Agenda item

To consider any questions the appropriate notice for which have been given under Section 4.19 of the Constitution.

(The Cabinet Members' written responses to the questions had been distributed to the members in advance).

 

(1)     Question by Councillor Annwen Hughes

         

"Following the recent announcement that harm will be caused to the agriculture industry and the rural economy if county councils continue to sell their stock of farms, I hereby ask you today for certainty that this Council is not considering selling the small-holdings in its ownership?"

 

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

 

"This Small-holding Estate gives us power over the shaping of the economy, the environment and the language in these areas, therefore, there is no intention to do so at all."

 

Supplementary Question by Councillor Annwen Hughes

 

"Could you tell us how much income the Council makes from these small-holdings annually?"

 

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

 

"10 years ago, we were losing £17,000 a year, and last year, I believe we earned £31,000.  This is all down to the good work done by the staff, and I wish to thank them for that."

 

(2)     Question by Councillor Dewi Roberts

         

"What plans have been provided by the Council regarding Coronavirus and are these plans and information available to staff and councillors?"

 

The member thanked the Chief Executive for sending a message out to the councillors and staff since he had sent in his question. 

 

Response by the Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"This is obviously a very timely question and this is a matter of daily discussion and concern to us.

 

Every Member will now have received a message from the Chief Executive summarising the Council's efforts to prepare and respond to the potential spread of Coronavirus to Gwynedd.   That message emphasises that Public Health Wales is responsible for responding to the virus and that this Council has a supporting role, along with all other local authorities.

 

It is noted that the Council has taken the following steps to date:

 

·         Convened a meeting of heads of department / senior officers from every department in order to coordinate our preparations and response - the group has already met twice and will meet on a weekly basis from now on;

·         Provided guidance for managers in terms of what to do if they receive enquiries about the virus from staff or by members of the public, including a link to Public Health Wales's web pages;

·         Information has been shared with the majority of the Council's staff also - this was done via the managers' network, the intranet, the staff's Facebook group and by displaying posters around work locations. Additional information will be shared if and when it will be published by Public Health Wales.

 

I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to refer you to Public Health Wales's website for the latest advice. The link to that website has been included in the message sent to you by the Chief Executive."

 

Supplementary question by Councillor Dewi Roberts

 

"When will the emergency plan regarding Coronavirus be available, and does the Council have sufficient resources to respond to the situation in the future?"

 

Response by the Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"I have trust in our heads of department to act on this and the Chief Executive can elaborate if he feels the need to do so. I have been involved in discussions between local authorities, via the WLGA, and there is collaboration between councils to understand what each other are doing. It is a new field and questions are arising daily regarding the Council's powers and who takes action etc. One message that I would convey is that we need to follow the expert scientific and medical advice in this situation, and this will be made clear to us. I also understand that Public Health Wales are in daily contact with the Council in order to convey information, and as this develops, we will need to look at the situation. If we are looking at the worst case scenario, ultimately we do not have enough resources, and we will have to do the best with what we have. However, how we will maintain services that are so essential to the most vulnerable people is cause for concern.   Additional financial resources would be of assistance, but ultimately, we probably do not have the human resources to undertake all the work. However, I believe that the message is for us to take things day by day, monitor what we have, the procedures we have and adapt as the disease develops, in the genuine hope that we do not reach the worst extremes. As I said, there is close collaboration going on. Today, I received a poster from one of the heads of department, a poster from Public Health Wales and Welsh Government, and we will share this type of information as it is received."

 

Further response by the Chief Executive

 

"The emergency plan is already available if you wish to see it. I wish to underline that this is an operational plan to respond to a more generic flu pandemic - it does not refer to the Coronavirus - however; we as officers are revisiting it and are testing it against the advice we are receiving from the scientific officers in order to see whether it is going to hold up against what we are expecting. I could make arrangements for you, and for any other member, to receive a copy at any time should you so wish."

 

(3)     Question by Councillor Paul Rowlinson

         

"In December 2017, the Council approved the following motion:

 

"RESOLVED that Gwynedd Council calls for arrangements to be made for Welsh history to be given priority in history lessons in all schools in Wales. The current situation of basic failings in teaching our own history and identity is unacceptable. The development of the Successful Future curriculum is an opportunity to rectify this step and there will be a need to develop bilingual essential resources to enable teachers to teach Welsh history to the children. We therefore call upon Welsh Government to take the necessary steps, including developing bilingual resources, to correct this failing without delay."

 

Can the Cabinet Member for Education give us an update on what our Director of Education is doing and what GwE is doing to ensure that Welsh history is given the place it deserves in the new curriculum that is being developed and that appropriate resources, in Welsh and English, are developed at the right time to allow this to happen?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Cemlyn Williams

 

"I welcome the comments and the question, and agree entirely that Welsh history should be given priority in history lessons in all schools in Wales.  

 

I note, however, in response to the consultation on the new curriculum, a more general concern about the lack of a bilingual workforce, and that it will not be possible to teach Welsh history unless we have an adequate number of Welsh-medium teachers to teach, and to ensure that we assist Welsh Government in its aim of reaching a million Welsh-speakers by 2050 through the education system.

 

We are very fortunate in Gwynedd that we have an able, bilingual workforce within the education system; a workforce which is eager to uphold a sense of Welshness and an awareness of Welsh history and identity among our children and young people.

 

The Language Charter started here in Gwynedd with a strong desire to promote the Welsh language and identity among our children and to raise awareness of our culture and history and to encourage and raise the confidence of our children to speak Welsh.

 

I hope to see Welsh history becoming a core part of the new curriculum when it comes into force, and I look forward to the continuation of the hard work of our schools’ workforce to ensure Welshness and an awareness of Welsh identity, history and heritage amongst our children and young people.”

 

Supplementary question by Councillor Paul Rowlinson

 

"Do you agree with the Assembly's Committee for Culture, the Welsh Language and Communication that guidance should be included which identifies a general body of information for all pupils who are studying history, and will you be pressing on the Minister to accept this important recommendation, and also seeking support from other education authorities and the WLGA?

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Cemlyn Williams

 

"It is explicitly clear to me that the Minister does not appreciate Welsh history, and I intend to write to the Minister and take account of the member's comments."

 

(4)     Question by Councillor Gareth Jones

         

"Each year, Gwynedd Council sends an 'Annual Household Enquiry' form to every home for the resident to check that the names of voting-age people living in the house are accurate. Under the heading 'Nationality', the word 'British' is printed.  Therefore, every year, the residents of Gwynedd must accept 'Prydeinig / British' or pay a fine of £1,000. According to many constituents who have contacted me, it is about time this unpopular imposition is changed and that a choice is offered to people rather than forcing everyone to slavishly accept the label of 'British'.

 

What steps is the innovative and inclusive Gwynedd Council taking to ensure that the current system is changed and to recognise and respect the range of people living in Gwynedd by giving the citizens a choice to state their identity as Welsh / British / Scottish / French / Irish / ......... ? "

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, Councillor Nia Jeffreys

    

"The Electoral Registration Officer, a statutory post held by the Chief Executive, undertakes the annual statutory canvass for electoral registration. This is achieved through the Elections Team in the Legal Services. As part of the process, a Household Enquiry From is presented to every residential property in Gwynedd, noting what is included on the register. The Electoral Registration Officer is not entitled to amend the specific contents of the letter. 'British' is taken straight off the Electoral Register which is reproduced in the form and derives from the statutory definition of nationality.

 

A Notice of Motion was adopted by the Council in October 2015, criticising the form of the letter and asking for a letter to be sent to the Minister for Amending the Constitution at the time, John Penrose MP, requesting for the legislation to be amended. No response to the letter was received. I believe that this is a matter that should be followed up with our Members of Parliament, and I will do this without delay."

 

A supplementary question by Councillor Gareth Jones

 

"Whilst I am grateful to hear that the Council has robust plans to continue to press for changing the old and unacceptable process, what other new plans has the Council and the Cabinet Member with responsibility for equality and equal opportunity within the Council in order to give a voice and right to people who wish to declare, without prejudice, their identity on official forms, and also the right to note 'Wales' as a country on a passport and include the red dragon on driving licences in Wales?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, Councillor Nia Jeffreys

 

"Ultimately, this is another disgraceful symptom of the shortcomings of the British regime that presides over Wales and it is an insult to our people that we have to campaign for such a basic right as the right to note that we are Welsh on official forms. Hopefully we have succeeded, by placing huge pressure on the Office for National Statistics, to see changes in the Census, but how on earth did a body such as the Office for National Statistics believe that it was acceptable in the first place to not give Welsh people the right to note that? It breaks my heart that we have to campaign time and time again in order to be acknowledged, even on a form, by Westminster. Westminster does not work for the people of Wales, and it has never worked for the people of Wales. Thank heavens, the people of Wales, both young and old, across our nation, are waking up to this, however, the only real answer to this insult is independence and that every decision about forms and everything else which affects us in Wales, is made by the people of Wales.   Therefore, the only real answer to this, and the only effective and long-term answer to this, is a free Wales, and I will continue to campaign on this specific point, and more broadly on the point of independence for our nation."

 

(5)     Question by Councillor Menna Baines

         

“Last week, Welsh Government published new population projections per local authority. These suggested that there would only be a small increase, 0.8%, in the population of Gwynedd in the period between 2018 and 2028; and that there would be a reduction of 2.6% in the population of Anglesey in the same period. How does this compare with the projections that form the basis for the Local Development Plan in both counties?”

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Gareth Griffith

 

"When the Joint Local Development Plan (JLDP) was being prepared, estimates based on 2011 applied at the time. These showed that during the period between 2011 and 2026, namely the lifespan of the JLDP, there would be an approximate 5% increase in the population of Gwynedd and an approximate reduction of 0.1% in the population of Anglesey.

 

Consequently, consideration will be given to the latest estimates as part of the JLDP's Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) process which will be published in October 2020. Regardless of the results of the 2020 AMR, based on the requirement to review the Local Development Plan within 4 years of its adoption, a review of the JLDP will be carried out in 2021."