Agenda item

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing.

To approve the Assessment of the North Wales Population Needs 2022.

The Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being, Councillor Dafydd Meurig, submitted a report providing an overview, and seeking the support of the Full Council to approve the North Wales Population Needs Assessment 2022, drawn up as a requirement under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.

The Project Manager, Adults, Health and Well-being Team, elaborated further on the content of the report.

Councillor Gwynfor Owen enquired whether he should declare an interest as he had recently used the North Wales Integrated Autism Service, and as he was also involved with other matters within the field.  In response, the Monitoring Officer explained that the member was within his rights as this was a report of a general assessment for North Wales.

Members were given an opportunity to make observations and ask questions.  The following matters were raised by individual members:

·         It was noted that it was understood that this was a live document, and it was enquired how quickly it could be changed. In response, it was explained that the document submitted was a version that would be approved by the Council today, it was hoped, and by the Regional Partnership Board further along in the month, before it would be forwarded to Government and published. The officers were undertaking more detailed work on Gwynedd's details and needs, therefore anything could be adapted as a part of that work.   The document would also be reviewed within 5 years, but the officers would also carry out some work during that time.  It was noted that the Gwynedd document would be a separate assessment, that was not linked to any statutory publication date, and this would be the actual live document that would be available to amend and add to it from day-to-day.

·         Concern was expressed that members only had five days to read this 450-page document, and it was asked how it had been possible for them to scrutinise the matter and ask detailed questions.  It was also suggested, since members could only speak once on a matter in the Full Council, that important matters were being pushed through without discussion.  It was also questioned how valuable a document of this size would be for the people of Gwynedd.  In terms of the observations regarding the 'live' document, it was noted that the members had heard about such things previously, and had subsequently found out that it was not possible to change those documents for years. There was also concern that the new Council would be told that they could not change the document, as the previous Council had adopted it, and a call was made for the Cabinet Member and the officers to be more considerate from now on.

·         It was noted that the Care Scrutiny Committee had scrutinised this matter, and had supported and sympathised with the officers, who had had to prepare the documents in a very short time-frame.

To close, the Cabinet Member noted:-

·         That the officers had completed heroic work within a considerably tight timetable, in line with the requirements of the legislation.

·         That the Government was asked to allow more time due to the pandemic, but that this permission had not been granted.

The Chair noted that he was also of the opinion that it was impossible for members to scrutinise such a bulky report within 5 days, and he asked the Cabinet Member to take the comments into consideration and pass them on.

RESOLVED to approve the Assessment of the North Wales Population Needs 2022.