happening. It was confirmed that there were currently no businesses on the waiting list, therefore new businesses could be included should they appear. It was explained that the Council website noted the businesses which took part in the plan and that list was available for the public. It was noted that work was underway to review the cleaning arrangements, and although the standards were generally satisfactory, it was believed that there was room for improvement.

Members were reminded that there had been pressure on the Council some years ago to save money by closing public toilets, but instead of doing that, a partnership plan was established with town and community councils. It was noted that there would be a need to review this contribution this year, as inflation had not been increased on the contribution since introducing the plan.

It was noted that there were five toilets where people had to pay to use them. It was noted that a bid to renovate and install modern payment doors had been successful, but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Follow-up discussion following scrutiny at the 22 February 2024 meeting.

Resolved:

1.     To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

2.     That the Committee supports the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department's intention to extend the grass cutting and collection trial to the Arfon area.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and YGC, the Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC Department and the Assistant Head of Department.

It was explained that there was a statutory duty on local authorities to maintain and improve biodiversity, but there was also a moral duty on the Council to implement positively. It was noted that the Council had a responsibility as significant landowners to set an example and strengthen the resilience of ecosystems in the area. It was expressed that the work done here was a positive first step and a step on the road towards achieving these ambitions.

It was confirmed that the current figures in the report showed how the service has adapted the grass cutting arrangements, creating more surface for wildflowers to grow and encourage pollinators. It was explained that the hope, after completing the trials, was that significant areas of verges can be excluded from the current contract and included in a new arrangement of grass cutting and collecting.

However, it was noted that there would be a need to consider several factors before implementing this, including financial viability, as the Council was under significant financial pressure and was unable to afford increasing costs when implementing new arrangements. It was noted that there was a need to decide who will be delivering the work, whether the Council's internal workforce with the necessary expertise, or external contractors.

Attention was drawn to the public's response to the new arrangements, referring to the 'Nature is not neat' campaign and the fact that individuals had different views about tidiness.  The need to ensure that the changes did not lead to complaints from the public was noted.

It was explained that cutting urban verges was also part of the work, not only for safety reasons but also to improve the image of communities. In these places, grass is cut between three and five times a year, and that this was done lower to the ground. It was noted that community and town councils must pay the Council to cut grass more often, but others are eager to earmark land for wildflowers, working with the Council or asking them to do the work on their behalf.

Reference was made to the trial in Dwyfor and the work in Meirionnydd, where a report was received by a local ecologist before commencing the work with the team acting in accordance with the report. It was explained that the experience was generally positive, but problems had arisen, such as when a contractor mistakenly cut a site, leaving grass on the surface of the land, or when Welsh Water excavated over work which had previously been completed before signs could be installed. It was noted that steps had been taken to rectify the situation and lessons were being learnt.

They looked forward to the next steps of the plan, including investigations to sites in Arfon and expanding on the trials the next year, if funding was available. It was noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.