Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Cabinet Members and Officers were welcomed to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Cllr Gareth Thomas.

No declarations of personal interest were received. 

There were no urgent items.

There were no matters arising from overview and scrutiny.

The Chair accepted the minutes of the meeting held on 15 May 2021 as a true record.

To approve the Gwynedd Council Performance Report 2020/21 and recommend the Full Council adopt it at its meeting on 8 July 2021

The report was submitted by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn.  

DECISION

To approve the Gwynedd Council Performance Report 2020/21 and recommend the Full Council adopt it at its meeting on 8 July 2021.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted, noting that it was a pleasure to present it. It was emphasised that the document was clear and easy to read and provided a clear picture of the entire Council’s work. It was explained that one section at the start of the report provided a description of the work that had been done at the start of lockdown when the Council's work had been restricted due to Covid regulations. It was explained that the Council's staff had responded with ease and flexibility to address the situation and had worked to create a new way of working. All staff were thanked for their willingness to adapt and to respond very quickly and efficiently during lockdown.

It was noted that the report highlighted the Council's priorities by emphasising the need to continue to discuss the field of sustainable tourism. It was noted that the Education Department would continue to improve education provision within the county, noting that work had been done at Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn and Ysgol y Garnedd and there was a new school on its way in Cricieth.

It was expressed that in light of the housing crisis that the Housing Action Plan was in place. It was noted that this plan was ambitious and innovative and there was a commitment of £77 million for the plan term.

It was explained that some departments were not visible to the county's residents and had been affected by cuts over the years. Attention was drawn to the Public Protection Department which had dealt with a number of changes due to the Covid-19 emergency. Staff were thanked for committing to the Test, Trace and Protect procedure which had highlighted Local Government's ability to do the work without wasting money on external companies.

It was expressed that this was the last Annual Report for this term and there would be a new procedure in future. It was added that the Council's internal performance challenging system would recommence to ensure that the Council was looking at its weaknesses and improving continuously.

Observations arising from the discussion

¾    The staff of the Children and Supporting Families Department were thanked for their willingness and flexibility during the time. All the foster parents who had been more than willing to step in were thanked. It was added that the department was aware of its challenges in moving forward and that the autism plan would be a priority for this year.

¾    The staff of the Adults, Health and Well-being Department were thanked for their perseverance during a difficult year. It was noted that this year had highlighted the strength of the staff.

¾    Attention was drawn to one small correction, there were now eight improvement priorities, and not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Cabinet, following consideration of the observations received during the statutory consultation period and the response of the Education Department to those observations

      i.        Approved issuing a statutory proposal to close Ysgol Abersoch on 31 December 2021, and provide a place for the pupils at Ysgol Sarn Bach from 1 January 2022.

    ii.        Approved the publication of statutory notices on the proposal in (i) above in accordance with the requirements of Section 48 of the Schools Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013.

The report was submitted by Cllr Cemlyn Williams 

DECISION

The Cabinet, following consideration of the observations received during the statutory consultation period and the response of the Education Department to those observations

        i.Approved issuing a statutory proposal to close Ysgol Abersoch on 31 December 2021, and provide a place for the pupils at Ysgol Sarn Bach from 1 January 2022.

      ii.Approved the publication of statutory notices on the proposal in (i) above in accordance with the requirements of Section 48 of the Schools Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted noting that its purpose was to report back following a period of statutory consultation on the option to close Ysgol Abersoch and offer a place for the pupils at Ysgol Sarn Bach.  It was expressed that the decision to bring the report to the Cabinet had not been easy but that the department was asking for approval to publish a statutory notice to close Ysgol Abersoch, in accordance with the requirements of Section 48 of the Schools Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013.

It was emphasised that it was very difficult to present this report, but there was a duty to ensure the best possible education, experiences and learning environment for children. It was expressed that full consideration had been given to all possible options for the school. All individuals, pupils, teachers and governors were thanked for giving their time to respond to the statutory consultation.

It was expressed that the need had arisen to consider the future of Ysgol Abersoch following a reduction in the number of pupils. It was noted that Ysgol Absersoch's pupil numbers had fallen in recent years and that 76% of the school's capacity was empty and the projections for the coming years had shown that the numbers would remain low.

The Head of Education Department noted that back in May 2019, the Cabinet had agreed to support a recommendation to commence formal discussions with the School Governing Body to consider options for its future following a decline in the number of pupils at the school.  Three meetings had been held which was an opportunity to explain the need to discuss options, to present and discuss the options before reaching a decision on the preferred option.

It was noted that back in September 2020, the Council had conducted a statutory consultation process on the proposal to close Ysgol Abersoch in August 2021, and to offer a place for the pupils at Ysgol Sarn Bach. The decision was confirmed by the Cabinet on 3 November 2020, after the original decision was called in and referred back to the Cabinet by the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee.

The Head of Education Department highlighted the main challenges the school was facing including the fact that pupil numbers had declined since 2016. It was expressed that there were currently eight pupils attending the school on a full-time basis and two pupils who were attending on a part-time basis. It was added that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To agree the Council's response to the report "Second Homes - Developing New Policies in Wales" as set out in part 9 of this report and in particular highlighting the need to modify recommendation number 7 - Short-term Holiday Accommodation and Business Rates. 

The Leader agreed to formally communicate the response to the Welsh Government and call on them to adopt and implement the most effective recommendations as a matter of urgency in order to respond to the housing crisis facing the communities of Gwynedd.

The report was submitted by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn.

DECISION

To agree the Council's response to the report "Second Homes - Developing New Policies in Wales" as set out in section 9 of this report and in particular highlighting the need to modify recommendation number 7 - Short-term Holiday Accommodation and Business Rates.

The Leader agreed to formally communicate the response to the Welsh Government and call on it to adopt and implement the most effective recommendations as a matter of urgency in order to respond to the housing crisis facing the communities of Gwynedd.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted noting that a need to respond to the "Second Homes - Developing New Policies in Wales" report by Dr Simon Brooks, which had been commissioned by Welsh Government and Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. It was expressed that Dr Brooks had contacted the Council and that a number of recommendations had come from a report submitted by the Environment Department to the Cabinet back in December.

It was explained that there were twelve recommendations in the report and the Council needed to respond to the report. It was highlighted that the Council only disagreed with one of the recommendations, namely recommendation 7 - Short-term Holiday Accommodation and Business Rates.  The need for every dwelling to be counted as a dwelling was stated and that they should be forced to pay Council tax and any premium that coincided with that dwelling. It was noted that the report was commendable and important and the desire to send a message to the Government with the Council's response to the report.

The Chief Executive added that the report drew on many sources and that it was crucial that the Council should respond as the second homes problem was at its worst in Gwynedd.  The steps the Council had already taken to tackle the problem were highlighted including adopting the New Allocation Policy so that it prioritised local people, charged the Council Tax Premium on second homes and invested the additional funding in the Housing Action Plan. It was emphasised that the Council was doing everything within its powers regarding the situation and had also specifically commissioned work to look into the problem. There was support for Dr Simon Brooks' report and it was emphasised that a number of the recommendations by the Council in the commission work had been included in the report.

It was explained that to make the biggest difference there was a need to concentrate on the recommendations that would make a difference and three recommendations were highlighted. The first was Recommendation 7, as it had been highlighted as one of the main problems for residents that second homes did not have to pay Council tax by moving to small business rates. The need to prevent this from happening was emphasised so that they contributed to the Council and also the premium could prevent others from purchasing a second home. The second priority was to ensure there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.