Agenda item

The report was accepted.

The report was presented by Cllr. Nia Jeffreys.

DECISION

The report was accepted.

DISCUSSION

The report was presented noting that Ffordd Gwynedd was one of the priorities in the Council's Plan. It was reported that the annual report reported on the progress of the plan and raised awareness of the developments to be seen in the nine work streams.

The Corporate Director added that Ffordd Gwynedd was a way of working, a mindset, a working environment and a culture in which to achieve and challenge performance. It was noted that an annual report had been included in the Ffordd Gwynedd Plan to measure progress, and it was explained that this was the second to be presented.

It was explained that measures in every service clearly indicated the level of success of putting the people of Gwynedd at the centre of everything they do. It was noted that this report gave further assurance that the foundation and support were being provided to deliver the best service for the people of Gwynedd. Minor changes to the governance system and the main achievements were highlighted, including the introduction of a manager development programme, a new learning and development framework along with a new-look Ffordd Gwynedd training programme.

It was emphasised that it was vital that staff heard about the Council leadership's commitment - by Members and Senior Officers - to this approach. It was noted that the continuation of Apprenticeships, Cynllun Yfory (Graduate Scheme) and the Customer Care Charter and Standards were important steps towards achieving the vision of ensuring the best service for the people of Gwynedd.

Nevertheless, it was noted that the Ffordd Gwynedd culture had not become embedded everywhere and that there was inconsistency across the Council. It was noted that this would be a priority over the next phase. It was highlighted that although much praise had been noted in the latest series of the Scrutiny Committees, the failure to give timely responses to enquiries in some services had been criticised. It was also noted that there was a need to look further at the workforce in the long term to ensure the staffing level. However, it was noted that there was a firm belief that the commitment to Ffordd Gwynedd and its work culture would be seen in the long term.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·        The opportunity was taken to thank the Corporate Director for over 40 years of service to the Council before his retirement.

·        In terms of the pockets of services not having adopted Ffordd Gwynedd, it was asked whether the Leadership Team had committed to this approach and whether he was confident that this work would continue. The Director noted that he was completely confident that the Council's leadership was committed, however that this did not always mean that it had embedded everywhere.

·        It was expressed that there was much talk about frustration but that it was moving in the right direction - however, it was asked what the biggest challenges were and what steps needed to be taken over the last three years of the plan. It was noted that the priority was for the firm foundations to be consistently implemented.

·        A slippage in two work streams was highlighted - in terms of attracting staff and succession in key posts, and it was asked whether there were any firm steps to move the plans forward. It was noted that the slippage was due to there having been a focus on the success of plans such as Cynllun Yfory and Apprenticeships meaning that workforce planning had not received as much attention. It was noted that steps had been taken since the period of this report and that a group of officers had been formed to move the plans forward.

·        It was emphasised that the report read well but needed to be distributed further to ensure that it was received by all members of staff, at all levels. It was noted that it was difficult to get the documents to everybody and, although steps had been taken by sharing at the Network for Managers and Team Leaders, that new ways of sharing information to further evolve Ffordd Gwynedd were needed.