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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH

Contact: Eirian Roberts  01286 679018

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES

To receive any apologies for absence.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillors Louise Hughes, Anne Lloyd Jones, Eric Merfyn Jones, Linda Ann Jones, Beth Lawton, Dewi Owen, Peter Read and Owain Williams.

 

2.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 344 KB

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 14th December, 2017 be signed as a true record. (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 14 December 2017 as a true record.

 

3.

DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Monitoring Officer declared a personal interest in item 9, 'Annual Review - Council's Pay Policy 2018/19' on behalf of the chief officers who were present as the report involved their salaries.

 

He was of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest and, along with the Head of Finance Department and the Head of Corporate Support, the Monitoring Officer left the meeting during the discussion on the item.

 

4.

THE CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

To receive any Chairman’s announcements.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Condolences were extended to Councillor Simon Glyn following the loss of his father.

 

Condolences were also expressed with the families of two staff members, namely:

 

·         Iwan Huws from the Consultancy Department who had died recently following an accident.

·         Daffni Eynon Williams from the Children's Services Department who had died suddenly approximately a fortnight ago.

 

It was also noted that the Council wished to express condolences to everyone in the county's communities who had lost loved-ones recently.

 

The Council stood as a mark of respect.

 

The following were congratulated:

 

·         Councillor Ioan Thomas on becoming a grandfather to a little girl.

·         Sue Owen, Lili Wen florist in Porthmadog, on winning the Welsh Weddings Award Cymru competition for the best florist in North Wales.

 

The members were thanked for their flexibility as a result of having to change the arrangements of this meeting of the Council at short notice and the Council staff who had gone the extra mile to support the county's communities during the recent severe weather were thanked.

 

The members were thanked for agreeing to have their photographs taken to celebrate the fact that today was the International Women's Day.  Everyone was also encouraged to look on social media to see photographs of many famous women from Gwynedd and to join in on the celebrations by nominating more of them.

 

Reference was made to the 'Dathlu ein Cymreictod' video which had been shown to the members before the beginning of the meeting.  It was explained that the Education Department had commissioned the 'Cewri Cymru' work to support the Secondary Language Charter to promote the sense of Welsh identity.

 

 

5.

PRESENTATION OF A PETITION

To note that a request to present a petition has been received from Councillor Cemlyn Williams.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Cemlyn Williams submitted a petition to the Chair on behalf of nearly 300 children and young people of the Caernarfon area, calling on the Council to keep the Penrallt Youth Club open.

 

The Chair thanked the member for the petition, noting that he would refer it to the relevant department.

 

6.

CORRESPONDENCE, COMMUNICATIONS OR OTHER BUSINESS

To receive any correspondence, communications or other business brought forward at the request of the Chairman.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None to note.

7.

URGENT ITEMS

To note any items which are urgent business in the opinion of the Chairman so they may be considered.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None to note.

8.

QUESTIONS

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

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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

 

(1)     Question by Councillor Nia Jeffreys

 

"What steps does Gwynedd Council take to enforce developers who own land or buildings in Gwynedd to look after their sites and keep them tidy and safe?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

"The Council does have some equipment in the toolkit for things like this but, obviously, if we're talking about private land, this would be the owner's responsibility in the long run, but there are some specific tools.  There are public protection powers in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 should anything pose a hazard to health and to be able to do something about it, to enforce.  Also, there are powers under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.  There are enforcement powers if somewhere is very untidy, but I assume that what's probably behind this is the fact that the Member has been concerned about the untidiness of the Colosseum site in Porthmadog and I think, although this is private land, there has been some movement there and things have now been resolved."

 

A supplementary question by Councillor Nia Jeffreys.

 

"What can the Council do about buildings, e.g. the Old Mill building or the Seion Chapel building in my ward where local people are concerned about the public's safety as these buildings attract children and young people into them, and also is there something pro-active that the Council can do with the site, e.g. Tŷ Moelwyn in Porthmadog, to prevent the building from deteriorating to such a state in the first instance, once the Revenue and Customs staff have vacated the building?"

 

Response from the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dafydd Meurig

 

"In terms of safety, ensuring the site's safety is a specific matter for the landowner. The Council can use the discretion of these powers to go after the owner if required, but I think, with many similar matters, it is a matter of contacting the department and I to go after things like this if they arise, but we will definitely do so if there's a problem."

 

(2)     Question from Councillor Sion Jones

 

"What's the Cabinet Member's opinion on the future of our County's community and town councils?"

 

Response from the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn

 

"I'm not sure how much my opinion matters, and I've had an opinion for many years as a member of the Dolgellau Town Council. The answer is there and is legible. There were talks at one point that the Government in Cardiff would place the responsibility of reorganising community councils in the hands of county councils and when I heard this, I was shocked, because I wouldn't wish for the Council to have that responsibility, but then again there is an argument for doing so."

 

A supplementary question by Councillor Sion Jones

 

"Is it time for us as Gwynedd Council to ask for a radical change  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

ANNUAL REVIEW - COUNCIL'S PAY POLICY 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 218 KB

To submit the report of the Deputy Leader (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Deputy Leader submitted a report recommending that the Council approved the Pay Policy Statement for 2018/19.

 

During the discussion, responses were given to questions from members in relation to the Council's attainment in terms of the commitment to pay the living wage to its staff and the logic behind this amendment to the policy for claiming travelling expenses for Officers.  Also, in response to an inquiry, it was confirmed that the amendments to the travelling expenses policy would not affect home carers.

 

RESOLVED to approve the recommendation of the Chief Officer Appointment Committee to adopt the draft Pay Policy Statement for 2018/19 in Appendix 1 of the report.

10.

2018/19 BUDGET AND 2018/19 - 2020/21 FINANCIAL STRATEGY pdf icon PDF 138 KB

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Finance submitted:

 

·         A report recommending a budget for the Council's approval for 2018/19

·         A medium term plan to cope with the financial deficit 2018/19 - 2020/21.

·         The draft decision on the Council Tax based on the Cabinet's recommendation to the Council (based on an increase of 4.8%), along with tables showing the Council Tax level and the increase per community.

 

He thanked all the staff of the Finance Department, under the leadership of the Head of Finance Department, for their thorough work throughout the year in preparing and leading the Council towards establishing a balanced budget.

 

During the discussion the following matters were raised:

 

·         Concern about the under-funding as a result of the Barnett Formula and the need to increase the pressure being but on Welsh Government o have a better financial settlement for Gwynedd.  It was noted that the current situation was unsustainable and it was suggested that this Council should send a letter to Welsh Government to call for a review of the tax system in its entirety. It was also suggested that, in addition to the continuous lobbying by the Leader, Cabinet Members, the Chief Executive and the Head of Finance Department, it would be beneficial to send a delegation of councillors down to Cardiff to meet the Minister. All members were also encouraged to apply pressure on their Assembly Members.

·         The fact that an increase of only 0.6% in the Government Grant had been received for 2018/19, although Welsh Government had received a 2.6% grant increase by Westminster Government, and the need to make it clear to the taxpayers that the Council would not have to increase the Council Tax if it had received a sufficient grant from Welsh Government.

·         Concern about the Government's method of funding education by giving with one hand and taking away with the other, and the lack of consistency between the Minister's messages and what was happening on the ground.

·         The need to put all Gwynedd residents at the centre of every Council service despite the difficult climate.

·         Concern that people found it increasingly difficult to pay the Council Tax and reference was made specifically to the people who were slightly above the threshold to claim Council Tax Support.

·         Concern that more and more holiday home owners would transfer to business rates in order to avoid the Council Tax Premium on their houses.

·         Concern about the impact of the Council Tax Premium on people who were attempting to sell houses inherited by them as a result of a family member's death.

·         A revenue bid to appoint two additional Council Tax inspectors - it was confirmed that the Head of Finance Department would not receive any additional funding for the responsibility of this new task, but that the taxation officer who would be undertaking additional supervision duties would receive a very small increase to reflect this.

·         The need for the Council to look at alternatives ways to increase income, e.g. by charging a fee for services on caravan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

TREASURY MANAGEMENT - TREASURY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY STATEMENT, MINIMUM REVENUE PROVISION STRATEGY AND ANNUAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY FOR 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 211 KB

To submit the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance requesting that the Council adopted the proposed strategy.

 

Referring to the fact that this Council gave loans to local authorities in England, it was asked whether there was a risk that some of those councils could become bankrupt.  In response, the Head of Finance Department explained that these councils were credit-rated and that the risk had been spread widely.  Also, the loans were temporary and it was 'nigh impossible' for a council to become bankrupt because it could charge more tax.

 

RESOLVED to adopt the Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Annual Investment Strategy for 2018/19 (Appendix A of the report), the Prudential Indicators (Appendix B), the Minimum Revenue Provision Statement (Appendix C) and the merger arrangements with the Pension Fund for the investment of daily cash flow.

12.

GWYNEDD COUNCIL PLAN 2018/23 pdf icon PDF 124 KB

To submit the report of the Council Leader  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - the Leader's report inviting the Council to adopt the Gwynedd Council Plan 2017/23.

 

The officers were thanked for all their work in preparing the report.  An apology was expressed that the Corporate Support Department's plan had been left out of the Department's Plan due to an oversight. The members had received a separate copy and the document would be incorporated in the final version of the Council Plan that would be published. Some minor editorial errors would also need to be amended, in addition to adding a paragraph stating that all matters in the plan complied with the Council's Financial Strategy, although it could be impossible to realise all priorities due to the financial context.

 

During the discussion the following matters were raised:

 

·         It was noted that parents had received a text message from a primary school Headteacher after 9am on two occasions recently, saying that the school was closing as they had no gas, and asking them to return to fetch their children. It was asked why the parents were not being informed of situations like this earlier, as the school knew about the gas problem before 9am. The Leader responded that this was a matter for the Governors.

·         It was asked whether the Derwen Team had plans to extend their criteria to ensure that every child with disabilities in Gwynedd could take advantage of the specialist service that they were offering. The Leader noted that he would forward the question to the Team and the member would receive the answer directly.

·         It was asked how much pressure the Council was putting on ensuring an adequate supply of rented housing. The Leader responded that the housing matter was a fundamental priority for him and that discussions had already taken place with housing associations to move this on further. In identifying where there was a need and what the need was, it would be possible to research how the Council could assist the housing associations and he was eager to see buildings up and let. 

·         In response to an enquiry, the Leader noted that this plan was not only a wish list, and that there were many more details available on the individual plans than what was included in the document. It was an action plan and there was development on details.  It would be developed regularly and would possibly change direction.

·         It was asked whether the Planning Department had been contacted regarding Improvement Priority 4 - Ensure a greater supply of suitable housing available to our residents. The Leader responded that the planning policy had been discussed as a completely separate matter. Planning matters impacted matters such as these, but the Council had no choice but to act within its policies. The planning question had arisen in the discussions on economic growth and planning touched upon everything. If the Council's planning policies were too stringent, there was room to also review this and the Joint Planning Policy Committee could look at them.

·         Concern was expressed that local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

REVIEW OF GWYNEDD COUNCIL'S ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS pdf icon PDF 79 KB

To submit the report of the Deputy Leader (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Deputy Leader presented a report inviting the Council to respond to the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission's draft proposals for the review on electoral arrangements for Gwynedd Council.

 

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:

 

·         That the Commission's draft proposals went against the recommendations of this Council and the community councils.

·         Concern about combining some wards - the Chief Executive confirmed that he would present a strong argument to the Commission against two member constituencies.

·         Concern that the timetable for a response to the Commission's draft proposals was very tight.

·         Lack of clarity about what had been agreed about the Abersoch Ward and some other wards and, in light of this, it was suggested to refuse the Commission's report in its entirety. The Chief Exectuvie responded that refusing the report was not an option, and the only other choice was to confirm the original proposals presented before the Commission in June 2017.  However, the recommendation to hold discussions with the local members in the places where the local members considered that it would be prudential to propose an alternative option, would give members in these areas a better outcome.

·         Concern that including Llanfrothen within the Tremadog Ward would mean that the new ward would include parts of four different communities and would bridge the Dwyfor and Meirionnydd areas.

·         Some of the Commission's proposals did not take the natural boundary between wards into consideration.

·         That the Commission's proposal to keep the Dyffryn Ardudwy Ward as it was and to combine the Llanbedr and Harlech Wards was better than what had been originally put forward by the Council, which was to combine Dyffryn Ardudwy with Llanbedr. The Chief Executive responded that if the members felt that some of the Commission's proposals were better than what the Council had presented, that the Council's proposals could not be pushed so strongly, but that the discussion needed to be had.

 

          RESOLVED

(a)     That the Council agrees to respond by re-stating the Council's proposals and pressing on the Commission to accept what was in our original proposals, but authorising the Chief Executive to hold discussions with local members in the places where the local members consider it would be prudential to offer an alternative option, and to authorise the Cabinet to include this alternative option in the formal response if all local members are unanimous in their opinion.

(b)     That the Council authorises the Cabinet to suggest different names for wards to what is in the Commission's proposals, if there is a local desire to do so.

 

 

14.

COMMITTEES CALENDAR 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 298 KB

To submit the report of the Deputy Leader  (attached).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leader submitted the calendar of dates of Council meetings for 2018/19.

 

RESOLVED to adopt the Committees Calendar for 2018/19.

 

15.

NOTICES OF MOTION

Additional documents:

16.

Notice of Motion by Councillor Elin Walker Jones

In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Elin Walker Jones will propose as follows:-

 

“This Council notes that:

 

·         Plastics pollution is a huge environmental problem that is endangering marine life.

·         12.7 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans each year.  This is the equivalent of a truck load of rubbish a minute.

·         Plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals, according to UNESCO.

·         Plastic waste is a blight on Wales’s beautiful landscape, beaches and seas.

 

The Council further notes that:

 

·         Wales’s pioneering implementation of a charge on single use carrier bags (SUCBs) led to a decline of 71% in the use of SUCBs within the first three years of the scheme.

·         International environmental organisations such as Greenpeace have recently called on the Welsh Government to take steps to charge a levy on plastic waste such as coffee cups, which cannot be recycled.

·         The National Assembly for Wales has recently voted in favour of a Plaid Cymru amendment to back plans for a levy on single use plastics in Wales.

 

This Council calls on the Welsh Government:

 

To act as a matter of urgency to implement a levy on single-use plastics in Wales as well as considering to raise a levy on all plastics to help ensure that Welsh seas are clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse.”

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The following notice of motion was submitted by Councillor Elin Walker Jones, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution and it was seconded.

 

"This Council notes that:

 

·         Plastic pollution is an enormous environmental problem which endangers marine life.

·         12.7 million tonnes of plastic goes into our seas each year. This equates to a truck full of waste every minute.

·         Pieces of plastic cause the death of a million sea birds and 100,000 aquatic mammals, according to UNESCO.

·         Plastic waste is a plague on the beautiful landscape, beaches and seas of Wales.

 

The Council further notes that:

 

·         Wales' innovative action to charge a fee on single-use bags has led to a 71% reduction in the use of single-use bags within the first three years of the scheme.

·         International environmental organisations such as Greenpeace had recently called on Welsh Government to take steps to charge a toll on plastic waste such as coffee cups that cannot be recycled.

·         The Assembly has recently voted in favour of Plaid Cymru's amendment to support schemes to charge a toll on single-use plastics in Wales.

 

The Council calls on Welsh Government:

 

To take urgent action to implement a toll on single-use plastics in Wales and also to consider charging a toll on all plastics to ensure that the seas of Wales are healthy, safe, productive and biodiverse."

 

Strong support was expressed to the proposal from many members, and it was proposed to add the following wording to the original proposal:

 

"That we carry out an investigation into Gwynedd Council's use of single-use plastic in order to assess how and where we can reduce this use with the aim of becoming a plastic free council."

 

The proposer of the original proposal agreed to amend the proposal on these grounds with the Council’s consent.

 

Keep Wales Tidy was thanked for organising a session to tidy up the Hell's Mouth Beach recently.

 

RESOLVED

This Council notes that:

 

·         Plastic pollution is an enormous environmental problem which endangers marine life.

·         12.7 million tonnes of plastic goes into our seas each year.  This equates to a truck full of waste every minute.

·         Pieces of plastic cause the death of a million sea birds and 100,000 aquatic mammals, according to UNESCO.

·         Plastic waste is a plague on the beautiful landscape, beaches and seas of Wales.

 

The Council further notes that:

 

·         Wales' innovative action to charge a fee on single-use bags has led to a 71% reduction in the use of single-use bags within the first three years of the scheme.

·         International environmental organisations such as Greenpeace had recently called on Welsh Government to take steps to charge a toll on plastic waste such as coffee cups that cannot be recycled.

·         The Assembly has recently voted in favour of Plaid Cymru's amendment to support schemes to charge a toll on single-use plastics in Wales.

 

This Council calls on Welsh Government:

 

To take urgent action to implement a toll on single-use plastics in Wales and also to consider charging a toll on all plastics  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

17.

RESPONSES TO PREVIOUS NOTICES OF MOTION

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted, for information:

 

(a) A letter from the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth, in response to Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn's notice of motion to the meeting on 14 December 2017, in relation to the situation in Catalonia.

(b) A letter from Welsh Government, in response to Councillor Owain Williams's notice of motion to the meeting on 14 December 2017, in relation to Welsh history education.

(c) A letter from Welsh Government, in response to Councillor Craig ab Iago’s notice of motion to the meeting on 14 December 2017, in relation to Universal Credit.

 

RESOLVED to note the contents of the letters.

 

18.

Response to Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn's Notice of Motion to the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 253 KB

To submit, for information, a letter from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in response to Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn’s notice of motion to the 14th December, 2017 meeting regarding the situation in Catalonia  (attached).

Additional documents:

19.

Response to Councillor Owain Williams' Notice of Motion to the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 285 KB

To submit, for information, a letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Owain Williams’ notice of motion to the 14th December, 2017 meeting regarding the teaching of Welsh history  (attached).

 

Additional documents:

20.

Response to Councillor Craig ab Iago's Notice of Motion to the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 247 KB

To submit, for information, a letter from the Welsh Government in response to Councillor Craig ab Iago’s notice of motion to the 14th December, 2017 meeting regarding Universal Credit  (attached).

 

Additional documents:

Appendices 1-3 pdf icon PDF 72 KB

Additional documents: