Agenda item

To approve the adoption of the Plan for the next five years (Appendix 1) which builds on the development of the work culture within the Council.

The report was submitted by Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn.     

DECISION

To approve the adoption of the Plan for the next five years (Appendix 1) which builds on the development of the work culture within the Council.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted, explaining that "Ffordd Gwynedd" referred to the way of working that had been adopted within the Council in order to place the people of Gwynedd at the centre of everything. It was noted that it had been operational since 2015 when the Plan had been adopted originally and that the previous Chief Executive had been a Ffordd Gwynedd champion. It was added that the current Chief Executive also wished to develop Ffordd Gwynedd further.

It was noted that it was a journey to attempt to realise this culture and it was acknowledged that the Covid period had slowed down the progress that had been made. Gratitude was expressed to the Chief Executive and the Corporate Director, Geraint Owen, for their guidance and enthusiasm.

The Corporate Director explained that the latest review of the Ffordd Gwynedd Plan had been held in 2019 when the current Plan was approved. It was believed that it was timely to update, amend and improve the Plan.

It was reported that the Council's Departments had conducted a self-assessment of the progress as a basis to the latest review and that these self-assessments had been challenged by a working group of members of the Governance and Audit Committee. It was noted that the conclusions and recommendations had been submitted to the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee in October 2022.

To close, the proposed Plan for the next five years was submitted, which summarised what had been achieved to date and identified the main matters for the 2023-28 period. It was expressed that 9 sub work streams had been submitted in the Plan which could be seen in appendix 1 of the Report.

The Chief Executive expressed his gratitude to the Corporate Director for leading on this work, as well as the working group. It was added that the Plan reflected on the lessons and barriers of the past, continuing with the basic principle of attempting to find better ways of providing what the people of Gwynedd need. 

Observations arising from the discussion

¾   It was asked how this Plan corresponded with equality and ensured fairness to the people of Gwynedd, who were central to the Council's culture.

¾   In response, it was noted that everything that had been included in the Ffordd Gwynedd Plan had been considered in the context of equality. It was noted that one of the Council's specific improvement priorities was Women in Leadership, which was an important part of this Plan. It was noted that equality and language main-streamed through all of the Plan's activities and was a part of the culture of the Council which had developed over a number of years. Pride was expressed in being able to support and promote this.

¾   One of the Cabinet Members expressed that he had been a part of a working group that had been looking at Ffordd Gwynedd many years ago and that he strongly believed in this way of working. It was reiterated that everything needed to be looked at through the eyes of the people of Gwynedd.

¾   The consideration of short processes and making improvements to them was welcomed.

¾   Enquiries were made about working across departments or with external partners, commenting that this could be cumbersome, considering the systems of some of the Council's key partners. It was asked how the discussion would be held with external partners should they ask the Council to provide something that is contrary to the Ffordd Gwynedd culture.

¾   In response, it was noted that collaboration was essential, particularly in the Care field. There would be a need to ensure that the systems work well enough and focus on the customer. It was added that some of the Council's external partners had invested in the "Systems Thinking" system and that the Council would continue to attempt to influence its partners.

¾   It was believed that the commitment to look at Council services through the eyes of the users deserved praise. It was acknowledged that this change would not happen overnight, however, praise was expressed that the Council was taking the opportunity to review and learn in order to ensure continuous improvement.

¾   It was noted that attempting to overturn bureaucratic arrangements and returning to the principles of Ffordd Gwynedd was a task.