To consider any
questions the appropriate notice for which have been given under Section 4.19
of the Constitution.
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 in the way community and town
councils operate in our communities in Gwynedd and Wales?"
Response from the Leader of the Council,
Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn
"I like radical
changes, and I agree with the member, if local government reorganisation is to
happen, there is scope to begin with town and community councils and efforts
have been voluntarily made, although they are rare examples, across the county
and Wales. There are places in Wales where there is no community council at all
and there is a question about their value.
When the regionalisation agenda is progressing as it is, and we are unsure
of what direction it is taking (we are waiting to hear from the new Minister),
there is concern that this democratic accountability goes further and further
from the electors. You could argue that this Council is too far away from its
electors but I believe that we must have councils of an appropriate size where
they can employ and implement. When you
give a council responsibility, it then becomes more than a talking shop, it
becomes more operational, but having the accountability there is important. I
have referred to our viewpoint as a county council. I believe that we have
scope to work and develop ideas on the well-being areas that we have and that
we should be using those as a forum to listen to the local opinion and share
information locally, but I'm unsure - we might be confusing two things
here."
(3) Question from Councillor Mike Stevens
"Why are members not allowed to have the direct phone numbers of
some officers and, therefore, have to contact them via the call centre?"
Response - The Deputy Leader, Councillor Mair
Rowlands
"You are all
aware that the Council has developed the Members' Portal as a means of sharing
information with Councillors. A group of Councillors worked with officers in
order to identify the most important information to be included on the portal,
and one of the requirements identified at that time by the members was the need
for a current list of officers for each field of responsibility, including an
e-mail address and direct phone number to be able to contact them. A list of officers on manager level has been
identified and included on the Portal and the information is regularly updated
by departments in order to ensure that it is up-to-date, when officers might
change.
Members may choose to contact officers via the
call centre if they so wish, or via e-mail.
It's possible to see officers' phone numbers on the e-mail directory on
the Surface. However, I encourage the
members to use the list of officers on the members portal in the first
instance, if they have an issue that requires their attention. Also, I'm aware
that a sub-group of the Democratic Services Committee is looking at further
developing the Portal to make it easier for members to use."
A supplementary question by Councillor Mike
Stevens
"Is it possible
for us as Councillors to have the phone numbers of all officers somewhere on
the Portal so that we can contact them directly?"
Response - The Deputy Leader, Councillor Mair
Rowlands
"Many officers
do field work and are not available in their offices all hours of the day and
that's why sometimes we contact on manager level. But I accept your point. We'll look into the
matter to see how we can develop what we already have on the portal to make it
easier for members to reach more staff."