Agenda item
To consider
the report of the Senior Manager - Economy and Community
Minutes:
An initial report was submitted by the Cabinet Member, outlining the effect of cuts approved by the Full Council (March 2016) on the budgets to manage Blue Flag and Green Flag beaches. The anticipated implications were highlighted, but because the cuts had not been fully implemented, it was difficult to provide a detailed report on the effect
thus far. Although it was possibly premature to discuss the impact during the transitional period, it was accepted that there
was a need to hold a discussion and keep an eye
on the possible effect.
In response to the report,
a request was made to consider the situation at Morfa
Nefyn and Nefyn as they were no
longer protected. The Local Councillor noted that the Community Council do not have the
expertise to accept responsibility and it was highlighted that the Community Council considered giving the leasehold back to the Crown.
During the ensuing discussion,
the following comments were highlighted regarding the beaches of Morfa Nefyn
and Nefyn:
·
If the Community
Council and Gwynedd Council were
not going to protect these beaches, who would take
the responsibility?
·
The Crown Estate would have
to be persuaded to accept responsibility
·
What arrangements were in place
before responsibility was relinquished?
·
Would it be possible to propose alternative plans?
In response to the comments,
it was accepted that the situation at Morfa Nefyn
and Nefyn was difficult and a discussion needed to be held with the landowners to ensure access control
to the beach. It was noted that the Council possibly had been too eager in
the past to accept responsibility
over the management of the beaches, but by
now in the context of cuts, it would be timely
to hold discussions with the landowners and to highlight to them their responsibility
and legal status.
Should Nefyn Town Council surrender its leasehold, its responsibility as an entity
would decrease, and the responsibility would rest with
the Crown Estate.
The
Senior Manager highlighted that he would
convey the Scrunity Committee's concerns to the Crown Estate in
a meeting in February.
The following comments on the content the report in general
were highlighted:
·
Concern regarding public safety
·
Needed to manage access to the beaches for machinery / boats
·
The beaches were one of the County's main assets and therefore they
needed to be safeguarded
·
The burden of responsibility on the Community Councils
·
Ethical responsibility although it was not statutory
·
What are the responsibilities of the beach wardens?
·
Were any lifeguards being employed?
·
Important to include volunteers in beach protection
arrangements
·
Need to allow local people to participate
·
What is the future of
the Blue Banner?
In response to the comments
above, the Senior Manager emphasised that the proposals were not ones the Department wished to implement, but that they
were part of the Gwynedd Challenge arrangements. He explained that the situation was a very complex one and
that the cuts had been implemented within a very tight
schedule and that the factors were very different
for every area. In situations
where the arrangements had
not been confirmed, it was noted that
some local establishments showed an interest and
it would therefore be possible to consider suitable models.
In response to a comment
about the future of the
Blue Banner, it was highlighted that a number of external factors influenced this, such as
the quality of the water which is beyond the Council's control. It was noted that
there were increasing requirements on making an
application and there was no guarantee
or assurance on the success of the applications from year to year. It
was highlighted that applications were submitted under the usual procedure with the increasing requirements making the situation difficult.
The recommendation to accept the report as an
initial report was proposed and seconded,
and to re-visit the situation after the cuts were fully
implemented.
An amendment to the proposal
of accepting the initial report was made, but further consideration
needed to be given to the
Morfa Nefyn and Nefyn beaches
A further amendment to the proposal of accepting the initial report was made, but there
was concern regarding the
Morfa Nefyn and Nefyn beaches. A request to the Department was made to urgently discuss the way forward with
the Cabinet Member before
the holiday term, and carry out a review
of these beaches.
RESOLVED to accept
the initial report, and the following observations were suggested:
- That there is concern regarding the beaches of Morfa
Nefyn and Nefyn
-
A request to the Cabinet Member to urgently discuss this unique
situation with the Economy Department before the holiday term
-
To receive a report at the end of the holiday term on the full effects.
Supporting documents: