Agenda item

To review the Annual Report of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board including an update on the work of the sub-groups.

 

To accept the report, noting the observations made during the meeting.

The report was presented by the Council Leader and Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board Manager, and in brief drew attention to the following main points:

 

-          It was explained that the Board had been established under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and that the board was a joint statutory body with Anglesey.

 

-          It was explained that the Health and fire services, colleges, Natural Resources Wales, Snowdonia National Park and housing associations were represented on the board. They recognised important areas and identified places where collaboration in partnership can have a greater impact on residents.

                                                

-          It was reported that Well-being Assessments were completed every 5 years over 13 different areas. It was noted that Gwynedd had been  divided into 8 areas and Anglesey divided into 5 areas. It was explained that this division had been created so that the most important matters in each area were addressed, as those matters varied from area to area.

 

-          It was confirmed that a Well-being Plan was being prepared for the period 2023-2028 following the current Well-being Assessments.

 

-          Reference was made to three operational sub-groups which dealt with some aspects of the Board's operation and their main priorities were identified:

 

-      Climate Change sub-group: focusing on developing flood prevention methods.

-      The Welsh Language sub-group: focusing on improving and facilitating the use of the Welsh Language. A pilot scheme was carried out in order to collaborate with public institutions to see why people don't use Welsh in receptions and how to increase the use of the language. 

-      Integrated Health and Social Care sub-group: governs the establishment of a collaboration system in the sector, including the Community Resources Team.

 

-          It was ensured that a draft of the Well-being Plan (2023-2028) would be presented to the Committee.

 

Thanks were expressed for the report.

 

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations. During the discussion, the following matters were raised:

                       

This committee's input would be useful to the Board when creating the Well-being Plan.

 

-      In response to the query, the Council Leader explained that a report would be submitted to the Cabinet soon and how the Board was going about gathering information. The Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board Programme Manager elaborated that the Well-being Plan (2023-2028) draft was on its way to this scrutiny committee as soon as possible.
 

 

It was asked if it was possible to see the action plan of the climate change sub-group as well as receive confirmation of membership of the sub-group in order to look at its effectiveness and timetable.

 

-          In response to the query, the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board Programme Manager explained that the sub-group was led by Natural Resources Wales and members were assured that all members of the sub-group took ownership of it. It was recognized that the objectives of the sub-group had been too broad during the last 5 years and as a result it had not been as successful as hoped. Despite this, the Council Leader elaborated that flood prevention had been a main focus recently and in the new Well-being Plan. He noted that receiving comments or ideas from members was appreciated.

 

It was questioned how the Board responded if projects did not develop as hoped.

 

-      In response to the query, the Council Leader explained that the Board had struggled with working in partnership in the past. In order for the Board to be successful everyone needed to work together and as such the Board would highlight exactly who would act on which projects and how they were intended to be realised effectively. He elaborated that the Board reported to others and that created accountability and encouraged partners to act on time.

 

It was questioned how the Board dealt with poverty. It was noted that poverty rates had increased in recent years, and that resources were needed to tackle them.

 

-          In response to the query, the Council Leader explained that it was a very important issue and that the Council was developing plans to help tackle the problem. However, it was a complex issue as the Westminster Government was responsible for public expenditure and benefits which placed limits on what can be achieved. The Council Leader ensured that the Board was as active as possible in solving the problem of poverty as well as other problematic issues such as obesity rates among children.

 

It was noted that some of the projects, such as Dolfeurig Community Hub, Dolgellau would take some time to develop and a timetable for the project was asked for. It was also questioned if the report was correct to say that work had started when there were no obvious developments to be seen on the site.

 

-      In response to the query, the Council Leader explained that the Dolfeurig Community Hub project was a Gwynedd Council project rather than the Board's project. To elaborate on this particular project, it was noted that there was great pressure for the project to be completed due to the condition of the building, but that there had been problems with the planning application in the past. As it was a Gwynedd Council project, the relevant departments would look into this project as soon as possible. Apologies were made that the report appeared as if work had already begun.

 

DECISION

To accept the report, noting the observations made during the meeting.