Agenda item

To accept and note the information in the report.

The report was submitted by Cllr June Jones

DECISION

To accept and note the information in the report.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted stating that it would outline what had been achieved within the Department as part of the priorities of Cyngor Gwynedd's 2023-28 Plan and provide an update on the financial position and savings plans. It was reported that significant progress had been made with the Council Plan projects and while the Department continued to face challenges, confidence was expressed that the Department had suitable plans in place to address the situation to the best of its ability.

An explanation was provided on the table in Appendix 1, which provided an update on the progress of the Department's three priority projects in the Council Plan, namely Clean and Tidy Communities, Acting on Flood Risks and Extending Opportunities for Play and Socialising for the Children and Young People of the County. An overview of the projects was provided stating what was in the pipeline and the update up to March 2025.

Cabinet Members were guided through the rest of the report detailing the performance of the Department's services. In conclusion, the Department's financial position was highlighted, noting that an overspend of around £700,000 was forecast this year, which was a combination of factors such as a reduction in income and additional pressure on street cleaning and public toilet cleaning budgets.

It was added that there was a great feeling within the Department where the staff were enthusiastic and genuinely interested in their work. The Department's staff were thanked for their commitment.

The Head of the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department stated that he would like to thank the Cabinet Member for visiting all the Department services in order to introduce herself and learn about the work of the Department. It was added that the Department was facing significant financial challenges but was doing its best to reduce overspend and savings plans and was confident that £278,500 worth of savings would be achieved this year.

Observations arising from the discussion:

•           The good work of the Department was recognised and gratitude was expressed.

•           With regards to street enforcement and the graph in the report, it was asked how the Council compared to other Councils and asked why there was a significant difference in the Summer figures compared to the Winter figures.

-           In response, it was explained that the team was under pressure in terms of staffing levels. It was explained that the graph on page 102 was specifically on dog fouling and not litter. It was elaborated that it was difficult to penalise dog fouling crimes because it was difficult to catch the person at the time. Attention was drawn to the significant improvement that had been made so far this year.

-           It was noted that the information was not currently available for comparison with other authorities but the Head of Department could obtain that information.

•           The lack of investment in playgrounds over the years was highlighted. There was a wish to raise awareness that community groups could apply for grants to improve playgrounds.

-           Members were reminded that there were 131 playgrounds across the County and it was recognised that facilities for wheelchair use in the playgrounds needed to be improved. It was noted that the service was re-examining the strategy but that funds were scarce for this provision. It was added that the service was happy to discuss with Community Councils and that there was an intention to liaise with Community Councils in the future as the work progressed.

•           Thanks were expressed to the Ardal Ni tidying-up team, specifically David Charles Williams' team for their work.

•           It was asked if there were any plans to extend the 'person and cart' scheme further to the Dwyfor and Meirionnydd areas.

-           It was confirmed that the scheme was currently in place in Bangor and Caernarfon and that it was intended to be extended to the Dwyfor area (Pwllheli and Porthmadog) shortly. It was noted that there were similar arrangements in some areas in Meirionnydd e.g. a traditional town cleaner with traditional early morning starting hours. It was confirmed that discussions were underway to change the hours so that the hours were more visible.

•           In response to a question about Natural Resources Wales' financial challenges and whether this had affected collaboration with the Department, it was confirmed that no impact has been seen to date on any joint project nor to suggest any impact on plans moving forward.