Council Tax Up - Trust In Gwynedd Council Down...

The full council of cyngor Gwynedd met on the 5th March, 2026. 
The agenda pack for the meeting can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5675/Public%20reports%20pack%2005th-Mar-2026%2013.30%20The%20Council.pdf?T=10

Council tax increase...
The Plaid Cymru council passed -
A budget of £379,701,110 should be set for 2026/27, to be funded by £264,009,390 of Government Grant and £115,691,720 of Council Tax income (which is an increase of 4.75% baseline plus a further 0.42% to meet the levy from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, giving a total of 5.17%). 

Chief officers pay will increase... 
In July 2025 confirmation was received that the employers and the unions that represent chief officers had agreed on a pay increase for 2025/26, that being an increase of 3.2% on the pay of each chief officer. 

Council pension pot...
Is doing very well indeed.

Councillors also passed -
Amendments to the Members Code of Conduct and The Councils Whistle Blowing Policy, authored by the monitoring officer, Iwan G D Evans. 

But staff have said they do not feel safe to whistleblow and no amount of amendments will change that. From an Internal Audit Plan by Luned Fon Jones, published in early 2025 - 


Jones' full report can be found on page 138 in the agenda pack - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5293/Public%20reports%20pack%2006th-Feb-2025%2010.00%20Governance%20and%20Audit%20Committee.pdf?T=10

According to the minutes, those present at that meeting were - 



On repeat...
Have any cabinet members raised concerns at meetings or with other councillors?
What action, if any, has been taken by the legal team?
It is the same with other audits of the whistle blowing policy - going back many years -

From 2011 - 
Authored by Dewi Morgan, then senior audit and risk manager - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/Data/Audit%20Committee/20110113/Agenda/05_01_Awareness%20of%20the%20Whistleblowing%20Policy.pdf

Observations from staff in 2011 include - 
“Would be too afraid of the consequences.”
“No faith in the Council’s confidentiality.”
“When whistleblowing, you have to face the consequences.”
“Afraid of repercussions from Line Manager.”

Culture culture culture...
It is not the policy that is lacking...
There appears to be a complete lack of trust in senior officers and a fear for confidentiality and retribution.
After the Neil Foden case, perhaps the policy should be ripped up and given to an external body for staff safety. 
                                                      ****************

Two questions had been accepted by the monitoring officer for discussion.
The first by Gwynfor Owen, asking for support for a memorial in Harlech for Catrin, daughter of Glyndŵr, was given support by the cabinet member for the Econonmy, Richard Medwyn Hughes.

A question by Beca Brown, the former cabinet member for Education, who resigned after the Neil Foden case, asked - 

 

Why Brown has asked this question five years after Audit Wales raised concerns is unknown.
Both questions in full can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=48517

A prepared script..?
Brown's question was answered by cabinet member for corporate services, councillor Llio Elenid Owen. The councillor's supplementary question was also answered by Owen, reading from her laptop. It is not usual that the supplementary question is known in advance...

There were two NOTICE OF MOTION accepted by the council and passed at the meeting - 
One by Councillor Gruffydd Williams -
That this Council is totally opposed to the Digital Identification system and that Cyngor Gwynedd calls on the Welsh Government to oppose DI in line with the Government in Scotland and also in line with several local authorities across the UK. Convenience should never come at the expense of personal liberty...

No kidding...
The second Notice by Councillor Elin Hywel begins -
This Council recognises that trust is the foundation of democracy.
We know that recent events locally, nationally and internationally have undermined that relationship with the people of Gwynedd...

Trojan horse...
The discussion by councillors was more animated than has been seen in a long time.
Plaid Cymru councillor Dewi Jones, wondered if independent councillors were truly independent or if any were conservatives or reformers in disguise...
 
Deflection...
Jones may have been trying to divert attention from the former Plaid Cymru councillor, Iwan Huws, who attempted to defraud his employer, Anglesey council.  Huws escaped prosecution by accepting a police caution. Is that usual for employees?
Huws is the brother of the Plaid MS for Arfon.

Sshh...
Whilst the 'Our Bravery Brought Justice' report was mentioned several times, no councillor asked about the senior officer from the legal department, present at the safeguarding meeting re Neil Foden, in 2019. What legal advice was given re concerns raised by the whistleblower? 

The Ffordd Gwynedd way..?
A reminder that Garem Jackson, the former head of education, said he was 'advised' by a safeguarding officer to simply have a word with Foden re his closeness to some girls. The whistleblower was also outed to Foden.

The webcast of the meeting can be viewed here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1073997
For the translated feed press the english tab on the top left of the page. 

Singing from the same hymn sheet..?
Why was chair of the response board, Sally Holland, not in attendance?
She meets with cabinet members but not ordinary councillors..?
A reminder that cabinet members may be whipped not to ask embarrassing questions. 

Questions questions...
Has Estyn or Care Inspectorate Wales appeared before councillors? 
What of the two senior police officers who sat as school governors at Ysgol Friars?
Is there to be a public inquiry..?

The Pickles 'extended' child practice review found failings over many departments. 
Were any of the survivors in foster care?
Where is the report from the fostering team?
Where is the report from the education/economy scrutiny task and finish group - already overdue by many months? 

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

 

 

 

Rules For Thee But Not For Me - Planning Committee Gwynedd Council...

Re the cyngor Gwynedd council planning committee, held on the 2nd March, 2026...

There had been much interest in the planning application for 15 homes to be built on land adjacent to Llys yr Eifl, in Llanaelhaearn.
Only Welsh speakers should live on new housing estate, local council says
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy87gk8we8o

The agenda pack containing the planning applications can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5481/Public%20reports%20pack%2002nd-Mar-2026%2013.00%20Planning%20Committee.pdf?T=10

Confusing...
Plaid Cymru councillor Jina Gwyrfai, who is also a town councillor for Cymuned Trefor a Llanaelhaearn, questioned the integrity of the data included in the application and spoke against the development whilst also making an argument for it...

Gwyrfai's husband/partner - also on the town council - had written to cyngor Gwynedd's CEO, Dafydd Gibbard, asking for the Welsh speaking only clause.  
Information for the town council can be found here -
https://www.cctreforallanaelhaearn.cymru/en/home

But it was councillor Gruffydd Williams, representing the Nefyn ward, who raised most eyebrows.
He began by proposing a site visit. 
Gareth Jones, the long suffering planning officer, explained that there had been a site visit the previous week.
Williams then proposed to refuse the application and then to postpone it...

Williams went on to say that it was 'a statutory duty on each and everyone of them to protect the AONB' - (area of outstanding natural beauty). 
Williams proposal failed due to nobody seconding his proposal.                                                        

                                                         **************
and hypocritical...
Councillors of the committee may have forgotten that they passed an application brought by William's father, in October, 2023 - 
Full application to upgrade an existing Caravan Park by siting five new cabins, retention of the temporary access road and creation of a playing field.
Location: Gwynus Caravan Park, Llithfaen, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 6LY

The caravan site, in the Llŷn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Llŷn and Enlli Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest was recommended for refusal by the planning officers. 
Councillors went against their own planning policy by allowing the application... 

This led to an outburst from the now chair of the committee asking councillors -
"Where are your principles?'

That application can be found in the agenda pack here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g4921/Public%20reports%20pack%2002nd-Oct-2023%2013.00%20Planning%20Committee.pdf?T=10
                                                       
                                                       ***************
Rules for thee but not for me...
The March, 2026, meeting also discussed an application for a - 
Non-material amendment to the design of planning permission C21/0411/46/LL.
Location: Tyddyn Du, Dinas, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, LL53 8SU - which lies in the Morfa Nefyn and Tudweiliog ward.

Gruffydd Williams had to leave the meeting for this item as the application was from his sister, Mrs Iona Rees. She did not attend the meeting and it was left to her husband to address the committee.

This application was brought before the planning committee after suspicions were raised and a visit to the property by Gwynedd council's enforcement officers. 

The purpose of the agricultural building, built on agricultaral land, is to keep equipment and feed and includes two stables and a tack store.

The property differed much from the original plans approved in 2022, 
• Change the orientation of the building on the eastern side of the site compared to the approved plans.
• Amend some window / roof window openings in various locations compared to the approved plans.
• Amend the roofing material to recycled Welsh slate instead of the permitted grey coloured steel sheets.

Councillors were informed the building was near completion. 

Bizarrely, Gwynedd's planning department recommended to accept the proposal.
One councillor said they thought this was a house...
Many people would think that this is NOT an agricultural building for horses and equipment but the committee passed the application anyway. 

A condition was imposed that the building be used for agricultural use only.
Will there be a retrospective planning application to turn the building into a home in the future?

The webcast of the meeting of the committee can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1072059

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

Revolving Doors - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Cyngor Gwynedd council are advertising for a new head of the children's SS department.

The job is paying £84,480 - £93,163 a year, which is a lot less than the £104,15, the former head, Marian Parry Hughes was 'earning' last year.
The highest-paid council employees in Gwynedd and Anglesey
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/25065053.highest-paid-council-employees-gwynedd-anglesey/

Hughes failed to act when concerns were raised against Neil Foden in 2019. 
The former headteacher of Ysgol Friars, in Bangor was finally arrested for sexually abusing children in September 2023.

Hughes leadership has been dogged with controversy since the farce of Canolfan Brynffynnon. Then there was the Ombudsman for Wales report highlighting the department's ignorance of law, policy and procedures. The PSOW recommendations for improvement were not acted upon...

Untrained social workers/senior officers...
Dilwyn Morgan, the former cabinet member for children, did raise concerns about a lack of training within the department in 2021 - 'it would frighten you how few members of staff undertake these training.'
What action did Morgan, now cabinet member for adults take..?

No outsiders allowed..?
Cyngor Gwynedd are advertising the position internally, 'for a period of 6 months, with the possibility of an extension of up to 12 months...'

Does this mean that one of the interim heads of the department, Aled Gibbard or Sharron Williams Carter, is next in line to take the reins? 

What next for Gwynedd's assistant head - safeguarding and quality also what next for the senior officer within the legal team? 
Both knew about Foden in 2019.

Something is still very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Did Estyn And Care Inspectorate Wales Get It Wrong? Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

In 2017, Ysgol Friars underwent an inspection by Estyn - 
https://estyn.gov.wales/system/files/2020-08/Ysgol%2520Friars.pdf

In June, 2023, Estyn undertook an inspection of education services in cyngor Gwynedd -
https://www.estyn.gov.wales/system/files/?file=2023-09/Inspection%20report%20Cyngor%20Gwynedd%202023_0.pdf

 

It's not my fault...  
But cyngor Gwynedd did not have an effective digital strategy at this time. 
Geraint Owen, the former corporate director, was responsible for the strategy and had to defend himself at one council meeting for not creating the strategy...!

Estyn's analysis of the safeguarding arrangements within cyngor Gwynedd was completely wrong...

How did Estyn get it so wrong..? 
Questions remain as to Estyn's diligence and methods of scrutiny.

Some clues can be found in another report dated September 2023, co-produced by Estyn, Health Inspectorate Wales and Care Inspectorate Wales after the death of Child T, from Bridgend.
Rapid review of child protection arrangements


The full report can be found here - 
https://www.careinspectorate.wales/sites/default/files/2023-09/230928-Rapid-review-of-child-protection-arangements-en.pdf

On page 15 -


The effective child protection model incorporating the Risk Model, utilised by cyngor Gwynedd, was created by Dafydd Paul, the senior safeguarding and quality officer for the council.

In March, 2022, a project evaluation of the ECP was undertaken by Bruce Thornton,  a consultant and trainer in social care. His report can be found here - 
https://www.effectivechildprotection.wales/sites/default/files/Effective%20Child%20Protection%20Project%20Evaluation_%20Full%20Report.pdf

Thornton writes - 
I was asked to examine whether child protection in Gwynedd is more effective as a consequence of adopting the Effective Child Protection model?
The unequivocal answer to that question is ‘Yes’

Obviously not...

The model focuses on parents needing to change behaviours but appears not to mention the risk of abuse from those in a position of trust/authority. The last child abuse scandal in this area of north Wales involved those in a position of trust/authority over children in care... 

Paul is believed to be 'absent from work' since the Spring of 2025, as is Marian Parry Hughes, the head of children's SS department. Cyngor Gwynedd refuse to confirm the identities of the officers until investigations commissioned by the HR department are complete.
When will that be..?

Have the investigations looked at the role of the senior officer within the legal department who was present at the safeguarding meeting in 2019 re Foden or is it focused solely on the officers within the children's department?  

A reminder that Foden physically abused boys..

It gets worse...
Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales held a Joint inspection with a focus on safeguarding in Gwynedd Council in November, 2025. That report can be found here - 
https://estyn.gov.wales/app/uploads/2025/12/Safeguarding-inspection-report-Gwynedd-Council-2026.pdf

On page 11 - 



The 'effective child protection' model created by Dafydd Paul - in 2019 - appears to have failed in Gwynedd. 
Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales chose not to name Paul, simply referring to him as a 'senior leader in the children and families department. For why?

Perhaps this report should be removed out of respect for the children and families involved?

As an evidence base, the investigators included - 
• A meeting with members of the education and social care scrutiny boards.
• Meetings with practitioners, staff, officers, managers, senior officers, elected members, leaders of scrutiny committees (a total of 20 meetings)
• Scrutiny of sample files (24 child safeguarding cases under Section 3 and Section 5 of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures for the period between 1/09/24 and 30/09/25)

Shifting blame...
Sounds great the scrutinising of sample files, some presumably written by the same officers now absent from work? BUT do they give a true representation of the facts? Some officers have history...

Where is the public inquiry?
At the extraordinary council meeting, in February, Dafydd Gibbard stated that he had had a response from the government and that 'we need to share that'.
Gibbard did not share the response at the meeting - so is there to be a public inquiry?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

Low Hanging Fruit - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Surrey County Council has been accused of carrying out "illegal" and "immoral" care assessments of vulnerable adults, and excluding their families, in a bid to save money by reducing their support.

Learning disabled adults face 'dangerous' cuts to care after 'illegal assessments', claim families.
https://www.itv.com/news/2026-02-12/learning-disabled-adults-face-care-cuts-after-unsafe-assessments-say-families

In response, Sinead Mooney, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said - 
We’ve just approved an adult social care budget increase of more than £27million.

 
Cyngor Gwynedd have been faking assessments on vulnerable adults and children - for years.
An Ombudsman for Wales report from 2018 -
https://www.lukeclements.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Ombudsman-Gwynedd-Council-report-201700388.pdf 

 Using a person's disability against them..?

 

Low hanging fruit..? 

Untrained social workers sent out to remove services from vulnerable people by untrained senior social workers - simply to save money. 
The PSOW was so enraged it included the case in its hall of shame casebook on human rights -
https://www.ombudsman.wales/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/104483-Equality-and-Human-Rights-Casebook_Eng_v03.pdf

The then cabinet member for adults, Dafydd Meurig, should have presented this case to the care scrutiny committee who could have called for an investigation/review of the department.
Meurig did not...

Ombudsman recommendations...
This case is even more appalling when it was discovered that Gwynedd council had lied to the PSOW by saying that specific staff training had taken place when it had not.

Gwynedd council target children too...
A social worker undertook an assessment on a disabled, autistic child but did not tick the disabled box. This excluded the child from support by Derwen, cyngor Gwynedd's service for disabled children.
An Ombudsman's investigation found that the assessment was 'predetermined to fail'...

On the recommendation from the Ombudsman, another assessment was undertaken...
This time a social worker from the 16+ team, Sharon Keys and Barry John Thomas, a social worker/complaints officer from Derwen assessed the child.

Both social workers said they knew nothing about the PSOW ordering the re-assessment and declined the report when offered it. They said they weren't looking back, but 'taking it from today'.

Incredibly, the social workers said they would not be considering the child's autism for the purpose of the assessment... 

Parent bashing... 
It was no surprise that the second assessment also denied support for the child.
Instead, the social workers used the 'assessment' to parent blame.

Complaint shut down...
A stage 2 complaint was raised against the social workers assessment.
It was not allowed to progress and was eventually timed out.

Protect the senior officers...?
Emails indicate that the investigating officer and the independent person may have not been as 'independent' as they should.The emails also suggest that Gwynedd's senior complaints manager was more active in the 'independent' investigation than perhaps he should have been. 

Both Surrey and Gwynedd councils have been caught faking assessments on vulnerable people.
Whilst Surrey are unlikely to be repeat offenders - Gwynedd council certainly are...

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

 

 

The Culture And Mindset Within Gwynedd Council...

Five years ago, Audit Wales flagged the culture within cyngor Gwynedd as 'destructive'.

 
https://www.wao.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/ffordd_gwynedd.pdf

At the recent extraordinary meeting of the full council, councillors Nia Jeffreys and Olaf Cai Larsen spoke of staff feeling safe to challenge. 
Irony indeed - speaking to a full council meeting where councillors had been 'advised' not to challenge...

The webcast of the meeting can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1063308

Larsen, the chair of the Plaid Cymru constituency party and Jeffreys may have missed the council's recent audit on whistleblowing. Staff do not feel safe...

It is not just staff...
People who do raise concerns have been smeared by senior officers and ignored by councillors.  

Actions not words...
Safeguarding, scrutiny and culture are now buzzwords for council officers/members since Neil Foden's arrest in 2023.
The reality is somewhat different...

On April 11th, 2024, the children's department finally released their annual complaints handling report from 2022/23 to the care scrutiny committee. 

Standards...
It was the first time the SS annual complaints reports had come before a scrutiny committee since 2019, after which a complaint was made against a senior officer for misleading the committee. The same officer had refused to answer questions of the care scrutiny committee at a previous meeting. 

The report can be found in the agenda pack here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g4975/Public%20reports%20pack%2011th-Apr-2024%2010.30%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

Page 36 mentions a historic complaint –

The Senior Manager discussed fully with the Senior Complaints Officer as ten years had passed. The social worker did not work here anymore, therefore we would need to rely on records only to investigate the complaint...

Who is the senior manager?
It is believed that Dafydd Paul was the senior complaints officer at this time. 
Did the legal department give advice to the officer's on the matter..?

The Ffordd Gwynedd way...
The PSOW can investigate historic complaints. 
Treating the complaint in this way may have shut down the pathway to the Ombudsman for Wales. 

There was another historic complaint on page 37 – 

The cabinet member for children was silent on the historic complaints and not one councillor of the committee raised concerns. The report was voted through by the committee...
Shameful...

 

The presentation of the 2022/23 report for scrutiny had been long delayed. 
The report - with the historic complaints of safeguarding failures - was finally released to the committee after Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) had completed its review of the council.
 

Would the CIW's report been different if they had known of the historic complaints of failure to listen and safeguard these two individuals ?

  

Playing catch up..?
5 months later, on the 26th, September, 2024, the SS departments presented their annual complaints handling reports for 2023/24 to the care scrutiny committee. The agenda pack for the meeting and the reports can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g5188/Public%20reports%20pack%2026th-Sep-2024%2010.30%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

The 2023/24 complaints report credits Marian Parry Hughes – Head of Children and Supporting Families Department and Aled Davies – Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department as the authors.

During the meeting, Dafydd Paul, acting as the senior complaints officer and presenting the report gave the impression that he was the author of the children's report. 
 

Darvo...
Paul, did not update the committee on the investigation that had taken place of the historic abuse from 2013/14 nor did any councillor ask...

Instead, Paul gave a diatribe on how hard it was for the customer care team dealing with 'difficult or tiresome complainants...'

 

Neil Foden used the same tactic of denial and blaming others...

The committee also scrutinised this complaint from the adult's learning disability team - 

Dodgy..?
What was the 'relationship' between the support worker and the service user?
No proper explanation was given nor asked for by councillors.
Councillors passed the reports anyway...

 

3 months later, on the 17th, December, 2024, a cabinet meeting was held.

The 'Complaints and Service Improvement Report Quarter 1-2 2024/25' was presented.
The report can be found in the agenda pack here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g5260/Public%20reports%20pack%2017th-Dec-2024%2013.00%20The%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10

The contact officer for the report is Ian Jones, Head of Corporate Services.

 

For some reason, a complaint from the children's SS department was included.
Neither Jones nor Menna Trenholme, the cabinet member for children, explained why the report was being presented to the cabinet rather than the care scrutiny committee...

'difficult and tiresome complainants...?
So a complaint to the children's service was brought to the attention of the monitoring officer who had to remind the children and adult's SS customer care/complaint officers of the law when dealing with complaints...

 

Nolan Principles...

The officer's are well aware of the law, procedures and guidelines.
It is a choice to ignore them and infringe on the rights of the residents of Gwynedd.

 

Jones, also included two complaints concerning the education department.
Again, these complaints were not presented to the education/economy scrutiny committee... 

The complaints in question are on page 53 and 54 of Jones' report.
Three serious complaints - one a safeguarding issue -  avoiding proper scrutiny.

Cabinet members should have challenged Jones' report. 
Instead, cabinet members voted to accept the report without real discussion...

 

All this has taken place after Neil Foden's arrest...
Many councillors continue to turn a blind eye...

 

Trauma informed...
For many families, seeking advice and support from Gwynedd's SS departments is traumatic - 
SYSTEMS GENERATED TRAUMA 
How disabled children and their families are traumatised by dysfunctional public services when they ask for support - 
https://cerebra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Systems-Generated-Trauma-Report-web.pdf

  

The Cerebra report is authored by Professor Luke Clements and Dr Ana Laura Aiello.
They give insight to the damage caused to children and families by the very departments that were created to support them...

 

Culture...
Clements is a Professor of Law at Leeds University and has written an article on Gwynedd council - 
‘Omg … will it never end’
https://www.lukeclements.co.uk/omg-will-it-never-end-2/

 

This was in respect of an Ombudsman's investigation under the last administration. He warns - 
 

Grooming...? 
Some councillors and senior officer's have mentioned they were also groomed by Foden.
This is disingenuous...

Cabinet members through to scrutiny committee members – most complicit in the toxic culture that has been allowed to continue to cover for incompetence and protect reputational damage - for years. 

 

A public inquiry is needed.
Has the Children's Commissioner for Wales, Rocío Cifuentes, been approached?

 

When will the monitoring officer give an account of the 'advice' given by a senior officer within the legal department to the safeguarding meeting re Neil Foden in 2019? 

 

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

 

 

Extraordinary - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

An extraordinary meeting of cyngor Gwynedd's full council was held on the 5th February, 2026.

Gwynedd councillors were shut down even before the meeting began when the monitoring officer, Iwan Evans, messaged them to 'advise' what could and could not be asked.

Was Evans protecting the legal officer who advised senior officers in 2019?
From the Jan Pickles review - 

LA1 Head C&FS requested a meeting on a ‘Mater Diogelu Brys- Cyfrinachol’ (Urgent
Safeguarding matter - Confidential) via email to LA1 C&FS Senior Manager LADO.

On 15 April 2019 a meeting of four senior LA1 officers from LA1 Ed, LA1 C&FS and LA1 Legal departments was held to consider the information reported by Core SMT 1 to LA1 Head of Education 1. 

Any complaint against the monitoring officer is to be dealt with by Dafydd Gibbard.

This was not a meeting that the chair of the council, Ioan Thomas, would have enjoyed. 
Some of his decision making was poor and even a simple question such as who appointed Neil Foden as superhead to run Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle as well as Ysgol Friars was not answered...

It is understood that the appointment of a headmaster is the decision of the school's governors - 
https://www.ysgoldyffrynnantlle.cymru/en/governors/whos-who 

The webcast of the meeting can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1063308
As is often the case, the translated feed is not yet working...

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

Did Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales actually read this piece of work..?

Stephen Wood, manager of the Gwynedd and Ynys Mon Youth Justice Service presented his report to the care scrutiny committee on the 29th, January, 2026.

The webcast of the meeting can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1060285

There appears to be a change of culture within the service that coincides with a big drop in the numbers of young people being criminalised through the courts. 

Wood informed that the short, sharp shock tactics do not work.

On youth offender's...
Asked what the big problems were, he stated, violence and adults taking drugs.
He mentioned that middle class children also commit crime - but they don't get caught.
Hotspots include Caernarfon, Bangor, Holyhead, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llangefni.
Cocaine was also raised as a problem locally.

It takes a village to raise a child...
Over the years, local schools have closed and super schools built instead. Many village's then lost their local shop, their bakery closed and then the pub. Families moved and communities were lost.

Then the council shut the youth clubs and sacked the youth workers.
Audit Wales warned against this but the messenger was derided by councillors at a full council meeting on the 3rd October, 2019. 

Schools have failed the children, too.
Pre-pandemic the policy was to include children - now figures show more children are excluded.
Idle hands and all that...

Does the ''Keeping Families Together' strategy co-authored by the interim head of the children's department, Sharron Williams Carter, show a change of culture?
One can hope...

Predetermined to fail..?
The work of the 16+ team  was discussed. 
This service has had its issues, too. 
From social workers poor note taking and a team leader that has been accused of faking assessments and setting up children and families to fail. 

Estyn have just completed a joint inspection with a focus on safeguarding in Gwynedd Council -
The purpose of this inspection was to evaluate developments in Gwynedd Local Authority’s safeguarding arrangements since September 2023.
Joint inspection with a focus on safeguarding in Gwynedd Council by Estyn, His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education, and Training in Wales, and Care Inspectorate Wales.
Date of inspection: November 2025 

The inspection team considered one key question:-
 How well are children protected from individuals who may pose a risk to them and when concerns are raised about those who care for them or work with them, either in a paid or voluntary role?

This question is not answered...
Estyn and the CIW do mention this -

 

 

 

Did Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales actually read this piece of work?
https://www.effectivechildprotection.wales/en/

Was this presented to Estyn and CIW as new and innovative?
The 'effective child protection' model was created by Dafydd Paul - many years ago. 
It does not answer the investigation teams key question nor deal with abuse by those in a position of trust... 

Now where is the report of the fostering team..?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Where Are The Children? - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Cyngor Gwynedd's care scrutiny committee meet on Thursday, 29th January, 2026. The agenda pack for the meeting can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=394&MId=5671

The meeting will discuss the 'Keeping Families Together Strategy' co-authored by Sharron Williams Carter, the interim head of children's SS and Gwenan Medi Hughes, Sue Layton and Caren Brown. 

A report from the Youth Justice Service, authored by Stephen Wood, will be presented.

Eighteen months ago, senior officers of the YJS were criticised by HM Inspectorate of Probation. The link to their report shows 'Page not found' but an archived version can be found here -
 
https://web.archive.org/web/20240312162338/https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/08/An-inspection-of-youth-justice-services-in-Gwynedd-Ynys-Mon.pdf

An excerpt from the HMIP report –
Assessment work to identify and analyse risks to the child’s safety and wellbeing was much weaker. Practitioners, while generally accessing information well, did not use the information from other agencies regularly. We identified failures to appropriately consider or respond to exploitation concerns and suggest this is an area that requires additional training, understanding and focus by the service. Inspectors did not agree with almost half of the risk classifications made by case managers. 

In June, 2024, the same time as the HMIP report, cyngor Gwynedd's cabinet met to discuss the 'Performance Report for Children and Supporting Families' presented by the former cabinet member for children, Elin Walker-Jones. 
Main discussion points were the Small Group Homes scheme and the Autism Plan. The agenda pack can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5221/Public%20reports%20pack%2011th-Jun-2024%2013.00%20The%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10

Aled Gibbard answered questions of the cabinet members.
Councillors asked what happens when these children reach the age of 18. 
Gibbard replied that the council no longer have a responsibilty for these children.

In his latest report ,16+ Team (Leaving Care), the interim head of SS now states -
While the young person is under 18, they are treated as children in care.
When they turn eighteen they become Care Leavers and are the responsibility of the local authority until they are 25 years old.

If true, this change of policy and alignment with law is to be welcomed but exactly what support will be given to care leavers?

In recent meetings, the council has scrutinised safeguarding practices and repeatedly emphasised the importance of listening to the child’s voice. There have been assurances that this will be the number one priority through not only the SS departments, but all council departments

Is it not of concern then that the 16+ service report states -  
5. Consultation
5.1 We have not consulted with service users for the purposes of this report.

It is not just the' voice of the child' that is missing...
But the child...
They can not all be refugees and even if they were - where are they?

Gibbard also relies on the Population Needs Assessment.
Some people remember the meeting of the care scrutiny committee on the 3rd February, 2022, which accepted the document.
Gwynedd's contribution to the North Wales Population Needs Assessment was ...incomplete.

Dafydd Meurig presented the document and concerns were raised that few people were responding with requests for information – surveys etc and that not all data was positive to the services...
The document along with the agenda pack for 2022 can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g4539/Public%20reports%20pack%2003rd-Feb-2022%2010.30%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

If officers were not blaming residents they were blaming covid.
The data is worthless but councillors thanked the officers for their honesty and voted to accept the document anyway. Of the councillors present - 

Councillor Eryl Jones-Williams (Chair)
Councillor Angela Russell (Vice-chair)
Councillors: Menna Baines, Beca Brown, Anwen J. Davies, Alan Jones Evans, Richard Medwyn Hughes, Gareth Tudor Morris Jones, Linda Ann Jones, Olaf Cai Larsen, Linda Morgan, Beth Lawton and Dafydd Owen.

Only one voted against with another abstaining. The rest voted it through. 

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

HR Investigation Of Senior Officers Has Already Cost 30K - Cyngor Gwynedd.

Dafydd Gibbard, CEO of cyngor Gwynedd has authored the council's 'Response Plan to the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report'. He writes - 
The Committee is asked to scrutinise the revamped Response Plan before it is submitted to Cabinet for formal adoption.

This January, his report has gone before the Care scrutiny committee, the Education/Economy scrutiny committee and the Governance and Audit committee. His report can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5668/Public%20reports%20pack%2013th-Jan-2026%2010.30%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

The 'extended' Child Practice Review, by Jan Pickles, looked at events from 2017.
From a BBC article dated April, 2025 –
She looked at 2019 because, during Foden’s trial, the council’s former head of education Garem Jackson said that was when he made a senior safeguarding officer aware of concerns about Foden’s “close relationship” with some teen girls.
He said he was advised there was no need for a formal investigation as no official complaint had been made.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2njvjwzko

So who advised Jackson?
In this respect, Jan Pickles is vague...
From page 13 of her review - 

LA1 Head C&FS requested a meeting on a ‘Mater Diogelu Brys- Cyfrinachol’ (Urgent
Safeguarding matter - Confidential) via email to LA1 C&FS Senior Manager LADO.

On 15 April 2019 a meeting of four senior LA1 officers from LA1 Ed, LA1 C&FS and LA1 Legal departments was held to consider the information reported by Core SMT 1 to LA1 Head of Education 1. 

No formal minutes were made of this meeting however the Reviewers have seen transcripts of handwritten notes taken contemporaneously by two attendees. 
Core SMT 1 was not invited to the meeting to give further nformation. 
The meeting was deemed not to be a child protection meeting and was instead regarded as being for the consideration of a ‘professional issue’.

So a senior officer from the legal department was present...
Was this the monitoring officer?

Did any senior officer apart from Jackson give evidence at Neil Foden's trial?
Did the chair and vice chair of the school governors, both serving police officers, give evidence?
If not - why not..?

The Woods report will give more detail of the safeguarding failures. 
After HR completes it's investigations will the report be published? 
There were calls from councillors for the report to be released, even as an exempted document, this was flatly refused by the monitoring officer. Gibbard informed that the HR investigations had already cost £30,000...

The Jan Pickles review can be found here - 
https://www.northwalessafeguardingboard.wales/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/30.10.25-FINAL-ENGLISH-CPR-REPORT-_.pdf

A reminder that the children abused by Foden were receiving 'care' from the council...
Did Social workers of the 16+ team and the Youth Justice Service also fail the children? 
Both departments are to have their recent work scrutinised at a care scrutiny committee on the 29th, January.

In other news, Nia Jeffreys, the leader of the council, challenged the minutes of the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee. She explained that she was against excluding the public and press from a previous meeting and had asked that her vote against be recorded. 
The council leader's vote was not recorded...

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

Shocking - Cyngor Gwynedd Council And Private Landlords...

Last September, a cyngor Gwynedd enforcement officer allowed a private landlord to personally undertake the task of installing an electrical consumer unit into his rented property. 

The landlord is not a qualified electrician but the enforcement officer, Alwyn Trenholme, assured the tenant that the work would be checked and certified by a registered electrician within a week...

More on this here - 
https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2025/09/unqualified-installation-of-consumer.html

On January 13th, four months later, a qualified electrician inspected the landlord's work.
The property failed yet again...

The MCB and MCP were both faulty and needed replacing -  

Also, the immersion heater for hot water was found not to be earthed...

Just Another Annus Horribilis - Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

2025 was yet another Annus Horribilis for cyngor Gwynedd...

Jan Pickles had began her extended CPR whilst the children's SS was avoiding proper scrutiny of this complaint - 

  

Sshh...
Two complaints about the education department were also not properly scrutinised. The cabinet member did not offer an explanation to the complaint about the assessment and skipped the meeting where the lack of response to a safeguarding concern was presented. 

 

School absences remained high with 1 in 10 children often not in attendance. Many of these children will have ALN and should be receiving support from ADYaCh. There is little support from the organisation and few schools cope so the number of expulsions rose across the county.

Supporting adults - or not...
Cyngor Gwynedd closed the day care services in Y Ganolfan, in Blaenau Ffestiniog and Encil y Coed, in Cricieth. These closures come on top of the day centres that have already closed in Bala, Porthmadog and Caernarfon. 

Whilst some residents were already having to travel out of area for services that Aled Davies, the former head of adults could not guarantee in future, Dilwyn Morgan and members voted for the closures. Meanwhile -  

'I had no help after my husband got dementia'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgyz3ez7ddo

There is no support and not for a lack of funding but a lack of carers.
Unpaid carers are not supported by the council either...

No english, no poor, no dogs..?
This year, Gwynedd's planning committee should have received more attention than it has.
Social housing is not welcomed by many members and applications are being refused contrary to their own planning policies. Warnings that schools may close due to a lack of numbers have been ignored...

Whistleblowing...
Then there was Gwynedd's audit on whistleblowing, undertaken by Luned Fon Jones. It does not make for good reading with 81 staff (who responded) saying they would NOT blow the whistle on something that is –
‘unlawful, fraudulent or corrupt‘
nor the –
‘sexual, physical or emotional abuse of clients‘

 

It is obvious that these staff have little faith in the management within the council...

Aled Davies, head of the adults SS then left his post.
Mari Wynne Jones, is the new post holder...

Cyngor Gwynedd then sacked an officer who they had suspended on full pay for 9 years.
The officer then took his case to an Employment Tribunal - 



Before the case could be heard in court, the council re-employed the officer...

Canolfan Brynffynnon
Two other officers also suspended for 9 years received redundacy packages.
Was a gagging order imposed?

The Genevieve Woods report was completed...
This led to to Marian Parry Hughes, the head of children's SS and Assistant Head safeguarding and quality officer, Dafydd Paul, being 'absent from work' since last spring. 

Have then these two registered social workers broken the Code of professional practice for social care ? 
And if so, has the council themselves referred these two officers to Social Care Wales? 

Code of Practice for Social Care Employers 
Section 5
Promote the Code of Professional Practice for Social Care and co-operate with Social Care
Wales’ proceedings

5.5 Take account of the Code of Professional Practice for Social Care when making any decision that relates to a worker’s fitness to practise.

5.6 Follow guidance on how to make a referral to us about a worker whose fitness to practise may be
impaired and, if appropriate, tell the worker a referral has been made.
https://socialcare.wales/cms-assets/documents/Employers-code.pdf

Gwynedd's CEO, Dafydd Gibbard, has not yet published the Woods report and is in possession of other reports that may be critical of the same officers and their role in the farce of Canolfan Brynffynnon. 
What was the 'new information' that stopped the criminal trial in 2016?

A full and independent review of the children's SS department and how it has operated over the years is needed...

Geraint Owen, retired as corporate director - Catrin Thomas has replaced him.

Morfa Bychan...
Last year, the council opened a children's home in Morfa Bychan. The home has still not been registered and should be considered unlawful. One councillor recently asked why registration was taking so long? 
Menna Trenholme, the cabinet member for children, appeared to blame Care Inspectorate Wales.

The CIW may not be comfortable endorsing any 'responsible individual' from Gwynedd council and who could blame them?  

Cyngor Gwynedd are now buying homes for foster carers to live in.
One of the final acts of Iwan Huws, former councillor for Bethel and Y Felinheli, was to sign off on the purchase of a house in the local area. 

Smallholdings...
Cyngor Gwynedd have released £2.1 million to pay for improvements to their smallholdings.
This money has come from the council tax premium which was meant to help the housing crisis. 

Are schools safe...?
One recent meeting heard reports of local school in Tywyn having to lockdown because of a pupil with a knife. In a separate incident, a taxi driver, who worked on the school run has been arrested. 

The chair of the committee tried to shut down the councillor who raised these concerns...

The year ended with councillors calling for the the council to be put in special measures and calls for a public inquiry... 

One councillor has asked for an extraordinary meeting of the full council to be held in the new year.
The director of SS spoke in support of this action.
It is not clear if the council will grant the request...

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

Nepotism, Cronyism And Bullying? - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Councillor Beca Brown presented a notice of motion re Neil Foden to a full council meeting of cyngor Gwynedd on the 4th December, 2025. The motion can be found in the agenda pack for the meeting - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//mgChooseDocPack.aspx?ID=5505

There were also 6 questions put to the council by elected members. 
One raised by Councillor John Pughe Roberts asked - 

 
The rest of the leader's response along with the other question and answers can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/b15108/ITEM%206%20-%20QUESTIONS%2004th-Dec-2025%2013.30%20The%20Council.pdf?T=9 

John Nicholson, an ex governor at Ysgol Friars between 2013 and 2017, reports that he tried to raise concerns about Neil Foden but was not supported by other members of the board -
“If the maladministration was blatantly evident to me after just a few months of becoming a school governor, it must have been overwhelmingly clear to those members of staff who comprised the senior management team.
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/25655748.bangor-former-school-governor-reacts-neil-foden-report/

In the same article, Jan Pickles, appears to reply to Nicholson directly - 
“I understand that Foden was a controlling bully to children, staff and governors, and I don’t doubt he behaved that way with staff within the council’s education department.
“However, we are the adults in this situation. If he’s behaving like that with you as a governor, how is behaving with children?  

School governors did fail...
The chair and vice chair during the time of Foden's offending were Essi Ahari and Keith Horton - both serving police officers with North Wales Police. 
Is Pickles saying that experienced, senior police officers were bullied?
Did the officers give evidence to Pickles?

Councillor Richard Medwyn Hughes was also a governor during this time.
Hughes resigned after Foden's arrest but cyngor Gwynedd reinstated him last year.
For why...?

There can be repercussions for those who do raise concerns...
An example from a BBC article dated 2020 -

Gwynedd head teacher Neil Foden 'victimised staff'
"I felt victimised by Neil Foden due to the way he operated. You were either in his gang or you were not," person D told the panel.
He claimed he was never interviewed by school governors and that Mr Foden's daughter had investigated the allegations against him.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51710557 
 
Neil Foden was an abusive bully and used the system to protect himself.
It is part of a culture that appears rife in Gwynedd that includes not just schools and the education department but many departments within the council.

Raising concerns in Gwynedd...
To raise a complaint about a senior officer in Gwynedd can be fraught with danger.
The culture means that complainants have on occasion been gaslit and smeared to others.
Foden used the 'vexatious complainants' approach to shut down complaints.
The children's SS use the term 'tiresome complainants'.

                                                                  ***********
Safeguarding children or safeguarding themselves? 
A reminder that the Pickles review was an 'extended' child practice review.
This means that some of the children were in the care of the local council or recently had been...

A whole team of social workers and their managers were meant to be protecting each child from predators such as Foden. 
All failed the children...
Were any of the kids in foster care?
Were Youth Justice involved?

The head of children's services is still 'absent from work' and Dafydd Paul, their senior safeguarding officer appears to have been replaced by Elliw Haf Hughes.

Leader of the council, Nia Jeffreys, could have explained what is happening within the department. 
She did not...nor did the cabinet member for children, or any of the senior officers present.

One Gwynedd councillor, Richard Glyn Roberts, saw through the mea culpa's -
Given the slowness in dealing with this issue and the lack of clinical focus on the procedural and organisational failures. one asks how we can have confidence in the leadership of the council.

Organisational failures of Gwynedd's senior officers will be detailed in the Woods report.
Councillors could ask Dafydd Gibbard to release this report which he has had in his possession since the Spring.

There was a question from Councillor Gruffydd Williams - 
Following the fact that article 4 has been quashed by Judge Justice Eyre and as a result of what he said, "that there has been significant misleading by the Officers of this Council", will the Council apologise to campaigners who have fought so hard to enforce article 4

Williams was answered by Craig ab Iago, cabinet member for the Enviroment.
The reference to officers misleading councillors was not properly answered...

The webcast of the full council meeting can be found here -
The translated feed is not working...
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1044728

In other news, the job of Gwynedd's workforce development manager under social care is being advertised. Those interested should contact the current workforce development manager, Gillian Paul.

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...