Agenda and minutes
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Contact: Lowri Haf Evans Email: lowrihafevans@gwynedd.llyw.cymru 01286 679 878
Media
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies
were received from Councillors Craig ab Iago, Dilwyn Morgan, Mike Stevens and
Glyn Thomas |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest Additional documents: Minutes: None to
note |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any
items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for
consideration. Additional documents: Minutes: None to
note |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee, held
on 19.5.2016 be signed as a true record.
Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, that took place on 19 May 2016, were accepted as a true record subject to amending the attendance of Members in the English version. |
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ANNUAL COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP UPDATE PDF 272 KB Cabinet Member –
Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn Report submitted by Delivery Manager Community Safety Gwynedd and Môn on the strategic
development of the Partnership Additional documents:
Minutes: a)
Dyfrig
Siencyn (Cabinet Member for Community Safety), Catherine Roberts (Delivery
Manager – Gwynedd and Anglesey Community Safety) and Chief Inspector Mark
Armstrong (North Wales Police) were welcomed to the meeting. b)
The Cabinet Member highlighted that the
partnership's work remit was extensive and complex and the main aim was to keep
our communities safe. Attention was
drawn to the report that traced the background of the services and the
resources together with the partnership's work. It was noted that
accountability was challenging as it was necessary to work jointly with the
Local Services Board and the Regional Partnerships. He added that there was
good collaboration with Anglesey. c)
It was explained that the Partnership was required
to formally report to the Committee on an annual basis providing an overview of
the Partnership's main strategic developments over the year together with the
commissioning work that sets the framework for priorities. This ensured that the
Partnership delivered its obligations in accordance with sections of the
Criminal Justice and Police Act 2006. ch) In response to
questions from Members directed to the Partnership following the preparatory
meeting, the following observations were given: ·
Untaxed cars. Reference was made to the relevant
website where details could be inputted. It was noted that it was the Police
who dealt with untaxed cars with the cooperation of the DVLA. ·
Parking unused cars - did not appear to be a Police
priority, however, the Chief Inspector highlighted that this was incorrect and
the Police collaborated with the Council's Enforcement Services and the DVLA to
resolve these issues. The Police were encouraged to collaborate with Housing
Associations ·
Availability of a Local Police Officer - it was
highlighted that Police station phone number were not shared - this was
implemented centrally. It was agreed
that paperwork dominated police work but every effort was being made to improve
the local situation. One of these
improvements was the presence of PCSO's on our streets. ·
The OWL (Online Watch Link) Scheme - It was noted
that approximately £30k of the scheme's cost was funded by the Police. It was reported that the scheme had ended as
insufficient numbers had registered with the scheme and that social media such
as Twitter and Facebook worked better ·
Schemes supporting the priorities. It was reported
that 26 schemes in 2015/16 were green, eight were amber and one was red. It was noted that a number of the amber
schemes had transferred to the 2016/17 scheme. ·
Nuisance Calls.
It was reported that the Police had cooperated with the Trading
Standards Department to try and safeguard older, vulnerable people. It was noted that the 'Truecall' device had
been promoted and had been successful. ·
Antisocial behaviour powers had been adopted. It
was reported that Gwynedd, like Anglesey, had now completed the process of
adopting these powers since July 2016. · Transferring the WISDOM Team (which included officers from the Police and Probation Service) to work from the Penrallt Council Building. This was a Service where the two agencies collaborate closely ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW REPORT PDF 400 KB Cabinet Members - Poverty,
Deprivation, the Economy, Housing and the Environment, Councillor Mandy Williams-Davies Economy and Community Councillor Ioan Thomas Deprivation
and Housing Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn Language
Councillor John Wynn Jones Environment Councillor Dafydd Meurig Regulatory Consider the
report of the Council Leader Additional documents:
Minutes: In accordance with the Council’s performance management system, an overview of the Council's performance was submitted focusing on Poverty,
Deprivation, Economy, Housing, The Welsh Language and the Environment. It was highlighted that the report addressed the transformational plans included in the Strategic Plan and drew attention to the performance measures that were important
to the people of Gwynedd and
central to the Council's day to day work. i.
The
Economy Field a.
High value, quality jobs - it was highlighted that a project by the Welsh Government to sell the potential of Gwynedd to developers had played a prominent role in creating 35 high-value jobs in the County (definition of high value job was a salary of £26,500+). b.
Attention was drawn to 15
jobs at NMI Gaming Parc Menai: there
were a number of opportunities here with the potential to create approximately 200 jobs in the County: need to consider appropriate skills, mindsets and being
creative to seek the best benefit from
these opportunities c.
High value profile allocation - it was reported that money would
not be paid until after the
event. Opportunity to evaluate how many opportunities
local companies have had to provide e.g. food and
accommodation and the opportunities to share images of the County. Matters arising from the discussion: -
There
was no money for investment and therefore it was necessary to be creative when
considering implementation methods in areas such as Dwyfor
and Meirionnydd. It was suggested that the Council should act as an enabler -
this was a significant challenge. Grants
and resources were getting scarce and it was difficult to regenerate the
economy without funding - it was necessary to be pioneering and use the
available tools and resources better. -
Tourism was the area's
main economy - there was no sufficient support
available from the Council
to attract people in -
The investments at Zip World and
Parc Menai were addressed, however, it was disappointing that there was no reference
to the investment at Plas Heli, Pwllheli -
Need to extend the walking/cycling paths in Penllyn -
In the context of
the percentage of customers
who were satisfied with the Museums and Arts
service - it was suggested that the baseline should be set prior to discussing the cuts -
Lloyd George Museum - they had to try and work in a different
way to save the service -
A suggestion to adapt the wording of the report to reflect cuts ii.
Housing
Field a)
Working Together against Poverty project comprised two priorities
- spatial poverty and population poverty. It was noted that
research by the Council had
identified that 6,500 homes in Gwynedd were being affected
by the Welfare Reform Act. It was highlighted that priority would
be given to one parent households. b) Tackling Poverty Agenda - this did not percolate through the Council's departments and therefore it was ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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STREET ENFORCEMENT SCRUTINY INVESTIGATION PROPOSALS PDF 358 KB Cabinet Member: Councillor John Wynn Jones Consider the Scrutiny
Investigation Group Report Additional documents:
Minutes: The
scrutiny investigation report on Street Enforcement was submitted to the
Cabinet Member John Wynn Jones. All were
reminded by Councillor Angela Russell (as Councillor Annwen Daniels, Chair of
the investigation had to leave the meeting early) of the background to the
brief and a summary of the work undertaken was provided. b) The
Cabinet Member reiterated his thanks to the members for their thorough investigation,
and having consulted with many people, it was recognised that the report was a
fair reflection of the work. c) During the discussion, the following
observations were noted: • That
the investigation offered a creative response e.g. using an external company to
set fines in order that the internal unit may focus on elements such as
training and raising awareness • A
suggestion that businesses should contribute towards the maintenance of roundabouts
through sponsorship • Consultation
with schools was key - people had to be educated to protect the environment • There were opportunities here for
culture change In
response, the Cabinet Member accepted the need to be creative. It was reported that good work to raise
awareness and successful campaigns were being undertaken by the Enforcement
Unit. If it was determined to use an
external company to set fines, it had to be ensured that every Councillor
supported the decision and that an effective engagement scheme was in
place. RESOLVED to accept the report, accept the
recommendations in it and seek a report back by the Cabinet Member within
approximately 6-9 months on what had been achieved following the
recommendations. |
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REVIEW OF RIGHTS OF WAY IMPROVEMENT PLAN PDF 148 KB Cabinet Member: Councillor Dafydd Meurig Consider the Cabinet
Members Report Additional documents: Minutes: a) A
report was submitted by the Cabinet Member on the proposal to review and update
the Rights of Way Improvement Plan and receive the Committee's initial input to
the process. It was explained that the
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 placed a duty on authorities to prepare
and publish a Rights of Way Improvement Plan.
It was added that there was a statutory requirement to review the plan
every 10 years and Gwynedd needed to undertake a review before November 2017. b) It
was highlighted that the Welsh Government had published a guidance for Local
Authorities which explained the procedure and steps to be taken to undertake
the review together with the preparation for a new plan. The Authority had to consider the purpose and
use of the Plan as a document that encompassed the Authority's duties and sets
priorities in the field of rights of way and access by foot, bicycle and on
horseback. c) Since
the plan's publication in 2007, it was reported that major changes had influenced
this field, such as cuts in maintenance budgets for the network of paths, the
coming and influence of new legislation that overlapped the access field,
together with a general growth in the call for high standard paths and
facilities and a recognition of their importance to the tourism industry. ch) The
Committee was requested to agree that there was a need and justification to prepare
a new plan for Gwynedd and to be supportive of the intention to review the
plan. d) In
response to a question regarding the network in the County, the Senior Manager
Planning and Environment noted that the existing plan prioritised popular paths
and therefore this was where resources were placed. It was added that a review
would give Gwynedd an opportunity to look again at the priorities in terms of
network maintenance rather than prioritise the most popular paths. He added
that reviewing the plan would be a valuable task. dd) In
response to a comment regarding equal access rights to all, it was reported that
the Equal Rights Act would be considered as part of the review and equality
assessments would need to be implemented. e) In
response to a comment regarding the possibility of collaboration with the National
Park, although it was not necessary for the Park to be part of the review, it
was noted that discussions had been conducted with the Park for approximately
18 months. Although it was not statutory
for the Park to produce a plan, in practice it would make sense to establish a
plan that would meet with the requirements of the Council and the Park. It was added that the Park supported the
principle of preparing a joint Plan. The need to discuss resources and finance
was recognised, but with the need for specialist knowledge about the Park
network it was suggested that by working together the plan would be more robust
and practical. f) In response to a comment regarding ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
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THE COUNCILS PLANNING SYSTEM - SCRUTINY INVESTIGATION BRIEF PDF 228 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor Dafydd Meurig a)
Present
a scoping summary for a scrutiny investigation b)
Nomination
of members to serve on the investigation Additional documents: Minutes: a) A
brief was submitted to undertake a scrutiny investigation on the planning procedure
to consider the Council’s planning systems and their suitability to correspond
with the economic needs of the County’s communities as well as other factors. RESOLVED to accept the
brief. The following members were nominated to serve
on the investigation. Councillors Eric M
Jones, Angela Russell, Gruffydd Williams and Tudor Owen. It was suggested that a message should be sent
to Members who were absent to give them an opportunity to put their names
forward. |
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FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME 2016-2017 PDF 73 KB Work
programme submitted for information Additional documents: Minutes: a) The Committee's forward work programme
for 2016-2017 was presented. The
information was accepted. |