Agenda item

To consider any questions the appropriate notice for which have been given under Section 4.19 of the Constitution.

 

 

(The Cabinet Members' written responses to the questions had been published in advance.)

 

(1)     Question from Councillor Beca Brown

 

"In 2019 as a Council we declared a Climate and Nature Crisis accepting that the extreme changes in the climate are having a negative impact on our communities, and across the world. Climate change risks are very real risks for a number of Gwynedd residents - from flooding to landslides, and extreme hot and cold weather - the cost of ignoring the climate change is increasing.  How much Carbon has the Council saved since the start of our work to reduce carbon emissions with Cyngor Gwynedd's Carbon Management Plan, can you elaborate on how much money these changes have saved for the Council?"

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"This is one of the most important subjects that we as a Council face and I will read the written answer in full as we believe that this is such an important matter.

 

It is true that as a Council we were committed to reducing the environmental impact of our activities long before we declared a Climate and Nature Emergency in 2019. Back in 2010, we adopted a Carbon Management Plan in order to manage and reduce our
carbon footprint.  Since its introduction, we have saved 103,757 tonnes of carbon from the emissions created through energy use in our buildings (schools, leisure centres, residential homes, libraries, offices and more), our streetlights, our fleet and use of vehicles, and our waste.

 

After a decade of taking action and succeeding in the energy conservation field, the
annual carbon footprint of our direct activities were 43% less than before we began this journey.

 

Since 2010, we have worked tirelessly to try and take advantage of any possible
opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint, including investing £7.4M in projects such as 613kWp of solar panels on 55 of our sites to generate our own electricity, upgrading lighting and lamps to the most current technology, insulating our buildings to retain heat, covering swimming pools overnight, and much more. Our dedicated energy team also regularly monitor the energy consumption patterns of our buildings in order to identify waste and to ensure efficiency and use software which enables them to manage energy use in various buildings across the county from the team’s office in Caernarfon.

 

In fact, Cyngor Gwynedd’s Energy Team has received national recognition for their work as they won the 'Public Sector Energy Management Team' award at the UK’s Energy Managers Association Awards in 2020.

 

This work has led to a financial saving of £14.75M for the Council since 2010.

 

I would also like to draw attention to the astonishing financial benefit that we are gaining from today, due to our success over the last decade. If we had continued to use the same amount of energy as we did in 2010, our energy bills would have been £4.3M higher last year. If we had had to pay this additional cost, it would have resulted in £4.3M more cuts in frontline services, or increased Council Tax by 5.4% in addition to this year's increase.

 

To conclude, it’s worth emphasising that we as a Council have prioritised this agenda long before declaring a Climate and Nature Emergency back in 2019, and that over the years we have succeeded in making a difference by managing our direct carbon footprint as a contribution to protecting our environment for generations to come. This work continues and evolves so that we try to reach the Welsh Government's goal of being net zero carbon by 2030.  We will need to be aware of the fact that the next period will be even more challenging, as we tackle carbon emissions arising from our procurement activity, commuting to work etc."

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Beca Roberts

 

"What is the Council doing to support and inspire the people and businesses of Gwynedd to take the same steps so that they address the climate emergency?"

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"As we were establishing the Climate Change Board some years ago now, following the decision to declare a climate emergency, our priority at the time was to ensure that our activity as a Council, and what we had control over, reached the aim. I believe that the next step facing us is reaching out to our communities and businesses, so the Climate Change Board will consider those steps from then on, as well as seeking to reach the 2030 net zero goal. This is quite a challenge indeed, and it also comes at a cost, but getting and inspiring our communities to be involved in this important project is going to be a priority for the work of the Climate Change Board as we move forward."

 

(2)     Question by Councillor Rhys Tudur

 

"Other than forming a taskforce at the request of the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee, what proactive steps has the Education Department taken to update the Gwynedd Schools Language Policy so that it is more compatible with the new categorisation procedure for Welsh medium education provision which has been operational since September 2022?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

 

"As you can see, the written answer refers to a number of county successes in respect of the Welsh language in education, we are not boasting when we say this, and we need to bear in mind that what happens with the Welsh language in Gwynedd is the subject of admiration and envy in nearby counties and across Wales.  As it happens, I was recently reminded of that at a meeting with the Welsh Government, where they were astounded at our ability to sustain the position of the Welsh language.

 

The question refers to the categorisation procedure, but our Language Policy stands on its own feet and is not driven by the categories procedure since the category for us is merely an administrative issue, of course, our aspiration here in Gwynedd is substantially higher than what is noted in the category.  However, the important point when saying that is that the Policy, of course, is important, as the question notes, and I am glad to be able to say that there is an intention to update the Language Policy in order to reflect the changes that have occurred in the education field and to respond to our aspirations in terms of promoting the Welsh language in Gwynedd; aspirations that are, of course, as ambitious and innovative as ever.

 

As well as forming the taskforce, the Department has been gathering information and data about the bilingual provision across our schools and this, as well as the research findings of the scrutiny taskforce, will assist us as we update this Policy for the better, and build on the historical successes; some of which are referenced in the written answer."

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Rhys Tudur

 

"The current Language Policy promotes the introduction of an English medium education.  Has there been any significant change to the Gwynedd Schools Language Policy over the past 30 years in response to the demographic changes and language shift in society?”

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

 

"We offer a bilingual education in this county, of course, and Welsh is available to all, and everyone receives Welsh. There is no avoiding Welsh here in the county.  We know that work is being done with two schools, but a bilingual education in Welsh and English, of course, with the emphasis on Welsh, is what happens here.  I am unaware of recent changes to the Policy, but in fairness, the Policy has been very successful and has operated on the clear principle that Welsh is available to all, and that everyone receives it.

 

However, we are aware from seeing the Census statistics, that there are challenges in terms of the population, etc., and this means that we need to look at those new challenges.  Also, several changes have occurred in the education field, therefore it is timely for us to address those and new challenges in terms of the population, and this will arise in another question later on.

 

Without dwelling on the past, what matters is what is happening now, and what is going to be happening, and what is happening now is that we are looking at the Policy and are going to update and strengthen it, and that this will, hopefully, be in line with our aspiration, which is always ambitious in this county."

 

(3)     Question by Councillor Richard Glyn Roberts

 

"A new provision in the field of care is to be welcomed, but is it appropriate to express unconditional approval and support, in advance, to plans that bind that said provision to a housing development of a scale that is not necessarily commensurate with the local need for housing and which clouds and obscures these matters, care and housing, until efforts to balance the potential social impact of these plans are undermined beforehand?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being, Councillor Dilwyn Morgan:

 

"Thank you for the question because it gives me an opportunity to raise awareness and share good news about an innovative and very exciting plan for us here in Gwynedd, and I am glad of the Member's support to this new provision.

 

The background to the partnership that is collaborating on this plan is us, of course, Cyngor Gwynedd, the Housing and Property Department and Adults, Health and Well-being Department, and I may give the opportunity, with the permission of the Monitoring Officer, to the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Craig ab Iago, to also contribute to the answer, should there be a supplementary question.  The other partners are Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Clwyd Alyn Housing Association and the local community, and this is really important, since this includes the local pharmacists and doctors, as well as members of the wider local community of Llŷn and Eifionydd.

 

I am going to answer the question as the Chair of the Penyberth Site Redevelopment Programme Board, a board which, by the way, retains the absolute right to approve or refuse every decision regarding this site. Whilst I am grateful for the question, I must disagree and confirm that "expressing unconditional approval and support in advance", as noted in the question, is not factually correct. Therefore, I must disagree with the Member on that, but again, I genuinely welcome the Member's support to this care provision which will, of course, include a mix of care homes, nursing beds provision, dementia provision, and much more.  And I will finish by stating that any member of the Council is welcome to contact me on any matter regarding Penyberth, and more broadly in terms of the Adults Department, and I am always available. Thank you again for the question and for the opportunity to raise awareness of the Penyberth site."

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Richard Glyn Roberts

 

"The final paragraph of the written response would have been a sufficient response to a paragraph of a question.  Why do you feel the necessity for the preamble?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being, Councillor Dilwyn Morgan:

 

"I think I have answered the supplementary question at the beginning. I have emphasised that this is such an innovative and exciting plan that we as a Council must take advantage of any opportunity to get the message out there.  It is such an important message, not only for the residents of Llŷn and Eifionydd, but for our rural areas, and so that is the reason for the comprehensive response, and I am very proud of the answer and the opportunity to get the message out to the public."

 

(4)     Question from Councillor Gwynfor Owen

 

Following a meeting with Lee Waters in Cardiff on Wednesday, 26 April 2023 to discuss concerns about the safety of Llanbedr roads, may I ask the Leader to report to the Council on the outcome of those discussions?

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"It was a meeting that could be described as historical, i.e. the Deputy Minister and I have not been on the best of terms since he declared that the Llanbedr Bypass scheme would not be going ahead, and we have had words since that time.  However, I had an opportunity to attend the meeting with the Deputy Minister as well as representatives from a Group of Llanbedr People, and our Member of the Senedd, Mabon ap Gwynfor, and our Member of Parliament, Liz Saville Roberts.

 

Before we got the chance to say anything really, the Deputy Minister declared that he supported plans for a road, but not a bypass, but a low-speed relief road for Llanbedr as a part of the broader Green Corridor scheme.  I had attended a meeting a few days earlier, where there had been a lot of talk about developing the Green Corridor.  We are very eager to develop the Green Corridor along the Ardudwy coastline, but without the relief road, the Green Corridor was not going to work.

 

This is a major step forward and is very encouraging and the local residents are overjoyed after hearing the announcement, as we know.  However, we must issue a minor health warning - there has been no confirmation of funding for the scheme, therefore, there are no assurances at present that any scheme will be funded.  We are also unaware of the timetable that the Government has in mind, therefore, we look forward to any further discussions with the Deputy Minister and his officers in order to move the project forward.

 

Before I finish, can I also thank the people of Llanbedr for their perseverance with this matter and for working so hard to secure the Government's ear.  It was having a serious impact on the lives of the people of Llanbedr, and I would like to personally thank them very much for their efforts."

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Gwynfor Owen

 

"Can the Leader report what he anticipates that the Council and the Welsh Government will need to do from now on to realise the scheme?"

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"The first steps that will have to be taken is to go through the whole process of preparing the new plans, obtaining permissions from the regulators, planning permission, undertaking all local consultations, etc., and the Government is going to be collaborating with our Environment Department to develop those plans.  So that is the work that will be happening next.  This could take considerable time.  I would assume that there will be at least a year or two before we get those plans in place, and there is a cost involved as well.

 

The Government has offered financial aid to develop those plans.  Can I just say that I am not celebrating as much as others because I know that no money has been earmarked.  As we know, of course, money had been earmarked.  We were about to go out to tender regarding the original plan, before the Deputy Minister made his statement, so everything that was in place, including European funding, has now been lost. You will also recall that we submitted a bid to the Levelling Up fund, which was unsuccessful, so the only financial source we have left is the Welsh Government.

 

Therefore, the task for us, it seems, from now on, when developing the plans, is to press on the Government for their commitment to fund the plan, and it will be a broader plan, extending beyond the road around Llanbedr. I was very concerned about the attitude in the original report which stated that the Llanbedr airfield site was not suitable for economic development, as it was in a rural location.  For me, that is a very serious policy statement for rural areas. These are the exact type of sites that we need to develop in order to offer quality employment outside agriculture and tourism.  Therefore, I am very pleased that there has been some kind of development, in the hope that this will proceed."

 

(5)     Question from Councillor Huw Rowlands

 

"The demographic for Gwynedd school pupil numbers shows a decline for the coming years.

 

In light of this, what strategy does Cyngor Gwynedd have to cope with this challenge, especially in the context of small and rural schools?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

 

"This is a very important question that raises matters that we should all be fully aware of. One of the most striking things for me as I prepared the written response was, in terms of the number of primary schools we have, that Gwynedd is fourth highest of all Welsh Authorities with only Cardiff, Carmarthenshire and Rhondda Cynon Taf, with a higher number of primary schools than us.  In terms of the number of secondary schools, Gwynedd is the third highest (jointly with Swansea) of all Welsh authorities, with only Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taf with more secondary schools than us.  However, there are around 20,000 more primary learners, and 20,000 more secondary learners in Cardiff compared to Gwynedd, and that speaks volumes.

 

It is also striking that the birth rates have been reducing, and that the Welsh Government's projections suggest a further decline of around 16% in the number of 3-18 year old learners by 2038.

 

Therefore, obvious and substantial challenges lie ahead. In response to this very concerning picture, the Department is in the process of drawing up a new Education Strategy that will note the Department's vision, aim and objectives in order to address these major changes that are afoot in terms of our county's population."

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Huw Rowlands

 

"How will you develop the Strategy and with whom will you consult when developing the Strategy?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

 

"It is slightly premature for me to be able to give you many details, but a draft will be submitted before the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee in September this year, and I look forward to hearing the impressions of the scrutinisers on the draft.  Of course, a consultation will be held with stakeholders, and the draft Strategy will be pre-scrutinised. In general, I believe that it is essential that there is ‘joined-up thinking’ in terms of forward planning for the huge challenge we have, and that this happens across many departments; Economy, Housing and Education, because this is a matter for communities fundamentally, and how we attract and retain families here, and maybe attract them back from places such as Cardiff.

 

There is a lot of work to do, and we are often battling against factors that are beyond our control, but that is not to say that there is nothing we can do either, and I would like to think that there are things that we can do, and indeed, I believe that this is one of the most important pieces of work that we will do, so I thank you for the question."