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 the Environment Department and the Assistant Heads of the Environment Department. ⁠

 

During the debate, the following observations were made by the Members: -

 

Waste and Recycling

Concern was expressed that there was a financial risk to the Council if the Department fails to meet the Welsh Government's target of 70% to recycle all waste in the County. In response to the comments, the Assistant Head of Waste and Recycling confirmed that work is being done to commit to meeting this target, with the Council achieving a recycling rate of 66.6% during 2025-26 to date. It was elaborated that the Council was working with ADRA housing association to promote the benefits of recycling, as they were responsible for 7500 dwellings in the County which would have a major impact on the recycling rate. Similarly, it was pointed out that work is being done to ensure that pupils in schools in Gwynedd receive lessons on the importance of recycling and that leaflets were being prepared for distribution to every house in the County as a reminder of how to recycle correctly. It was recognised that there are only 4 members of staff in the team who teach? in relation to recycling, it was ensured that every effort was made to strive to meet the recycling target and to ensure that any financial penalty for failing to meet the target was as small as possible.

 

In response to a further query as to whether the Department was confident that Gwynedd could recycle 70% of its waste, the Department's Assistant Head of Waste and Recycling confirmed that they were confident the target would be met. It was detailed that a public engagement exercise on the Waste and Recycling Strategy was currently underway and that the responses received to date had been very encouraging. It was elaborated that there had been over 700 responses to the consultation to date and that 80% of those respondents consider recycling to be an important action and agree with the need to reduce waste. They were reminded that the duty to recycle is a matter for everyone in Gwynedd and huge pressure was being placed within the department to train officers and to ensure that the act of recycling correctly is promoted with the public to ensure that everyone recycles as much as possible. It was explained that many things that can be recycled continue to be included in the residual waste bins and that work is being done to educate the public that these items can be recycled. It was ensured that delivering these actions would ensure that the Council would recycle 70% of its waste in line with the Welsh Government's target.

 

In response to an enquiry as to whether the Department had been too late in developing the Waste and Recycling Strategy, the Head of Department disagreed stating that the service had only been under the Department's management for 3 years and extended work had been completed to ensure that officers familiarise themselves with the service and develop a future work programme. It was clarified that the Council did not have any waste strategy in the past. It had been ensured that the council recycled around 64-65% annually and this was steadily increasing, and it was confirmed that the work of the service was going in the right direction.

 

In response to a question if the Department was going to introduce recycling bags in the future, rather than the recycling cart that is currently used, the Department's Assistant Head of Waste and Recycling confirmed that trials had already taken place in parts of Gwynedd. It was detailed that 78% of people who had taken part in the trials said they would be happy to use the recycling bags in the future rather than boxes and ‘cartgylchu’. It was noted that this was because they are purpose-built bags with a little weight included at the bottom to ensure they are not blown away by the wind. However, it was acknowledged that the trials had not led to an increase in the number of things being recycled. It was assured that this was an option being considered by the Department to reduce the future costs of the Waste and Recycling service.

 

The Department was congratulated on improving this service following a challenging period when the service became part of the responsibilities of the Environment Department.

 

Public Transport

Reference was made to the current review underway for public transport services and it was asked whether it considered transport poverty and the diverse needs of communities. In response to the enquiry, the Assistant Head of Transport explained that the Department had shared information with Council Members at recent meetings of the Area Forums, including sharing a briefing note provided by the Welsh Government on this review. It was explained that the Government was in the process of franchising the public transport system by 2027-28 – which meant that a uniform system would be used nationally instead of reforming the regional arrangements. It was noted that it is not possible to confirm that arrangements will not change from community to community at this time, but it was likely that there would be consistency nationally in public transport ticket prices. It was recognised that it would be considered unlikely that there would be more services in the evenings and at weekends than what was offered on the current routes.

 

Similarly, it was highlighted that some communities in Gwynedd were at a disadvantage as they do not receive public transport services in the evenings or at weekends. In response to an enquiry if the Department was challenging the decision to withdraw these services from communities, the Department's Assistant Head of Transport confirmed that the Council was promoting the best possible service in line with the funding budget. It was assured that the wish was for these communities to receive all the services they need, recognising that there was nothing the Council could currently do to resolve the situation without an additional budget from the Welsh Government and the support of Transport for Wales. The Cabinet Member elaborated that this frustration was shared at several regional meetings but that it was difficult to find accountability between partners to ensure that additional services were scheduled.

 

It was pointed out that Ysbyty Gwynedd serves a very wide area and was a service that was currently under pressure. Given the numbers of people using the hospital, it was asked if any considerations are being given so that visitors to the hospital can use a shuttle bus service in the future. In response, the Department's Assistant Head of Transport acknowledged that there were currently no plans to start a shuttle bus service for the hospital, but that it would be possible to investigate the possibility of developing this. However, it was highlighted that several existing services on the public transport framework were already transporting people to hospital, and it was noted that this is not convenient for all visitors and patients at the moment. It was stressed that this balance between offering a valuable service and services that attract many users was key, noting that work needs to be done to ensure a change of mindset to attract more public transport users.

 

Similarly, the service was asked to investigate methods of advertising the various bus services available at the hospital. It was considered that it would be beneficial for public transport service users to have the opportunity to look at the timetables of the various journeys while they are in hospital, without having to rely on the need to get on-line or leave the building, as there was no assurance that they will be able to do so safely.

 

Supporting the Workforce

It was highlighted that 214 members of the Department's Staff have not currently undertaken core safeguarding training, and it was asked what work the Department was doing to ensure that all members of staff undertake the training. In response to the enquiry, the Head of Department acknowledged that this shortcoming with the training derived from the fact that frontline staff do not have access to the training as they are not provided with electronic equipment due to their job. However, it was noted that the Department was in discussions with the Corporate Services Department to address this challenge and was also in discussions with the Highways, Engineering and YGC Department to share their good practices of how they have succeeded in ensuring that their frontline staff members managed to complete the core training. It was confirmed that one option currently being discussed was for training sessions to be held at the end of working periods and adapted to ensure they are interactive and fit for purpose.

 

It was pointed out that several staff members were on long-term absences within the Waste and Recycling service, with assurances that two of those staff members will not return to work. Recognising that sickness rates are higher within the service as staff are unable to work from home if they are suffering from a mild illness, they were asked what support was available for staff to cope with the physical nature of work as they return to work. In response to the comments, the Department's Assistant Head of Waste and Recycling confirmed that every effort was being made to ensure that the support available to staff members while away from work, and when returning to the workplace was adequate. It was added that clear communication was being made with those individuals to understand the nature of the support they need and to ensure effective and healthy return-to-work arrangements.

 

Active Travel

In response to a question as to whether there are any community or environmental benefits to be seen following the recent development of several active travel routes in the County, the Department's Assistant Head of Transport confirmed that it was difficult to confirm the specific benefits of the scheme. It was elaborated that there were no specific measures to assess these factors at this time, but that work needs to be done to promote the use of the paths within communities so that greater use was made in the future. In response to a further enquiry to see if it would be possible to introduce sensitivity pads on the paths to be able to identify how much use was being made of the paths, the Department's Assistant Head of Transport noted that this had been a method to measure path use in the National Park in the past and it was intended to be used in the future on parts of the Coastal Path. It was confirmed that there were no arrangements to introduce such measures on the active travel routes, but it can be considered to collect statistics of use.

 

In response to comments that additional active travel routes continue to be developed without a budget to maintain them, the department's Assistant Head of Transport stated that this stems from the fact that the routes are funded by capital funding from the Welsh Government. It was specified that no additional funds are currently being provided for the maintenance of those routes. However, it was considered that it did not make financial sense to refuse any funding as there was a possibility that additional funding will be provided by the Welsh Government in the future for the maintenance of those routes. The challenge of not being able to fund maintenance work on the routes was a national challenge, and it was confirmed that regular discussions were being held to campaign for a budget for their maintenance.

 

Public Protection – Trading Standards and Licensing

Concern was expressed that only 27% of Trading Standards Regulations inspections have been carried out within the work programme since the start of the current financial year, and it was asked whether the department was confident that these numbers would increase. In response, the department's Assistant Head of Planning confirmed that the service was on track to deliver 100% of their inspections on time. It was explained that the figure of completed inspections was very low but that was due to their seasonal nature, stressing that most inspections are carried out within the second half of the year in to undertake them in the most effective manner for issues such as fireworks storage and animal welfare.

 

In response to an enquiry about the Public Protection service's workforce to complete Trading Standards Regulations inspections, the Department's Assistant Head of Planning confirmed that staff numbers were increasing. The Committee was reminded that workforce numbers had decreased in recent years, but pride was expressed that the Department had attracted new officers, as well as trainees as part of the Council's Cynllun Yfory scheme who would receive specialist training to carry out inspections. Similarly, it was noted that the Department was researching new technology, such as iPads, which would facilitate the work in the future.

 

Management of Holiday Accommodation and Second Homes

It was considered that several Gwynedd residents were paying a premium on second homes as they were in the process of renovating a new home before moving into it and selling their previous home, rather than owning two houses. In response to an enquiry as to whether a premium dispensation could be received in this situation, the Department's Assistant Head of Planning confirmed that the management of the premium was shared by several Council departments, and it was noted that the Finance department was the appropriate department to contact in cases similar to those described in this discussion.

 

Planning Enforcement

In response to comments acknowledging that the numbers of residents breaching planning conditions and being referred to the enforcement service had recently been on the rise, the Department's Assistant Head of Planning Matters acknowledged that this was very challenging. It was explained that officer numbers within the service had been variable recently and that there had been staff changes. It was confirmed that discussions were underway to ensure that the Department's processes remained in place and were very robust to ensure that all planning conditions set were adhered to.                                                                             

 

The members expressed their thanks for the report.

 

RESOLVED

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