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Agenda item

To consider any questions the appropriate notice for which have been given under Section 4.19 of the Constitution.

 

Minutes:

 

(The Cabinet Members' written responses to the questions had been distributed to the members in advance).

 

(1) Question from Councillor Mike Stevens

 

"As a result of the fact that Kingdom's trial period came to an end prematurely and where an attempt was made to deal with a problem described by Welsh Government as environmental crimes, e.g. generating litter, fly tipping and the most concerning, dog fouling, what steps do Council officers intend to take to prevent Gwynedd residents from drowning under a mountain of dog mess?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal, Councillor Gareth Griffith

 

"This matter was submitted to the Communities Scrutiny Committee a fortnight ago today, and consequently the scrutiny committee has proposed to examine three steps:-

 

i) Collaborate with other neighbouring counties to improve the provision.

ii) Reconsider the existing staffing levels in the Street Enforcement Unit.

iii) Extend the interdepartmental collaboration where staff from other Council departments receive delegated street enforcement rights."

 

A supplementary question by Councillor Mike Stevens

 

"What can we do to ensure that officers act on these recommendations?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Highways and Municipal, Councillor Gareth Griffith

 

"You are a member of the Communities Scrutiny Committee, but from what I remember, you were not present at the meeting in question.  In the short period of time since the scrutiny committee, I have met with the head of department on Tuesday morning and I can say that a meeting will soon be held with Anglesey, which is one of the closest councils to us.  In terms of the six wardens currently employed by the Maritime Department, I can also say that this matter has been taken a step further.  Once training has been provided and systems put into place, we hope to roll this out, and obviously this would also include your area as you are on the coast, and during the short time since the scrutiny committee, the Council has made progress with this."

 

(2) Question from Councillor Sion Jones

 

"What discussions between members, officers and Welsh Government have and are taking place to ensure that Gwynedd is protected after leaving the EU, and to ensure continuation of jobs for our citizens and EU-funded investments for the county?"

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"A very timely question.  It's a very worrying time for us in the Welsh countryside.  The uncertainty and the lack of answers to quite basic questions is causing concern.  A list is included in the written response of various committees, working groups and meetings that have been held in the past.  I can assure you that one of my main aims as Council Leader is to be a voice for rural Wales.  This is why I was appointed Joint Chair of the Welsh Local Government Association Rural Forum and I hope to use this forum as a strong voice, not only for Gwynedd, but also for the Welsh countryside.  Therefore, courageous efforts are being made in very complex circumstances.  I recently attended a meeting with the Secretary of State for Wales where he submitted his report on the latest situation in Westminster and at the time there was no agreement between Welsh Government and Westminster.  It's quite disappointing that Welsh Government has now surrendered the powers to Westminster, and this adds to the concern, and how any remaining funds available to us after we leave Europe, will be distributed.  It concerns me greatly that there is a lack of understanding and a lack of very basic information among ministers and civil servants in Westminster, and this makes me even more concerned that we will not receive our fair share of whatever money is available to us after we leave Europe."

 

A supplementary question by Councillor Sion Jones

 

“What direct support does this Council provide for businesses in Gwynedd?"

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"A great deal of work is taking place with the North Wales Ambition Board, and the private sector is a large part of that work.  In fact, they are central to the whole thing.  The north Wales Growth Plan is involved with economic growth and I believe that we need to focus on rural communities.  There is work to be done to develop policies that provide regeneration support to rural communities which, if they exist at all, are currently weak.   This is the type of discussion I will have.  Also, Lesley Griffiths, AM, Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs has formed what she calls a round table of individuals who are interested in the field to discuss Brexit matters.  The Chair of Powys and I as Joint Chairs of the Rural Forum have requested membership of that board, but unfortunately, she has turned down our application stating that the officer's contribution is sufficient to represent local government.  We will meet with her very soon and I want to put her back on the right track and in the meantime, perhaps the member can also have a word with her.  Regarding the matter of business support, I don't have the facts before me, therefore, can I ask the Head of Economy and Community Department to provide direction on this?"

 

Response from the Head of Economy and Community Department

 

"Direct support for businesses has fallen substantially over the past few years.  The main fund we used was funded by European funding.  That fund no longer operates which means that Gwynedd Council does not have a direct pot of grants for businesses.  However, we have two officers working to support businesses to gain access to funds from different sources.  We have a direct loans fund.  This fund is available for businesses who cannot secure a loan to invest from any other fund which means that we examine the risk, as there is a higher risk for those businesses, and the interest rates reflect this.  However, we do not have direct funds for businesses except for the loans fund.  A number of funds are available for businesses on a national level, from Welsh Government and various organisations.  Unfortunately, this is extremely complicated for businesses.  Businesses need to access the internet and search, and gaining access to information can be a highly complex undertaking.  Our officers' role is to help businesses to obtain the most appropriate support for them.  It varies across sectors, from small businesses to large businesses to rural businesses, therefore, the main support now available from the Council is this indirect support to help businesses find their way."

 

(3) Question from Councillor Edgar Wyn Owen

 

"The Welsh Labour Government has recently abolished a number of school grants.  I believe that the school uniform grant for children from deprived backgrounds, given when a child starts his/her secondary education, is one of these.  How many Gwynedd children have received this grant in the past two years and has the Council got schemes in place to assist families that will be affected by this?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Gareth Thomas

 

"It's very fitting to mention the cuts made to school grants by Welsh Government.  For a government that states that it supports education, it is astonishing how many cuts they make to grants, which of course affect schools.  The grants mentioned by the member are for the most disadvantaged people, namely the children who receive free school meals, and these grants provided £105 for children who were starting secondary school; and, as I have noted in the response, there were 151 of such children in Gwynedd in 2016/17, and 174 in 2017/18.  Those are the numbers, but these are the most deprived families and I find it repugnant that the Labour Government has cut this money for the most deprived families.  However, I am very proud that this Council is going to continue with these grants from Council coffers.  We submitted an application to continue to support these most disadvantaged families and I am very pleased that this well-informed Council can continue with the grants."

 

A supplementary question by Councillor Edgar Wyn Owen

 

"What is the Council doing to help these children as they grow older?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Gareth Thomas

 

"When a child was starting secondary school, the grant was £105, but the Council has also been supporting these families as children grow older at school by also providing £45 a year for school uniform.  It is this Council that has been offering this support over the years, not Welsh Government.  In terms of numbers, 691 children have received the £45 during 2016/17 and 636 this year, which gives a total of 842 in 2016 and 810 in 2017.  Therefore, over 800 children per year receive financial support towards school uniform from Gwynedd Council and all the money in future will come from Gwynedd Council as the grant has been abolished."

 

At the end of this item, Councillor Owain Williams expressed his dissatisfaction after understanding that a question he submitted to Council offices on 26 April would not be allowed.  He also noted that he had intended to ask the same question at the Business Group meeting, but that aforementioned meeting had been cancelled.

 

In response, the Monitoring Officer confirmed that the question had been received at the Council offices the previous week, but inadvertently, it had not been brought to his attention until late on the morning of the Council meeting, and therefore, it was not possible to deal with the question at this meeting.  He added that he would send a letter of apology to the member and contact him to ensure that his question would be submitted to the next Council meeting in July.