Agenda item

To consider any questions 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 Jina Gwyrfai

 

Something which is a matter of concern to many of us is the marked increase in the number of learners in our schools who are being excluded due to unacceptable, dangerous or threatening behaviour. Nevertheless, it is a statutory duty for all children to receive education up to the age of 16. Exclusion is therefore meant to be temporary, and the Education Department – in conjunction with other Agencies – has a range of strategies to deal with these learners, with the aim of enabling the learners to return to school and continue to receive an education that will equip them into the future.

 

Could you outline all the strategies available in Gwynedd to deal with these young people; and provide data to show a) the scale of the problem, and b) how effective the current provision is?

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Dewi Jones

 

He responded by noting that he shared the concerns and that there was unacceptable and concerning behaviour across the county.  It was expressed that support needed to be given to the children who are unable to cope at school for various reasons, but it was emphasised that these are a small number. He highlighted that there was some positivity, with the numbers being excluded decreasing and that the department's new way of looking at inclusion had contributed to this. He drew attention to the two centres which are in Llanwnda and in Dyffryn Nantlle to support the young people. It was explained that 220 young people were open to services, and that more cases had been closed this year than had been opened. It was noted that the problem was far from being resolved but that it was going in the right direction.

 

⁠⁠Supplementary Question from Councillor Jina Gwyrfai

 

She thanked the member for the answer, but she had one minor thing to raise, the children who are on a part-time timetable – she asked what happened during the rest of the time and who was responsible for their care while a parent had to work.

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Dewi Jones

 

It was noted that a number of services were available and that each case was treated individually. It was reiterated that workers were working with children and families to find the appropriate solution to the individual case. It was reiterated that cases sometimes took time to ensure the children were back in school full time.

 

(2)       Question by Councillor Rhys Tudur

 

Housing Associations have recently obtained or are seeking permission for the erection of an unprecedented number of houses in individual applications in the villages of Dwyfor, Botwnnog (18), Trefor (20), Nefyn (20), Chwilog (25), Yy Ffôr (27), Abererch (24), in the face of local opposition of developments that are beyond a scale that is suitable for the size of the villages and which double the number of social housing there overnight and challenge the viability of the Welsh language. Is there any evidence to show that the Council is now listening and that it is not completely deaf to those local voices, particularly when the community councils have opposed the applications and when petitions with over 150 names have been collected?

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, Councillor Paul Rowlinson

 

The planning committee is required to make decisions within a legal framework. This means determining applications in accordance with the development plan unless material planning considerations indicate otherwise.  It must also be ensured that these findings are reasonable and have a clear evidence base. 

 

The number or origin of support or opposition is not in itself a relevant planning consideration.  

 

However, full consideration will be given to relevant planning considerations that emerge from comments received in response to consultations on planning applications, including observations form the public, the Community Council and other consultees.  

 

Affordable housing developments are a key part of the Council's Housing Action Plan which has been approved by the Cabinet, with the aim of developing 700 affordable homes by the end of the 2020/21-2028/29 Plan's life. Gwynedd was in a housing crisis, and affordable housing developments were responding to the significant need that had been identified across the county, with 4,107 individuals currently on the housing register. 

 

The Council is successful in attracting around £13m of grant funding each year, which enables the Council to provide housing options to those in need of a home by working closely with the Housing Associations as part of the Council's successful Housing Partnership. 

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Rhys Tudur

 

Given that Welsh is a minority language which is under pressure from the most powerful language in the world and that building estates of 15 - 20 houses at a time in small villages is too much of a challenge to the viability of the Welsh language, on the ability to linguistically scrutinise, and that the percentage of Welsh speakers in the county has fallen at the same time as the Local Development Plan and that Community Council petitions unanimously oppose and voice the linguistic concern. Are we saying that the views of the petitioners, Community Councils and local Councillors are all completely wrong and irrelevant, or will the Council ensure that we obtain language data for waiting lists and that we want to change the Development Plan so that 15 - 20 houses can be built in small villages only in extremely exceptional circumstances. 

           

Response from the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, Councillor Paul Rowlinson. 

 

He replied by emphasising that the council's actions were based on facts and evidence, and that Councillors had a role to show leadership to express the facts to the public so that public opinion was based on firm foundations. It was expressed that many people do not want to have social housing in their areas but the Council had a duty to meet the need, and there are over 4 thousand people on social housing waiting lists. It was noted that the Local Development Plan identifies the number of people staying in each area, and that there has been a positive linguistic impact to date because of the Housing Development Plan. It was added that a report that went to the Language Committee showed that there was a higher percentage of Welsh speakers in the new estates compared to surrounding communities. It was noted that questions about language cannot be asked as part of the process of allocating housing in accordance with regulations. Pride was expressed to see new leadership in the Welsh Government who will hopefully legislate to have a home for all and build thousands of new social housing to tackle the housing crisis.

 

(3)       Question by Councillor Gruffydd Williams

 

Following the fact that article 4 was quashed by a court because of what was ruled as misleading content from this Council, I previously asked whether this Council was going to apologise to campaigners who fought so hard to get article 4 in force, and there was no apology. The Council's right of appeal has now been refused. Therefore, is the Council finally going to apologise to the campaigners for article 4, patriots, linguists and taxpayers, following the fact that it is now clear that a shortcoming in the key paperwork caused Article 4 to be quashed and that a sum of money of over half a million has been wasted.

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Craig ab Iago

 

He thanked him for the question and noted that he had not changed his mind.  He guided the members along the journey in terms of Article 4 from the first stages of creating a report from internal work looking at the impact of second homes and empty properties, to a public campaign that had highlighted the problem further, to the Article coming into force, to a legal challenge, to losing the legal challenge and to losing the appeal. It was highlighted that the Judge had noted that the documents submitted were not sufficiently clear and explicit and therefore the decision was quashed. It was reiterated that the decision was not due to a lack of evidence or the local need for action but was rather the definition and use of words that gave rise to the decision.

 

He expressed that he would not apologise and that he did not understand who would help him. 

 

 

Supplementary Question from Councillor Gruffydd Williams

 

Given the response and the continuing inability to apologise and also the significant financial waste that arose as a result of the papers being judged as misleading, the Council's failure to formally state exactly where the failure in the oversight process had occurred and what level of organisational oversight should have ensured the accuracy of the papers in order to prevent this waste from occurring and as the court of appeal and the high court had ruled against the Council in this matter, and that the cabinet member's reply was reluctant to focus on the Council's facts. Does he believe that the courts' ruling was wrong, that the Council knows better than the judge, if he doesn't believe this, then when will he apologise?

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Craig ab Iago

 

It was expressed that it was not part of his job to disagree with the Judge, but his job was to help local people to live in their communities. As a Cabinet member at the time, he was aware of the decision but the Judge’s opinion disagreed. He stated that apologising did not assist anyone and believed that it was not a waste of time as he was here to assist people to live in their communities, to be innovative and to prioritise local needs.