Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

To consider the report

The report was accepted on the progress of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board's work and the observations were noted.

A report was submitted by the Council Leader outlining the achievements of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board during 2019/20.

He expanded on the contents of the report and a brief update was provided on the developments within the priority areas along with the work of the sub-groups responsible for those areas. Since March, 2020, in light of the covid-19 pandemic, it was explained that public bodies had had to adjust to respond to the health crisis by changing their way of working and communicating with others.

It was highlighted that the public bodies were moving towards recovery and considering the social, economic, environmental and cultural effects. It was noted that the regional group which was coordinating the response to the crisis had asked the Public Services Boards across the north to look at the recovery work with a focus on community resilience. A workshop had been held for Gwynedd and Anglesey PSB in September, where consideration had been given to how the Board could respond to 40 matters that had been identified by the Board partners. It had been concluded that eight matters required further attention. It was noted that they were investigating how the Board could operate without duplicating the work already undertaken by individual partners to add value. The sub-groups’ remits would be updated to respond to the matters.

Members expressed their thanks for the report.

During the discussion, the following observations were submitted by members:-

·         Homes for local people - the housing market had witnessed a boom recently. The priority was homes for local people not that they were of an innovative nature.

·         That a 'Community' Housing Association should prepare housing that would protect society. Disappointed that the report did not address the concerns of Gwynedd residents in terms of a lack of housing for local people.

·         There was an opportunity for the Board to influence changes to Planning legislation. It was suggested that it could be included as part of the Board's remit to press on the Government to change the planning field to enable houses to be safeguarded for local people.

·         Needed to press on the Government to bring social housing under the Local Authority's banner

·         The Adra company was no longer something that could be controlled

·         The Wales Self-build Scheme was a field to consider - a pioneering scheme

·         Lack of housing for local people was having an impact on the language - people moving away

·         The points system for managing the Common Housing Register was ineffective

·         That there was a need for assurance on how the implementation and the success of regional recovery schemes were being measured

·         Language Charter - needed more backbone and needed to promote and influence the use of the Charter more broadly

·         There was a need to protect policies for fire containment, land protection and agriculture in the context of climate change

·         There was a need to see a difference in the field of care - closure of residential/nursing homes, shortage of carers was a concern, shortage of GPs who spoke Welsh, shortage of dentists, increase in mental health

·         That there was a need to ensure that money was available to deal with poverty

·         In response to observations regarding housing for local people, it was noted that Welsh Government was responsible for changing the constitution of the Adra Company and that they had undermined the Council's decision. It was accepted that there was a need for authorities to lobby to change planning procedure and it was suggested that the Board should share messages with the Government on the impact the situation was having on communities and the wellbeing of our citizens. It was reiterated that a meeting had been arranged between the Leader and housing and planning officers to discuss the work being done to seek to convince the Welsh Government on these matters. It was also highlighted that the Gwynedd Council Housing Action Plan that would propose possible solutions was eagerly awaited.

·         The points system had been amended to a bands system that would prioritise local people. It was reiterated that the technical problems related to the Housing Options Team were being addressed.

·         It was reported that the Regional Group that was responsible for measuring the work of the recovery plans and long-term success would be measured, as it would be difficult to see progress in the short-term. It was reported that the Regional Group was a group of officers that had been established as a successor to the Emergency Response Group. It was noted that there was concern regarding the lack of contribution from Elected Members to the group's decisions and that information from politicians was needed to contribute to the discussion.

·         That Agriculture Policy prioritised the environment rather than food production

·         In the care field, money had been offered to the Penrhos Home and that the matter was now in the hands of the Local Health Board. The Home was an important resource for the area - needed to continue to press on the health service.

RESOLVED

(a)  To accept the report on the progress of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board's work and to accept the observations.