Agenda item
To submit the
report of the Council Leader (attached).
Decision:
To approve the report as an accurate, balanced and clear reflection of
the Council's performance in 2019/20, and to adopt it.
Minutes:
Submitted – a
report by the Leader requesting that the Council approve and adopt Gwynedd
Council's Performance Report 2019/20 as a clear, balanced and accurate picture
of the Council's performance in 2019/20.
Due to the
pandemic, the Leader noted that all efforts of Council departments had been
directed towards the response to the crisis from mid-March, and that it was
strange to look back at a normal period. He noted that the crisis had
highlighted the importance of local government in providing a service for
residents, and he thanked the staff of all services for their hard work in
supporting the county's communities, and to the councillors for undertaking
heroic work on behalf of their electors.
The Leader further
noted that members had not been given the usual opportunity to scrutinise in
committees this year, and the thanked them for their patience during the
period. As he was aware of the gap in the usual dialogue between all members
and the Executive, he also explained that he intended to arrange briefing
meetings with Cabinet members and heads of department in order to update
members regarding the work that had been undertaken in different fields, and to
give members an opportunity to discuss and ask questions.
He thanked Bethan
Richardson (Business Support Officer) and Dewi Jones (the Council's Business
Support Service Manager) for preparing the report in such a coherent manner.
The Leader
expressed his best wishes to Councillor Cemlyn
Williams (Cabinet Member for Education) who could not be present at the
meeting, as he had recently had surgery at the hospital. He then extended an
invitation to all other Cabinet members to say a few words in their turn.
During their presentations, Cabinet members highlighted some points from the
report that were relevant to their fields of work, elaborating on the
priorities of services during the next period and the challenges they faced.
They also reported on how departments had made a substantial contribution
towards the response to the crisis, and thanked the heads of department and
staff for all their hard work.
Members were then given an opportunity to make observations and ask
questions. The following matters were
raised by individual members:
·
All Council staff were thanked for their commendable
work during the crisis, and also the councillors, local volunteers, the third
sector, Mantell Gwynedd and the county's small
businesses.
·
Disappointment was expressed
regarding the wish of Betsi Cadwaladr
Health Board to remove nearly 40 nursing beds from Pen Llŷn,
and the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being was asked to raise the
matter with the Health Board.
·
The Cabinet Member for the
Environment was thanked for recently visiting Pen Llŷn,
and it was noted that it was good to see how wildlife had thrived and how
pollution had reduced during the lockdown period.
·
It was noted that there was
concern regarding what lay ahead of us in light of the pandemic, and all the
jobs that would be lost here in Gwynedd over the winter.
·
The report was welcomed and
it was noted that the statistics showed that the work being completed by
Gwynedd led to good outcomes.
·
It was noted that a massive
increase had been seen in demand for housing since the start of the year, and
it was asked how changes in supply and demand could be monitored, measured and
responded to, not only on a county level but also on a more local level. In
response, the Cabinet Member for Housing explained that it was intended to
build in flexibility into the Housing Action Plan and that it was not intended
to be prescriptive. He also explained that measuring things was an important
element of Ffordd Gwynedd and that the member was
welcome to contact him if he had any further questions.
·
It was asked what the councillors could do to assist
staff during this difficult period. In
response, the Chief Executive noted that members should be praised for changing
their working arrangements to enable staff to undertake their work during the
period, and that he did not believe that members could do any more, with the
exception of continuing to support the staff. A lot of work in terms of
responding to the crisis fell on the crisis system. Members were encouraged to
read the report that had been submitted to the Cabinet on 13 October on Council
arrangements to prepare for the possibility of a second wave of the pandemic.
·
It was noted that the period
had been difficult for councillors and that the majority had risen to the
challenge.
·
A member thanked those staff
who had gone the extra mile to help him over the past few months, and
especially Steffan Jones (Head of Highways and
Municipal Department), Adrian Williams (Meirionnydd Area Engineer), Sion Wilkes
(Highways Inspector) and Tracey Loveday-Fone (Civil
Enforcement Officer).
·
The local member expressed
her dissatisfaction regarding the decision of Gwynedd Consultancy to withdraw
from the Fairbourne Project Board and form a group
themselves, without consulting with her.
·
Reference was made to Gwynedd Consultancy’s asset
monitoring project using sensors, and it was noted that this exciting
development could create the opportunity for staff to work on a
cross-departmental basis by connecting the sensors together and using
artificial intelligence, and to work in accordance with Ffordd
Gwynedd principles. It was asked whether it would be possible for members to
receive an output from the sensors as this would enable them to know whether
any problems developed in their wards.
In receiving this local knowledge, members could assist officers and
inform the people who would be affected. In response, the Cabinet Member for
Highways and Municipal noted that the provision was not yet available across
the county but that it was possible to gain access in some places. He added
that he would welcome a further conversation about the potential of the sensors
and this could be discussed at the briefing session with members.
·
Thanks was expressed for the report and it was noted
that it included a lot of what the members had requested. The Leader was
thanked for his willingness to always respond to questions from members, and
the Chief Executive was also thanked for his willing assistance.
RESOLVED to
approve the report as an accurate, balanced and clear reflection of the
Council's performance in 2019/20, and to adopt it.
Supporting documents:
- Item 10 - Gwynedd Council Annual Performance Report 2019-20, item 10. PDF 119 KB
- Item 10 - Appendix 1, item 10. PDF 9 MB