Agenda item

To consider any questions from elected members, the appropriate notice for which have been given under Section 4.18 of the Constitution.

 

 

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

 

(1)     Question by Councillor Rhys Tudur

 

Given that Research on New Housing that was published by the Council in 2021 has proved that linguistic assessments on planning applications are untruthful, highlighting that a high percentage of houses have become non-Welsh speaking households in an area that is a traditional stronghold of the language, 68% in Pen Llŷn and 41% in Penllyn, is it not time to overhaul the defective system we have for linguistic assessments so that the language assessor would not act on behalf and for the benefit of the developer, but rather be directed by the Council, with the developer paying commission towards the service?

 

Response - Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

This work was commissioned in 2019 and this was done as there was a lack of reliable information available about what groups of people tend to move into new houses in Gwynedd, where these people are moving from, and why they are choosing to move to a new house.  As noted in the written response, the main conclusions of the research were as follows:

 

·           Over 70% of the residents of new dwellings had moved there from another house in Gwynedd.

·           The age profile of people moving into new builds was fairly 'young', with over 70% of the occupiers of new housing being under 45 years old.

·           69% of the occupiers of new housing are able to speak Welsh, which is very similar to the percentage of Welsh speakers across Gwynedd.

 

In the member's question, it noted that the percentages in Pen Llŷn and Penllyn are lower than the number who speak Welsh in those areas, but there is a need to emphasise that seven areas out of the 10 areas that were included in the research work showed higher percentages as shown in the graph in the written response.  For example, the percentage of Welsh speakers who had moved into new houses in the Porthmadog area was 78%, which compares to 67%, namely the percentage of Welsh speakers in the area.  In Arfon, for example, it was 91% compared to 81%, and very interestingly, in Bangor, it was 59% compared to 42%, namely the percentage of Welsh speakers in Bangor, and this was mainly due to a new housing estate in Goetre Uchaf in Penrhosgarnedd.  And closer to home for me, it was 86% in Dyffryn Ogwen compared to 73% overall.

 

As part of the research, the chain was also followed in terms of who had moved into the houses as others moved out, and the statistics show that the figures are fairly similar when following the chain.

 

An important point was that the research included every new house that was completed in Gwynedd between 2015 and 2017, but there were some additional houses going back to 2012 in some areas to ensure that the samples were large enough.

 

Of course, these housing developments had been determined under the old Unitary
Development Plan which was replaced in 2017, and since then, of course, the main basis of the policy for developments is the Joint Local Development Plan, and Supplementary Planning Guidance had been adopted which provided more details about the current planning policy. 

 

The current system was more resilient in terms of the Welsh language and also went much further than the requirements within Technical Advice Note 20 (TAN 20), Welsh Government. There were several examples of planning applications under current policies that had been refused for reasons relating to the Welsh language.  However, as members were surely aware, the Council had determined to carry out a full review of the Joint Local Development Plan, which effectively meant preparing a new plan.  ⁠The process had begun and this would be an opportunity for us to re-examine the policies and how consideration should be given to the Welsh language when dealing with planning applications.

 

The member and I are part of the Planning Policy Working Group which is leading this work, and as it happens, an important session of the working group will be held next week where we will set a direction and vision for the new policy.

 

Regarding whom should carry out the work of making a linguistic assessment of planning applications, the Council's role here was to assess planning applications and then determine them based on the Joint Local Development Plan, and any other planning considerations.  It was not the Council's role to prepare assessments on behalf of the applicant, whether they are language assessments, transport assessments, ecological assessments or any other assessment or a report that must be submitted as part of the application.  Of course, the Planning Service ensured that all the information submitted by applicants was assessed by experts within and outside the Council.

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Rhys Tudur

 

Considering the new housing research and the Census, is the Cabinet willing to facilitate the way of imposing a language ability condition on new housing or even on a percentage of new housing that are constructed?

 

Response - Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

Of course, there was a desire to do everything we can in terms of ensuring that the houses go to local people.  Of course, our hands are tied to an extent.  I can explain this by referring to Paragraph 3.28 of Planning Policy Wales, as someone must consider this as part of any planning consideration:-

 

"Considerations relating to the use of the Welsh language may be taken into account by decision makers so far as they are material to applications for planning permission.  Policies and decisions must not introduce any element of discrimination between
individuals on the basis of their linguistic ability, and should not seek to control
housing occupancy on linguistic grounds."

 

Therefore, a planning condition referring to people's linguistic ability cannot be introduced.  Of course, beyond that, it was possible to use other policies to reach the aim, and this was part of the discussion in moving forward and as we develop a new planning policy.  I am sure that we will have a discussion with each other and the rest of the Working Group members as we get to work on this.

 

(1)       Question by Councillor John Brynmor Hughes

 

I would like to know why it takes so long to get tenants into social housing in the area.  The examples I have is that a property on Ala Road, Pwllheli has been converted into two flats and they have been empty for a long time, as well as two houses on Abererch Road.  If these properties were in the private sector the Council would earn money from tax and possibly a tax premium too.

 

Response - Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Craig ab Iago

 

A very timely question. Several councillors have raised this subject recently, some want to know why we have not purchased a thousand houses, some are worried about the time it takes to purchase them and others do not understand the plan in reality which, in my opinion, is something positive.  It shows that as a Department, we are succeeding to get the message out there.  Many councillors are aware of this plan and I understand that they see it as something innovative and exciting, and they wish that we would do more with it. I welcome this as the Cabinet Member for Housing but, on the other hand, perhaps it shows a lack of communication in terms of the Department.

 

We are doing our best to communicate the 'Housing' subject. I am always talking about the subject in the press. I have held housing forums with every group in the Council to discuss the subject.  Of course, we send e-mails to councillors very often, but more important than that is that we have the Members' Intranet, and I am keen to use this opportunity to ensure that everyone has heard about the Members' Intranet and the fact that we, as a Housing Department, upload a lot of information on the 'Housing' tab on the site.  If you access it, you will see that you can select your ward and see what happens there. We are still developing it but you can currently see if someone has purchased a house in your ward.  Clearly, we are not fully succeeding in terms of communication, but we are working on it and are very keen to do more in this sense.

 

Going back to the question, the purpose of the Buy to Let Scheme is to purchase houses on the open market and rent them to intermediate local people, and not 'social' as the question refers to, namely people who are not allowed on the housing register as they do not tick the right boxes but cannot afford to rent on the open market either. We are attempting to fill this gap. Thus far, we have managed to purchase 23 houses and we have spent £4m on purchasing them and £1m on restoring them, and they are a total success in my opinion.  We are on track to reach our target of 100 houses by the end of this plan, therefore, I am very happy.  We discuss this very often and I am very happy with where we have reached.  We have even appointed a specific officer to manage this plan.  As I see it, there are two parts to this plan.  One is purchasing the houses.  We must ensure that we buy the houses in the right places which meet local need.  We must ensure that we buy houses that are not going to cost too much to restore, and we must also ensure that we do not compete against local people, which is very difficult. From what I understand, every house has taken 4 months to purchase which is perhaps one month longer than it would have taken a local resident to buy a house.  I recently asked the Department to provide some sort of flowchart so that councillors can understand exactly what the process is and all the steps the Department must follow to purchase a house. If you have not received it in the last two days, you will receive it very soon.

 

There are several steps in the process after purchasing a house.  One is to undergo a tendering process to find people to carry out work on the houses, namely something that residents do not have to do. Unforeseen matters arise with every house we purchase, some more than others, but I am happy with the progress. Clearly, we discuss this at the performance challenge meetings, and I am very happy with where we have reached with everything.  Both properties referred to in the question have gone through those processes and I understand that people will move into them early in the New Year.

 

I would like to assure everyone that we are moving as quickly as possible.  I cannot see how it would be possible for us to go faster than we are at present.

 

The last sentence of the question notes that should this property be in the private sector, that the Council would earn tax, and possibly tax premium too, but of course, the Council pays Council Tax on the houses like any resident, and should these houses pay a tax premium then this would mean that they would be in the hands of people who do not live in the area, or do not live in these houses. I believe that we have been very clear as a Council that our work is housing local people in our communities rather than earning our tax premium support.

 

(3)     Question by Councillor Eryl Jones-Williams

 

Should Cyngor Gwynedd be asking Welsh Government First Minister Mark Drakeford for an apology for not going ahead with a Medical Training Centre in Bangor following a Notice of Motion by this Council over 10 years ago when the project had the support of the then Health Minister, Edwina Hart AM.

 

If Mark Drakeford had not stopped the project, Gwynedd would not be in the position of being short of doctors and nurses which is the position we find ourselves in today, which is having a negative effect on Gwynedd residents.

 

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

 

I believe that this is a very important question.  It raises awareness of something that many have been campaigning for in recent years, and certainly I would like to thank Councillor Eryl Jones-Williams, as he submitted the motion before this Chamber back in September 2013 calling for this medical school here in North Wales.  Fair play to him, he, as well as members of parliament and our members in the Welsh Government, have fought hard over the years to ensure that this school opens in 2024.

 

By now, it is pleasing to note that the Medical School is opening in Bangor and I am sure that all Gwynedd councillors would wish it all the best, along with all the students and prospective medical workforce that will begin their education in September next year. Indeed, a specific thank you as I said to Councillor Jones-Williams, among others, for all the tireless work they have done over the past decade.

 

I sympathise with the feeling of frustration felt in the question by the Councillor that this development was not supported ten years ago.  As the Chinese proverb says, "the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago and the second best time is today."  Therefore, although I accept the frustration, I am pleased that this development is happening.

 

Of course, this Council is not in any way responsible for the medical field and the development is a matter for the Health Service, the Government and the University, although its impact will be far-reaching for Gwynedd residents.  Therefore, I do not see that there is any benefit for the people of Gwynedd from calling on the First Minister to apologise for a lack of action ten years ago, but I hope that the people of Gwynedd will benefit from the development for years to come.

 

So, to reiterate, all the best to the Medical School at Bangor University, and all the best to the students on their studies. I will also say this as it raises awareness of something that has been taking place, and maybe people do not fully realise it.  Students have already been placed in Bangor University to be trained as doctors and employees with an emphasis on rural and community medicine and it is pleasing to note that 17 students have already graduated from Bangor University.  Therefore, the work has been proceeding and we are grateful for this.  Thank you once again to the Councillor for his tireless work on this matter. 

 

(4)     Question by Councillor Huw Rowlands

 

What effect is the limits on phosphorus emissions in river catchments in Gwynedd having on new developments, and what discussions has Cyngor Gwynedd had with the appropriate agencies to find a solution?

 

Response - Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

This is a matter that has clearly affected a housing estate development in my ward.  This is a fairly complex problem, therefore, I draw your attention to the written response that has been provided.  Apologies that it is lengthy and technical, but in essence, it notes that Natural Resources Wales has published a report in 2021 showing that a high number of rivers within Special Areas of Conservation are failing to meet the revised water quality targets for phosphorus.  Although the two rivers in question in Gwynedd, namely the Gwyrfai and Glaslyn rivers, do not fail the targets, some new developments may lead to more phosphorus entering the river environment.

 

Currently, the Council has approximately 9 planning applications undetermined due to phosphate matters, which include a development of 16 affordable dwellings in Dinas.  In terms of the Gwyrfai, studies have shown that approximately 80% of the phosphorus derives from Welsh Water treatment works.  Natural Resources Wales is currently undertaking a review of existing water company permits against revised phosphorus targets and has a target in place to complete the work by July 2024 across Wales.  To date, no revised permits have been issued for Gwynedd.

 

To answer the question, once the permits will be revised and issued, the Planning Service can hold a discussion with Welsh Water about the capacity of their water treatment works.

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Huw Rowlands

 

Therefore, what pressures can Cyngor Gwynedd put on Welsh Water so that they upgrade their water treatment works so that there can be a solution to this matter?

 

Response - Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

To an extent, this is a matter between Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water.  The problem is worse in other councils but it is expected that these reviews will be completed by July 2024 I believe, but I am certainly very happy to write to both bodies as the Cabinet Member asking them to hasten the work in the hope that we can proceed with planning applications.

 

(5)     Question by Councillor Richard Glyn Roberts

 

It will soon be the new year. How slow will this Council be in producing a new language policy for the county's schools or designating them as 3P schools?

 

Response - Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

 

I will not elaborate too much when answering as this is a question on a familiar theme to this Chamber. I have stated my intention to update the Education Language Policy in several meetings of the Full Council, and at a recent meeting of the Scrutiny Committee. I have adopted the recommendations of the Gwynedd Category 3 Secondary Schools Scrutiny Investigation, which includes a specific recommendation regarding the Language Policy that relates to putting more emphasis on the Welsh language and making it clearer regarding what is meant by "bilingualism".

 

I do not accept the slightly peevish comment regarding the Council’s slowness in updating the Language Policy. My commitment is clear. We have had a new Head of Education in post for nearly a week and congratulations to him on his appointment, and the work of updating the Education Language Policy will have been carried out by the end of this educational year, and there will be an opportunity for me to discuss progress on this work at the Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee in March 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Richard Glyn Roberts

 

Considering that heroes in the past, for example Dafydd Orwig, had acted with determination to safeguard the Welsh-speaking Gwynedd, is this snail-like slowness worthy of the name of the Chamber in which we sit today?

 

Response - Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Beca Brown

 

As I noted, I do not accept the accusation of slowness, and to go back to the original question, where the member mentions the New Year, and in terms of commitment and determination, namely the words used by the member, next year will be full of opportunities in terms of the pieces of work that we face. These very important pieces of work will act as the foundation for us for years to come, the Language Policy, of course, as we have already mentioned, and the Education Strategy, which is a crucial piece of work, and also the very important work that will take place to support the linguistic journey of our transitional schools. I am really looking forward to every element of this work but I am particularly excited about the work that will take place with our transitional schools, namely those that have not yet reached the threshold in terms of Welsh language provision, and therefore, cannot be identified yet as category 3 schools, like the rest of the schools in the county. I believe that our support for these schools on their linguistic journeys is one of the most important things we will do in this Council in terms of the young people in those schools, but also in terms of the strength of the Welsh language in Gwynedd. I think this is one of the biggest favours we will do for our children and our language.

 

The peevish nature of this question suggests that we are dragging our feet with the Welsh language and I do not think that there is anything further from the truth to be honest.  I would like to refer to one example of progressiveness recently, namely that we have managed to get 5 of our schools on a Welsh Government pilot with the 'Say Something in Welsh' Learn Welsh Company, which means they can now benefit from a course that has been specifically tailored for young people who are on their linguistic journeys.  3 out of 5 of those schools are transitional and 2 of them, as it happens, have a higher cohort than usual of latecomers, mainly due to their parents’ work. English-medium schools from South Wales were previously on this pilot, but I was keen for some of our schools to benefit from this pilot which is funded by the Welsh Government, and getting the schools on this pilot means that they can now take advantage of the benefits of the course that builds on the good work that is already being done. This resulted from a request from me to the Department in recent weeks, and I am very grateful to the Head of Gwynedd’s Welsh Language Immersion Education System for looking into it, getting a decision and with immediate effect, and indeed, the work has already commenced in Ysgol Friars, Ysgol Tywyn and Ysgol Glan y Môr, and it will commence in Our Lady's School and Ysgol Hirael soon after Christmas.

 

Therefore, the Department and I are always on alert and always looking for any opportunities or resources to help our schools and young people to be confident speakers as they deserve and as we all wish to see the Welsh language thriving in this county.