Agenda item

To report to the Scrutiny Committee on the performance of the Environment Department.

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

 

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for the Environment, the Head of Environment Department and the Assistant Heads of the Environment Department.

 

It was reported that the Department led on five projects in the Council's Plan 2023-2028, namely 'Management of second homes and short-term holiday accommodation' as part of the Homely Gwynedd priority as well as a 'New Local Development Plan', 'Waste and Recycling', 'Active Travel', and 'Public Transport' as part of the Green Gwynedd priority. It was elaborated that the information presented for this meeting set out the Department's progress against the project milestones for 2024-2025 as well as data on the Department's services' performance measures.

 

During the debate, the following comments were made by Members:

 

Waste and Recycling

It was pointed out that the Department did not meet the Welsh Government's national targets of recycling 70% of all waste in the County, stating that the Council's recycling percentage for 2024-25 was 65.3%. It was asked if the Department had considered adapting the frequency of waste collections to meet this target. In response, the Assistant Head confirmed that it was hoped to carry out a consultation to ensure that there was a clear pathway for the Council to recycle 70% of all waste. However, it was emphasised that no decisions had been taken to adapt the frequency of waste collection at this time.

 

It was asked if any financial fines would be imposed on the Council by the Government for failing to meet this target. The Assistant Head confirmed that a £200 fine was imposed for every tonne of waste below the 70% recycling target. It was explained that the Council was approximately 3,000 tonnes below the target in the year 2024-25. It was explained that the Council was in ongoing discussions with the Welsh Government to demonstrate that action was being taken to meet the target and that this would be reflected when determining the amount of any financial penalty imposed on the Council. 

 

In response to a further question about starting to recycle soft plastics, the Assistant Head confirmed that this was not happening now because there was no market for it. However, it was emphasised that the Welsh Government was currently piloting this type of collection in south Wales. It was added that there were plans to recycle more goods such as plastic bags and small electronic gadgets in the future. The Assistant Head elaborated that a tax was being imposed on companies on a scale that set out how easy it was to recycle any waste from their products or packaging, in the hope that this would encourage companies to ensure that their products could be recycled and to encourage buyers to do so.

 

Sickness levels among service staff were referenced and officers were asked how they dealt with these cases. In response, the Assistant Head confirmed that staff were more likely to be off sick as they get older due to the physical nature of the work. It was reported that sickness levels among staff in the Arfon area had decreased recently but that there had been an increase in the Dwyfor and Meirionnydd areas. It was detailed that 9% of all service staff were over the age of 60 and that more than half of those individuals were currently off work with a long-term condition. It was also mentioned that a number of staff had decided to take a holiday between Christmas and the new year in order to have the opportunity to celebrate with their families. The Head of Department emphasised that officers welcomed this because the service operated throughout the year, noting that this was an opportunity to raise staff morale, and that arrangements were in place to catch up with any missed collections once they returned to work. It was also noted that this was not mandatory and staff who wished to work had done so.

 

It was asked what plans were in place for teaching and engaging with young people, considering that the newest and most innovative ideas very often came from the younger generation. It was also asked if consideration was being given to a circular economy whereby reusing, a repair café and lending schemes were normalised. In response to the comments, the Assistant Head confirmed that the Department was working with Bangor University on these areas and recognised that more work needed to be done with schools. However, it was emphasised that there were currently only four engagement officers within the service. The Member was thanked for discussing the circular economy as it was part of the service, and the Department was working with Council departments to expand on these opportunities in the future.

 

Members expressed pride that the numbers of missed collections had fallen significantly over the past year and thanked the Department and employees for their continued work.

 

Project: Management of second homes and short-term holiday accommodation

The Department was congratulated on the recent introduction of the Article 4 Direction which added to the second homes premium as a measure to manage second homes and short-term holiday accommodation. It was asked what work was in place to monitor their impact and ensure that local people and the tourism sector were not negatively affected. In response, it was confirmed that monitoring frameworks had been established for the Article 4 Direction but that it was not timely to report on its impact at this time. It was reminded that the direction was effective since 1 September 2024 and it was hoped to analyse the monitoring data after it had been operational for 12 months. It was elaborated that monitoring work at a corporate level was being carried out in this field, sharing an example that tourism issues were a priority for the Economy and Community Department and that housing affordability was a consideration for the Housing and Property Department.

 

Active Travel

Positive comments were received about the Active Travel network but it was noted that a number of cyclists had reported to Members that they did not make use of them because the routes were not maintained. It was explained that stones, glass and leaves could be dangerous and cause injury to cyclists. It was highlighted that the Department stated within the report that plans were underway to develop more routes and it was asked what consideration was being given to the maintenance of these routes to ensure that they were safe for users.

 

In response, the Head of Department noted that the Active Travel network was used by pedestrians and cyclists and that its development was funded through Welsh Government capital funding. It was noted that there was no budget within those grants for the maintenance of the routes and that the priority to fund that within the Department's budget was low when considering the other services offered. However, it was pointed out that the Council's Highways, Engineering and YGC Department served parts of the network that were on road verges. It was emphasised that the Department did not want to refuse any opportunity for capital grant funding and was hopeful that funding would be received through the Government for the maintenance of these routes in the future.
However, it was recognised that a solution to this challenge needed to be found to encourage cyclists to make use of the network.

 

Public Transport

Changes to the T22 bus timetables were discussed stating that the service was excellent while operational but that the timetable ended at inconvenient times for employees and there were no services to some towns on Sundays. In response, the Head of Department confirmed that bus usage data showed that there were more public transport users this year and that he would contact Members to try to find solutions to any local challenges that arose with the network.

 

It was asked how the Department could work to ensure that local residents were able to use the bus network to get to work, as they often worked later than the last bus to their local community. In response, the Head of Department confirmed that a review of the network was carried out relatively recently following a public consultation and that it had been generally welcomed. It was detailed that there were several considerations in developing an effective network, such as tourism, education, medical appointments, independent living, employment and leisure, and while it was not possible to meet the needs of every individual in full an effort was made to meet the needs of the majority of people. It was also explained that budgets also hampered the Department's ability to introduce additional buses as part of the network as well as bus companies' ability to release more buses and staff to maintain the services.

 

The Fflecsi bus service which was being run with the Department's partners was praised and it was emphasised that it was fit for purpose and was likely to be a money saver for the Council as it was only used on request. In response to an enquiry on whether this service could be expanded in certain areas, the Head of Department confirmed that the Department was continuously working with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to develop the Fflecsi network but challenges could arise when considering the capacity of bus companies and the demand for the service. It was emphasised that the Department would be eager to hold further discussions with Members on the expansion of the network where possible.

 

The Department was thanked for submitting bus user data and pride was expressed that 37% of service users had been using cheap tickets in the last year, showing that the service was used by a wide range of users. The Department was asked what specific schemes were in place for the introduction of new electric buses within Gwynedd. In response, it was confirmed that there were no confirmed arrangements in place at the moment but that the Department was in constant discussions with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to ensure that these developments were underway as soon as possible.

 

Parking

It was reported that 16,899 parking fine tickets had been distributed in the year 2024-25 and the Department was asked for information on where the money derived from these fines was being used. In response, the Head of Department confirmed that the money was bound by statutory requirements to be put back into the service for uses such as staff employment. It was also clarified that ticket fees for car parks not on the roadside, such as pay and display, was income that the Council could use in whatever way it saw fit.

 

Public Protection – Food and Safety

It was highlighted that 80% of Food Standards inspections were carried out in accordance with the work programme during 2024-25. There was concern that this meant that 1 in 5 venues that should have received an inspection this year had not received it, which could pose a risk to the public. In response to the comments, it was recognised that there were challenges in this area of work, ensuring that additional resources were introduced to meet the requirements, and that public protection was a priority for the Department. It was explained that the service had lost experienced members of staff within the last year and that recruiting individuals with the appropriate expertise as well as Welsh-language skills had been challenging. However, it was emphasised that the Department had succeeded in attracting a future planning officer and a professional trainee who would qualify to carry out inspections. The current officers were thanked for their ongoing work and for taking time to mentor and to share their knowledge.

 

Members pointed out that some businesses could be displaying a food hygiene rating of 0 for long periods, and asked how this could be improved and how was it possible to ensure that the public had the latest information on the food hygiene rating of the County's businesses. In response, the Assistant Head confirmed that any business that received a food hygiene rating of 1 or 0 following an inspection received a warning to put measures in place to increase the level of hygiene. It was elaborated that a further inspection would be carried out within three months to receive a higher score. However, it was noted that a number of businesses did not co-operate with the Department to ensure that this second inspection took place.

 

Planning Enforcement

Concern was noted that a high number of enforcement cases were open and that there was a lack of staff to do the work. In response, the Assistant Head noted that the situation had stabilised over the past eighteen months but that the workload remained high. He elaborated that two officers worked full-time and the Article 4 Team helped with specific cases and also that planning officers conducted initial inspections. He explained that the relevant enforcement action was taken when necessary, noting that nine enforcement notices had been issued in the last twelve months.

 

       RESOLVED

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