Cyngor Gwynedd Council - "I'm not claiming that the way we're reporting is completely accurate..."

Cyngor Gwynedd  held an Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday, 19th June 2025. The webcast of the meeting can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/993870

The Task and Finish Group recommendations for Gwynedd council's Draft Education Language Policy - Cyngor Gwynedd Language Strategy 2023 - 2033 were discussed. There has been a recent push by councillors for schools to be taught through the medium of Welsh only...

The recommendations can be found in the agenda pack here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5496/Public%20reports%20pack%2019th-Jun-2025%2010.30%20Education%20and%20Economy%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

On the 16th June, the Planning Commiittee held a meeting. That webcast can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/992005

The meeting discussed an application for an 'affordable self build' house in Penygroes. It has been refused in the past but the local councillor called it in for a debate. The councillor did not attend the meeting...
The recommendation was to refuse with the department citing three reasons including a lack of communication with the applicant. For reasons unknown some councillors wished to support the application anyway. The application was refused... 

Gwynedd's Care Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday, 12th June 2025.
The webcast can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/991166

A performance report from the head of Housing and Property department, Carys Fôn Williams, was presented. 

Next up was the performance report of the children and supporting families department, presented by cabinet member, Menna Trenholme.
With Marian Parry Hughes absent from work, it was left to the interim heads, Aled Gibbard and Sharron Carter Williams, to answer members questions. 

The department's report makes no mention of the absences of two of its most senior officers and not one scrutiny member raised concerns. 

Morfa Bychan was discussed. The children's home should have been open last year. and whilst children have been placed there, the home is still not registered...

Councillor Beth Lawton raised concerns that according to the graphics in the report the interim heads had no concerns with the department at all. Lawton pointed out that there were concerns and described the Derwen service and its workload as huge.
Gibbard replied "I'm not claiming that the way we're reporting is completely accurate..." 

Councillor Gwynfor Owen asked the officers for the criteria that allows access to the disabled children's service. He was told, a learning disability and those with a substantial delay. Owen also asked if access to Derwen services was dependant on IQ. Gibbard replied no... 
Some parents have been told exactly that...

 
The Derwen criteria has been called out as unlawful in the past and in 2019, the Ombudsman for Wales recommendation was - 
The Council should review its Derwen policy to ensure its criteria aligns with the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010’s definition of ‘disability’, and ensure staff are informed about any changes (within three months). 

What of the Hugh Morgan Autism Review? 
Have his recommendations been implemented? Perhaps Mr Morgan could be asked for his thoughts on 'progress' since his review?
His review can be found here -
https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2021/04/finally-gwynedd-councils-autism-report.html

Moving on, the report states that the purpose of the performance report is 'to present the performance of the Children and Supporting Families Department over the past year.'

But then states 'the report has been created based on the information and content of the latest meeting to challenge and support the performance of the Children and Supporting Families Department with the Director, the Senior Operational Officer and myself present at this meeting.'

So not over the past year? Only since the 'latest meeting' - whenever that was...?

The performance report for the Adults SS was also presented.

For what they're worth the reports can be found in the agenda pack here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5531/Public%20reports%20pack%2012th-Jun-2025%2010.00%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

In other news, Cyngor Gwynedd is advertising for a Corporate Director.
https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Council/Jobs-and-Careers/Corporate-Director.aspx

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PSOW 'Variances' To Recommendations Made And Remits For Investigations...

Accepting the Ombudsman for Wales offer of a third investigation into cyngor Gwynedd was a mistake.

Yet again, the 'remit' for investigation was a bone of contention.
So much evidence of continued bad behaviour by officers was not to be investigated, nor action taken over non compliance as the Ombudsman had signed this off as completed - when it was not. Farcical.

A reminder that the child's diagnosis of autism was repeatedly ignored by Gwynedd's Derwen manager and was not allowed to be taken into account by social workers in either care assessment. Social workers said that they had not accessed and read the the child's files and were not interested in the family history, preferring they said to 'take it from here'. The second care assessment carried out on the orders of the Ombudsman appeared to morph into a safeguarding issue of a neurotypical child and an exercise in parent bashing...

The Ombudsman appeared not to take full regard of the child's diagnosis of autism either and when challenged by the family who cited another case for comparison, the Ombudsman warned that cases should not be compared. Of course not, but the fact remains one child's diagnosis appeared to be treated differently from another.

Reading through past investigation reports and FOI's to both organisations reveal council officers who apologise, sometimes even sincerely, and then ignore agreements made. The Ombudsman's acceptance of variances to its recommendations without complainants knowledge is also insulting after such lengthy and costly investigations. 

The Ombudsman then submitted its preferred 'remit' to cyngor Gwynedd without the complainant's approval or knowledge. The complainants were not happy and a 'pause' to the complaint was asked of the Ombudsman while a Subject Access Request was submitted to its information office seeking its correspondence with the council. The Ombudsman agreed to the delay...

A SAR had also been submitted to cyngor Gwynedd and whilst the council's Information office had dealt fairly with previous requests, it now produced pages of censored content...

Part of an email thread does show officers discussing waylaying the child at their place of education - without parents knowledge. Would this be an attempt to get the child to agree to something so the third investigation could be halted? The same council officers who have a history of fake assessments, interference in investigations, bullying staff and writing reports in spite of the evidence and an autistic child with complex issues. How desperate were senior officers to even contemplate this...?

A reminder that Gwynedd SS department had been investigated previously by the Ombudsman and hauled over the coals for similar tactics in the case of an autistic man in residential care who had their services removed. The case involved officers speaking with the man alone without family members or support. Using a person's disability against them...?

As usual, the SS department apologised for their behaviour but recommendations from this case were also not complied with though the Ombudsman has signed this off as completed albeit with another variance. Extra training in ASD for staff was accepted by the Ombudsman instead of the required review of services. There is no public record of this training or how many attended...

The Ombudsman's Information office did comply with part of the SAR but did not release documentation between themselves and the council adding further doubt to the impartiality of the Ombudsman.

Cyngor Gwynedd. who had released dialogue between the Ombudsman in a previous case now refused. An internal review was requested where the reviewing officer claimed that the Ombudsman had discussion with the council to not disclose information in this case. For obvious reasons, the officer was not believed and challenged to provide the evidence. The letter from the Ombudsman to the council was released to the family...

The Ombudsman is independent, impartial and fair - it says that on its website, nor does it advise either party. 

When challenged, the Ombudsman explained that the correspondence was not 'advice' but merely their response to a council's query. The response was very detailed and information passed between the two organisations in how the council deal with the SAR, for 'transparency' and 'consistency' as the Ombudsman advised. A reminder that the Ombudsman was not the data controller in this instance...

During this time, the Ombudsman had become impatient and demanded a decision be made to accept the 'remit' or the complaint would be closed. The 'remit' was not accepted by the complainants and the Ombudsman closed the case.

Something is very wrong with the complaints process in Wales...

 

 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - More Questions Re Compliance - Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman for Wales email of the 23rd, December, 2021, also mentions Derwen, Cyngor Gwynedd council's disabled children's service and states -

 
"The consultant’s review considered the role of Derwen (responsible for assessments of children) and of NEWIAS (with a remit for accessing adult diagnostic assessment) and the chart within the draft plan seen demonstrates how the agencies will work together.  The need in particular for a transitional social worker and additional training for relevant officers was identified and is to be implemented as well as establishing an Autism champion."

What draft plan? 

Gwynedd council and Derwen should have been working with agencies since 2008 and the introduction of the Autism SAP. How can they plan to work with agencies that they have been working with for the past 14 years?

With regard to an autism champion the Plaid Cymru Councillor for Glyder in Bangor, Elin Walker Jones, was the nominated autism champion from 2012 and was even nominated for an award in 2014 - she didn't win. What happened to her? 

The 'additional training' the Ombudsman mentions should have already taken place (details below)

 

It would be interesting to have sight of the evidence provided to Hugh Morgan's Review by Gwynedd senior management - and fact checked.

The SS departments these officers manage and their actions and behaviours have been heavily criticised in five Ombudsman investigations . Four of those investigations involved the bad treatment meted out to those on the autistic spectrum. their families and even complaint investigators. One investigation - not autism related - was because of a death in a local care home.

 

Have the Ombudsman's recommendations from that case been complied with? The council's last CEO, Dilwyn Williams, warned the adult SS department that the work was long overdue before he retired. Where is evidence of compliance? 

Hugh Morgan's review and recommendations that senior officers have accepted but also failed to implement can be found here -
https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2021/04/finally-gwynedd-councils-autism-report.html

 

But why is Mr Morgan raising issues with the Derwen 'criteria'...?
The council were meant to have already updated their Derwen criteria to align with law from a previous investigation - the Ombudsman has signed this off as completed. It makes no sense....

Also this from an Ombudsman's investigation which the council accepted in 2018 -

What is the point of costly and time consuming reviews and investigations when nothing changes?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...