Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Another Cabinet Member Avoids Scrutiny...

Cyngor Gwynedd council held a Care Scrutiny Committee on the 1st February 2024. Once again, the english webcast is not working making a mockery of the council's claim to have a bilingual service.
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/849190

Gwynedd's Housing Plan was discussed. It was meant to be presented by Craig ab Iago, the Cabinet member for Housing. The member had sent his apologies saying that he would try and attend the meeting later - this did not happen. 

The agena pack (with minutes of the last meeting) and details of the Housing Plan can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g4974/Public%20reports%20pack%2001st-Feb-2024%2010.30%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

At the end of the meeting, the chair of the committee, Beth Lawton, expressed her disappointment with the member for failing to attend. A housing officer did try and explain the circumstances surrounding the member's absence, but the chair dismissed the officer's protestations. 

The behaviour of the chair is odd considering the care scrutiny committee have failed to hold cabinet members to account for the bad behaviour towards the county's disabled and autistics in particular -  culminating in several PSOW rulings against Gwynedd SS departments.

Cabinet members Beca Brown, Nia Jeffreys and now Craig ab Iago have all missed recent scrutiny committee meetings...

This was a long day for the committee with a briefing session held before the public meeting and then an informal meeting held behind closed doors after the webcast concluded.

In other news, the Governance and Audit Committee meet on the 8th February. Gwynedd council do not usually webcast these meetings but this one will be webcast and should be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/852366

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Cabinet Members Not Attending Scrutiny...

Below is the link to Cyngor Gwynedd council's Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee held on Thursday, 25th January 2024 -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/846470

Non Welsh speaking Councillors and the public will not be able to view the webcast as the english version is not available...

The agenda pack (and minutes of the last meeting) can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g4895/Public%20reports%20pack%2025th-Jan-2024%2010.30%20Education%20and%20Economy%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

The Gwynedd Economic Development Project was first on the agenda and was to be presented by the Cabinet Member for Economy, Nia Jeffreys. The cabinet member did not attend the meeting...
From her report -
...it was intended to produce a plan for the development of the economy in the period 2023-28. An independent company was commissioned to facilitate the work and on the 1st of April 2022 a joint workshop with our main partners in the field to initiate a discussion of the needs and priorities for the period ahead.

This work has not yet been completed...
One councillor did mention that a family member was a beneficiary of available grants.

The Equality Objectives Consultation Document was presented. The report authored by Delyth Williams, contains a lot of evidence of consultation with different groups and received many responses. Yet the meeting complained that not enough was done to involve the Welsh language. It was pointed out to councillors that the language has nothing to do with the Equality Act.

Next up was the Education Annual Report 2022-23, written by the newly appointed Head of Education, Gwern ap Rhisiart. Beca Brown, the Cabinet member for Education was to present the report but she too was absent from the meeting...

This report was also detailed and informative but again the scrutiny committee wished to focus on the Welsh language used in schools and some councillors were quite scathing. On a positive, pupil absences have improved slightly...

It was left to Councillor Cai Larsen to ask the important questions regarding the safety of children in Gwynedd schools. Gwern ap Rhisiart informed that police checks (DBS) were being carried out on teachers and school staff. He reminded councillors that he had only been in post for one month...

The GwE Annual Report for 2022/23 was presented. The annual report for this year is not specific to Gwynedd and covers every Local Authority and its schools. It is difficult to take GwE seriously after the 'hotdesking' scandal and the vastly inflated fuel expenses submitted by its officers before the pandemic. Their report begins on page 184 of the agenda pack...

Finally, the Post 16 Education Project report was presented. This came at the end of a long meeting and was passed without much ado. 

The meeting was most notable for the attitude of certain councillors towards the presenting officers. One wonders if they are driven by conscious bias...?

It will take time for the new Head of Education to get to grips with the failings of the past. Failings that committee members should be taking some responsibility for. They did not appear to act on media reports, nor presumably parents concerns. 

How many councillors were - or are still - governors at the schools where teachers have been arrested...?

Scrutiny committees are there to hold Cabinet Members to account for the work of the departments they have responsibility for, but it falls down when the Cabinet members do not attend...

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Education Performance Fact Check...

Cyngor Gwynedd council held a Cabinet meeting on the 10th October, 2023. Once again, there are problems wth the translated feed and only the Welsh version is working -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/814616

One item of note was the Performance Report of the Cabinet Member for Education, presented by Beca Brown. It begins -
The purpose of this report is to update you on what has been achieved in the field for which I, as Cabinet Member for Education, have responsibility. This includes addressing the summer results, the Estyn inspection of the Authority's Education services, as well as outlining the latest with the pledges made in the Council Plan; the Department's day-to-day work; as well as the latest in terms of savings and cuts schemes.

Mention is made of the recent Estyn report and the member states -
The report is very positive and I am very proud of that, since it is testament to the hard work and contribution of everyone within the system.

The Estyn report raises concerns with pupils in need of social, emotional and behavioural support -
However, neither the status of, nor the steps for accessing the behaviour support hubs, are wholly clear. Senior leaders also do not have a strategic overview of the outcomes or nature and quality of this provision.
https://www.estyn.gov.wales/system/files?file=2023-09/Inspection%20report%20Cyngor%20Gwynedd%202023_0.pdf

The high number of absences and exclusions from school are concerning.
How many of these pupils have additional learning needs?
The reality is that even after specialist intervention some schools in Gwynedd do not implement the support recommended...

Then there is the sudden resignation of the Head of Education. The former Head was ultimately responsible for special needs provision - who has that responsibility now?

Estyn also mentions safeguarding -
Safeguarding arrangements within the education service are generally sound. Officers understand their roles and responsibilities in this area and work effectively with children’s services officers.

The recent arrest of a high paygrade employee shows the absurdity of this statement.
Did this employee ever support Estyn in their inspections?

Concerns of sexual harassment, bullying and drug taking have been raised for some time.
What of the school governors? Also the children's services officers?
How have they dealt with these concerns?

For what it's worth, the cabinet member's report can be found in the agnda pack here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g5055/Public%20reports%20pack%2010th-Oct-2023%2013.00%20The%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Wales Audit Recognise Cyngor Gwynedd Council - For What?

Cyngor Gwynedd council held a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 28th, June, 2022 - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/679724

One Councillor spoke of his experiences on social media and that people think the council live in ivory towers, do bugger all and collect bonuses for everything. He spoke of the council's plans for the future outlined in the agenda and made a plea to the new CEO, Dafydd Gibbard, to ensure they were carried through...

He referenced paragraph 5 of Mr Gibbard's statement in an attempt to rebuff criticism on Facebook -
The full statement and meeting agenda can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g4693/Public%20reports%20pack%2028th-Jun-2022%2013.00%20The%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10

Can we have a factcheck, please?

The new CEO has only been in post for a year and may not have read all the reports relating to past performance and failures of this council - but 'recognised as performing excellently...'
By whom? Which departments?

Certainly not the Children and Families department which has been undertaking 'fake assessments' on disabled children - their complaints process manipulated to shut down complaints - interference in 'independent' investigations and behavior by senior officer's which 'outraged' even the Ombudsman.
On training staff, the former Cabinet Member for Children, Dilwyn Morgan, warned in November, 2021 - "it would frighten you how few members of staff undertake these trainings..."

Nor the Adult SS, which Dilwyn Morgan now has responsibility for, with recent Ombudsman investigations highlighting serious failings in this department, too. Have all the recommendations arising from the investigations been carried out yet? A reminder to the Member to seek robust evidence of compliance not just an officer's word...

It is a concern that neither the Children's nor Adult SS departments have allowed proper scrutiny of their Annual Complaints Reports since 2019. Three years with no proper scrutiny - a pandemic - and the Director with ultimate responsibility for both departments now leaving the council.

Mr Gibbard mentions 'recognition' from the Wales Audit Office - for what? A Wales Audit Office report from January, 2022 into Gwynedd council can be found here -
https://www.audit.wales/sites/default/files/publications/gwynedd_performance.pdf

From the report -

There is more....The report is not positive.

The CEO gives Care Inspectorate Wales a mention, too. The CIW's time would be better spent ensuring its past recommendations for improvement have been fully complied with. Gwynedd council have a history of not carrying through with agreements made...

And Estyn and local education...There is still the issue of Headteacher, Neil Foden, who claimed the council threw him under a bus during the school meals fiasco. The Education officer failed to answer a Committee and a public update regarding the video of the headteacher appearing to have a pupil by the neck is also outstanding. 

Perhaps, Beca Brown, the new Cabinet Member for Education, could give an update?

In the past year, the council has now lost its two most senior Executive officer's.

Just over a year ago, an investigation report was completed and presented to the council - has it been released?

In other news, the Information Commissioner is currently 'advising' the council to release information first asked for in 2020 and on the subject of data law - how long does an internal review of an FOI request take nowadays?
Openness and transparency...

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...