Venue: Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH. View directions
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence Additional documents: Minutes: Councillors Craig ab Iago, Endaf Cooke, Trevor Edwards, Jean Forsyth,
Chris Hughes, Dyfrig Jones, Mair Rowlands, Gareth Thomas, Eirwyn Williams,
Gethin Glyn Williams and John Wyn Williams. |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council
held on 8 October, 2015 be signed as a true record. (attached) Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman
signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the Council held on 8 October
2015 as a true record. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Additional documents: Minutes: Members had received a briefing note from the Monitoring Officer in
advance regarding the following matters:- Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2016/17 (item 9 on the agenda) Council Tax: Discretion to allow discounts - 2016/17 (item 10 on the
agenda) Review of Statement of Licensing Policy - Licensing Act 2003 (item 11
on the agenda) Oral
guidance was given to the members regarding the following item:- The Future of S4C (item 14 on the agenda). (1) Councillor Linda Wyn Jones declared an
interest in item 9 on the agenda – The Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2016/17 -
because she ran Cwmni Seren, which received a council tax reduction. The member was of the opinion that it
was a prejudicial interest and she withdrew from the meeting during the
discussion of the item. (2) The following members declared a personal
interest in eitem 10 on the agenda - Council Tax Discretionary Powers to Allow
Discounts - 2016/17 for the reasons noted:- ·
Councillor
Mandy Williams-Davies - because her husband owned an empty property via an
inheritance. ·
Councillor
Wyn Williams - because he was joint owner of an empty property in Talafon, Abersoch.
·
Councillor
Linda Wyn Jones - because she ran Cwmni Seren, which received a council tax
reduction. ·
Councillor
Dyfrig Siencyn - because he owned an empty property. ·
Councillor
Beth Lawton - because she intended to submit an application for Council Tax
discount next year as she is now the only adult residing at the property. The members were
of the opinion that they were prejudicial interests, and they withdrew from the
meeting during the discussions on the item. ·
Councillor
Gwen Griffith - because she was the Chair of Mantell Gwynedd, who represented
organisations that were applying for a Council tax discount as they were
charities. The member was of
the opinion that it was not a prejudicial interest and she participated fully
in the discussion on the item. (3)
The following members declared a personal interest in item 11 on the agenda –
Review of Statement of Licensing Policy - Licensing Act 2003; for the reasons
noted:- ·
Councillor
Selwyn Griffiths - because he was on the Canolfan Porthmadog management body. ·
Councillor
Ioan Thomas - because he was a director of a building that had a licence to
sell alcohol ·
Councillor
Peredur Jenkins - because he was
Chairman of Dolgellau Rugby Club. ·
Councillor
Aled Wyn Jones - because he was a director of the Tŵr Licensed Club,
Trefor. ·
Councillor
Stephen Churchman - because he was the Chairman of the Garndolbenmaen Village
Hall Committee. ·
Councillor
Sion Jones - because he was the Chairman of Bethel Village Hall. ·
Councillor
Aeron Jones - because he was a member of the Felinwnda Village Hall Committee. ·
Councillor
Eric Merfyn Jones - because he was a member of the Groeslon Village Hall
Committee. ·
Councillor
Jason Humphreys - because he was a member of the Canolfan Porthmadog Management
Committee. ·
Councillor
Linda Wyn Jones - because she ran a hotel that was licensed. · Councillor John Brynmor Hughes - because he ... view the full minutes text for item 3. |
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THE CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS To receive any Chairman’s announcements. Additional documents: Minutes: (1) Welcome Councillors
Aled Wyn Jones, Gareth Anthony Roberts and Hefin Underwood were welcomed to
their first meeting of the Council. Councillors
Louise Hughes, Linda Morgan and Peter Read were welcomed back after recent ill
health. (2) Congratulations The
Meirionnydd Young Farmers were congratulated for holding the National Young Farmers
Eisteddfod in Aberystwyth this year. The Meirionnydd and Eryri
Young Farmers were congratulated for coming joint second and everyone was
thanked for their hard work on behalf of the County's youth. |
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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 |
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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 |
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QUESTIONS To consider any questions the appropriate notice for which
have been given under Section
4.19 of the Constitution. Additional documents: Minutes: The
Chairman noted that he would encourage members, should they wish to receive
information only, to consult the departments directly. . (1) Question from Councillor Eryl Jones-Williams (The member
explained that the One Voice Wales committee had asked him to ask the question
because they had been unable to obtain information from the Council). "Does the Highway Authority realise what effect its new policy has
in asking community and town councils to take over and / or pay for filling the
salt bins in their wards?" Response from Councillor John Wynn Jones, Cabinet
Member for the Environment (The Cabinet Member's
written response was distributed to the members in advance). "As the councillor has explained why he is asking the question, I
would suggest that he could have contacted the department and he would have
received the same explanation that is in the written response. This is part of
the efficiency savings agreed in December 2014 and that is something for us to
consider." A supplementary question from Councillor Eryl
Jones-Williams "Will you
reconsider this and have a proper discussion with the councils?" Response from Councillor John Wynn Jones, Cabinet
Member for the Environment "We as a
Department have sent a letter to every community, town and parish council, and
have asked them to consider this and get back to us. That is something that
they can always do and is always open to them and I'm pleased to say that many
community councils have taken advantage of this and have come back to us and
discussion has taken place. Therefore, we encourage every member here who is a
member of a community council to do the same, so that they go back to the
Highways Department and voice their opinion. Some have done that already and
have discussed it intensively. This means that we are going to save £100,000 a
year, which is not an insubstantial sum and I would suggest that is the way
forward." (2) Question from Councillor Sion Jones "What
is the current situation with regard to keeping the Aber Bridge, Caernarfon
open?" Response from Councillor John Wynn Jones, Cabinet
Member for the Environment (The Cabinet Member's
written response was distributed to the members in advance). A supplementary question by Councillor Sion Jones "Can you confirm,
if this bridge is transferred to the Harbour Trust, that the conditions would
remain the same, that the staff would be safe in their work and that the Trust
would not charge a toll on the bridge?" Response from Councillor John Wynn Jones, Cabinet
Member for the Environment "Unfortunately, discussions are ongoing, and at present I can't offer the member any guarantees at all. All I can say is that this is one of up to fifty things that are under consideration with the Gwynedd Challenge. I'm very happy that he is showing such an interest in the Gwynedd Challenge and this matter and I hope that he will show the same interest in almost fifty other things that we are ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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IMPLEMENTING THE SOCIAL SERVICES AND WELL-BEING ACT To receive
a presentation by the Cabinet Member for Care. Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet Member for
Adults and Health set the context by explaining that
the purpose of this item was to raise awareness regarding the Social Services and Well-being Act which would come into
force in April 2016. He noted that the act was very broad and included
extremely important principles, but that he intended
to focus on just one element
of the field at this meeting, namely the work of supporting people with learning
disabilities. The Head of the Adults,
Health and Well-being Department gave an introduction
to the act and regarding implementing the act, and noted:- ·
That the act responded to huge
demographic changes and the increasing demand on care
services in a period when the financial squeeze was extremely challenging. ·
That this was
the kind of change that only happened
in a generation as the changes were so fundamental
and far-reaching, but that it
offered many opportunities to look again at the kind of services that were
offered by the Council and its
partners. ·
That one significant change was the voice and control
that the act offered by putting individuals'
needs and wishes at the heart of the everything. ·
That there was also an emphasis
on prevention, early intervention, joint-producing as well as multi-agency elements. ·
That all of these changes
involved a considerable change in culture
and that it would take
time to reach the aim and expectations
that the Government had of us. ·
That the aim of the item
was presenting a video to
the members of the daily work of the Arfon Community Scheme in Frondeg,
as an example
of work that tied in with
the principles and spirit of the new act, but that also
highlighted that there was a lot of catching up to do in other
settings. ·
That he was happy to welcome Andrew Guy, Day Care Supervisor at Frondeg, his colleagues, and users of the service to the meeting. ·
That there was a need for members to be aware of the changes and the impact in terms of the services and reference
was made to a training session organised for them at Ysbyty Alltwen on the morning of 21 January. As senior manager, with responsibility for the specific field that was addressed in the video, the Senior Operational Manager gave a background of the work and the idea behind
it. Then, Councillor Lesley Day said a few words about
her own experience when the video had been shown at a conference in Caernarfon, noting that she
had made a request for the video to be presented to the Full Council. Following the film, the Chairman thanked Andrew Guy and the team at the Community Scheme for all of their work. During the discussion:- ·
Great appreciation
and admiration of the team's work was expressed. · It was noted, although it ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
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COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME 2016/17 PDF 145 KB To consider the report of the Head of
Finance (attached). Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing, Customer
Care and Libraries, Deprivation and Equality asking the Council to confirm the continuation of the current Local Scheme for
providing assistance towards paying Council Tax for
the year commencing 1 April 2016. RESOLVED (a)
To continue to implement the Council's Local Scheme for
the year commencing 1 April 2016 as it was in
2015/16. Therefore
the following conditions (i
- iii below) regarding the continuation of the
discretionary elements would apply: (i)
To implement
a 100% disregard for war disablement pensions, and war widow pensions
for both pensioners and working age claimants.
(ii) Not to increase the extended reduction periods for pensioners and working age
claimants from the standard four weeks
in the Prescribed Scheme. (iii) Not to increase the backdate period for pensioners
and working age claimants from
the standard three months contained within the Prescribed Scheme. (b)
Where appropriate, to delegate powers to the Head of Finance Department, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, Customer
Care and Libraries, Deprivation and Equality, to make minor amendments to the scheme for 2016/17, on the condition that it will not change
the substance of the scheme. |
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COUNCIL TAX: DISCRETIONARY POWERS TO ALLOW DISCOUNTS - 2016/17 PDF 193 KB To consider the report of the Head of
Finance (attached). Additional documents: Minutes: Submitted – the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources, requesting formal confirmation for 2016/17 of previous decisions not to allow any discounts
for second homes and to disallow
discounts on empty properties. RESOLVED (a) That Gwynedd Council, for 2016/17, allows NO discount under Section 12 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992
to the two classes of second homes (classes
A and B) as defined in the Council Tax (Prescribed
Class of Dwellings) Regulations (Wales) 1998. (b) That Gwynedd Council, for 2015/16, allows NO discount in respect of empty
properties (class C). |
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REVIEW OF STATEMENT OF LICENSING POLICY - LICENCING ACT 2003 PDF 70 KB To consider
the report of the Head of Regulatory Department (attached). Additional documents:
Minutes: Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources requesting
that the Council adopted the new statement of Licensing Policy, in accordance
with Section 5 of the Licensing Act 2003. During the discussion:- ·
It was asked if there were additional
fees that very large events
had to pay, also referred to
eisteddfodau (page 24 of the policy). The Cabinet Member responded that the fee levels had been adapted for
the individual counties, but he could
get back to the member on this
specific point. ·
It was noted that the policy did not address concern regarding the cost for taxpayers as
a result of a lack of management on the sale of alcohol in our towns and
communities and it was noted that
is was important that the message was passed on to those drawing
up this legislation.
The Cabinet Member replied that the draft policy had been approved by the Licensing Committee and that every
license application to sell alcohol has been considered according to its merit by the appropriate
sub-committee.
·
The unit's staff were thanked for
all their hard work during the past months. RESOLVED to adopt the new Statement
of Licensing Policy. |
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THE COUNCIL'S POLITICAL BALANCE PDF 222 KB To consider the report of the Head of Democratic Services
(attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The Head of Democratic Services set the context, and explained:- ·
That the report that was before the council this
time was a little different from usual because the Plaid Cymru group had a
clear majority on the Council. ·
By fully implementing the rules pertaining to
political balance, the Plaid Cymru Group would have the right to have a
majority on every individual committee, but it was agreed at a meeting of the
Business Group that the focus should be on expertise and experience, rather
than implementing the rules rigidly in every case. ·
As a result, the recommendations in the report
included three committees where the Plaid Cymru Group did not have a majority,
namely the Corporate Scrutiny Committee, the Employment Appeals Committee and
the Special Educational Needs Joint Committee. ·
In order to approve the recommendations, and that
because the rules were not being fully implemented, the Council would have to
approve them unopposed. Otherwise,
revised figures would have to be submitted to the Council which would mean that
the Independent, Llais Gwynedd and Labour groups would further lose out on some
committees. He further noted:- ·
A notice was received during the meeting that
Councillor Louise Hughes was joining the Independent Group and the groups were
urged to present these types of notices far earlier in future. ·
That the result of the change in the political
balance and the report's recommendations were that the Independent Group had
gained two seats, one on the Communities Scrutiny Committee and the other on
the Central Licensing Committee, and that at the expense of the individual
members, but as Councillor Louise Hughes was the individual member on both of
the committees in question, it did not involve any further changes to those
committees. The Leader gave a further explanation, and noted:- ·
That every member, across all of the political groups,
had a contribution to make with only 16 months remaining until the next local
government elections, and it was agreed that the culture of collaborating and
seeing contributions from across the political spectrum should continue. ·
This meant that there was more pressure on all
members to attend meetings. ·
That
there was a need to look again at the seats of the Pensions Committee as a
member of the Labour Group who would be losing his seat on the committee had
received training in the field. A registered vote was called for on the proposal. In accordance with Procedural Rules, the following vote was recorded on
the motion:- In favour of the motion: (48) Councillors Stephen Churchman, Annwen Daniels, Anwen Davies, Lesley Day, Gwynfor Edwards, Dyfed Edwards, Elwyn Edwards, Thomas Ellis, Alan Jones Evans, Aled Evans, Gweno Glyn, Simon Glyn, Gwen Griffith, Selwyn Griffiths, Alwyn Gruffydd, Siân Gwenllian, Annwen Hughes, John Brynmor Hughes, Louise Hughes, Sian Wyn Hughes, Peredur Jenkins, Aeron M.Jones, Aled Wyn Jones, Anne Lloyd Jones, Brian Jones, Charles W.Jones, Eric Merfyn Jones, John Wynn Jones, Sion Wyn Jones, Eryl Jones-Williams, Beth Lawton, June Marshall, Dafydd Meurig, Dilwyn Morgan, Linda Morgan, Dewi Owen, Michael ... view the full minutes text for item 12. |
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NON-ATTENDANCE OF A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL PDF 213 KB To consider
the report of the Head of Democratic Services
(attached). Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman
noted that there was no need
for the Council to discuss this item
as the member in question, namely
Councillor Peter Read, had been
able to be present at the meeting. |
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THE FUTURE OF S4C To consider
the Council’s response to the Chancellor’s recent announcement. Additional documents: Minutes: The meeting was chaired by the Vice-chairman, Councillor Eric
Merfyn Jones, during the discussion on this item,
because of the interests of
the Chairman. Considered - the Council's response
to the announcement in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement that the part of S4C's budget that came from
the Department for Culture, Media and Sport would
be reduced by 26%, from £6.7m to £5m by 2019/20. The Leader set the context by suggesting
that a letter along the following lines be sent to Edward Vaizey,
MP, Westminster Government's
Minister for Culture, Media and Sport:- "As well as being
an organisation that is essential for the growth of the Welsh language, S4C has also made a key
contribution to Gwynedd's economy for over
thirty years. Gwynedd Council wishes to voice its strong opposition
to the recent cut to the budget
that S4C receives from the Westminster Government. We also urge the Government,
the Minister, Edward Vaizey,
and the BBC's trustees, to come to an early agreement
on the funding that S4C receives from the licensing fee. It would not be acceptable to cut the sum that S4C currently receives from the licensing fee and
a financial commitment should be given to the channel that corresponds
with the BBC's new charter." The suggestion was welcomed and the wording of the proposed letter was approved, with two additions:- ·
It should be noted that, as well being
an organisation that was essential for the growth of the Welsh language, it was also essential for the sustainability of our Welsh-language communities. ·
It should be noted that broadcasting was not a field that was devolved at present, but the opinion of this Council was that broadcasting should be devolved as a policy matter
to be decided upon by Welsh Government. RESOLVED
to send a letter to Edward Vaizey, MP, along the lines noted above.
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NOTICES OF MOTION Additional documents: |
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Notice of Motion by Councillor Mandy Williams-Davies In accordance
with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Mandy
Williams-Davies will propose
as follows:- “Gwynedd
Council acknowledges the constructive relationship and the contribution made by
the Unions and their members in the workforce and their commitment to offering
a high standard of public service. We therefore oppose the trade union bill
tabled recently. The bill involves introducing a higher ballot threshold for
industrial action; tightening the control over picketing, social communication
and the way union subscriptions are collected.
This
Council considers that such control undermines the civil rights of our workers
in the fields of health, education and core public services as the UK has some
of the strictest Trade Union laws in the world. I
call upon Gwynedd Council to write to our Members of Parliament and Assembly
Members stating our opposition to the bill.” Additional documents: Minutes: (a) The following notice of motion was submitted by Councillor
Mandy Williams-Davies, in accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution and it was seconded. "Gwynedd Council acknowledges the constructive relationship and the contributions made by the Unions
and their members in the workforce and their
commitment to offering a high standard of public service. We therefore oppose the trade union bill tabled recently.
The bill involves introducing
a higher ballot threshold for industrial
action; tightening the control
over picketing, social communication and the way union subscriptions are collected. The Council considers that such control
undermines the civil rights of our workers
in the fields of health, education and core public
services as the U.K. has some of the strictest Trade Union laws in the world.
I call on Gwynedd Council to write to our Members
of Parliament and Assembly Members stating our opposition
to the bill." The motion was supported. It was noted that workers'
rights were undermined excessively and it was proposed
and seconded to strengthen the second paragraph by adapting
the wording as follows:- "The Council considers that such control
undermines the civil rights of our workers
in the fields of health, education and core public
services and undermines the principle of collective bargaining, which is one of the foundational aims of the Trade Union movement in the U.K., which has some of the strictest Trade Union laws in the world." The proposer of the original motion agreed to amend the proposal on the lines noted
with the consent of the Council and the seconder. A vote was taken on the amended motion, and it
was carried. RESOLVED to accept the original motion, adjusted as follows:- "Gwynedd Council acknowledges the constructive relationship and the contributions made by the Unions
and their members in the workforce and their
commitment to offering a high standard of public service. We therefore oppose the trade union bill tabled recently.
The bill involves introducing
a higher ballot threshold for industrial
action; tightening the control
over picketing, social communication and the way union subscriptions are collected. The Council
considers that such control undermines
the civil rights of our workers in
the fields of health, education and core
public services and undermines the principle of collective bargaining, which is one of the foundational aims of the Trade Union movement in the U.K., which has some
of the strictest Trade
Union laws in the world. I call on Gwynedd Council to write to our Members
of Parliament and Assembly Members stating our opposition
to the bill." |
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Notice of motion by Councillor Sian Gwenllian In accordance with
the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of the Constitution,
Councillor Siân Gwenllian will
propose as follows:- “This
Council expresses its fierce opposition to the Treasury’s monetary policies
because they hit the most needy, destroy public services and force us like
every Council to make dire cuts which will also have a significant impact on
the local economy. The cuts are not Gwynedd Council cuts, they are the Tories’
cuts; we oppose the ideology that drives the cuts, but we are trying to act as
fairly and transparently as possible under atrocious circumstances. Despite
this, we remain ambitious for the county and eager to generate future success.” Additional documents: Minutes: (b) The following notice of motion was submitted by Councillor
Siân Gwenllian, in accordance
with Section 4.20 of the Constitution and it was seconded. “This Council expresses its fierce opposition to the Treasury's
financial policies because they hit the most needy, destroy public services and
force us like every Council to make dire cuts which will also have a
significant impact on the local economy. These cuts are not Gwynedd Council's
cuts but they are the Tories' cuts; we oppose the ideology that drives the
cuts, but we are trying to act as fairly and as transparently as possible under
atrocious circumstances. Despite this, we remain ambitious for the county and
eager to generate future successes." The motion was supported. During the discussion:- ·
The Cabinet Member for Resources referred
to the Minister's announcement
the previous day regarding the 2016/17 settlement,
emphasising that there was no room
to delight in the situation as the Council faced a 2% cut in its 2016/17 budget, and therefore
continued to be in a situation of having to find around £7m of cuts in the next
year. ·
To the contrary, it was noted that
the Minister had stated, despite the horrific cuts by the Westminster
Government, that the settlement for councils would not be as bad as predicted
and it was largely hoped that
Education, Social Services and other departments
across the Council would not be facing as much of a cut. ·
It was suggested that
the previous day's figure was not the important one, rather the cumulative figure, and that
local government had received a 16% cut to its budget in 2009. ·
It was noted, as well as cuts, that
the Council was facing big changes, such as
the arrival of Inclusive
Credit. An amendment to add to the motion was proposed and seconded, stating
that the Council also condemned the U.K. Government for being able to find
funding for bombs and aircraft
for warfare while arguing that
there was no funding available for public services.
The proposer of the original motion agreed to amend the proposal on the lines noted
with the consent of the Council and the seconder. During the discussion:- ·
It was noted that the discussion had become very broad
and it would
have been better if the entire
matter of the impact of the
settlement had been raised as an
urgent matter under item 6 of the agenda. ·
It was expressed that
the addition to the proposal
clouded the whole issue and that
it was not possible to couple both things
together in one proposal. ·
It was suggested that
the addition was valid as it was simply
a statement in principle, which condemned arming and spending on
weapons of war. A vote was taken on the amended motion, and it
was carried. RESOLVED to accept the original motion, adjusted as follows:- “This Council expresses its ... view the full minutes text for item 15b |