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... 

 

 

 

 

 

Where Are The Voices Of The Children? Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

It is not usual for a CEO of a county council to deny involvement in the delay of a report -
Council boss denies it was behind Foden report delay
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kwy7wnnk4o

Nor is it usual for a safeguarding board to delay a review report whilst it 'considers its legal obligations and information sharing further' 

Due to the lack of trust in the council, it is understandable that the CEO, Dafydd Gibbard, felt the need to publicly deny involvement. What is the reasoning behind the North Wales Safeguarding Board's decision to delay the Jan Pickles review? 

The Jan Pickles review, aided by the Genevieve Woods report, looked at the crimes of paedophile headteacher, Neil Foden and how he continued to abuse even after concerns were raised against him...

Foden could have been stopped yet many people failed to do so...
Claims of undeserved examination passes at Ysgol Friars do not appear to have been investigated, nor when Foden's own union, the NEU, took action against him. There was much anger over the no school meals policy for children who had 2p of debt during the pandemic and also the video of the alleged assault on a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle - 
Head teacher filmed appearing to grab pupil by scruff of the neck  
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/head-teacher-filmed-appearing-grab-22967578

Much of what Foden did made the press and social media. Concerns were raised about his behaviour at Gwynedd's education/economy scrutiny committee - on more than one occasion. This committee are also investigating safeguarding in schools but it is unlikely their own lack of action will be examined in any detail.

Dewi Jones, the cabinet member for education, is leading the investigation. 
The panel's draft report, originally due in September 2025, then 11th December 2025,  has now been delayed until 12th February 2026. 

The reason being that members forgot to include the voices of children in the investigation...

More information can be found in the  Education/Economy draft forward programme - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/s46071/2025-10-16%20Education%20and%20Economy%20Scrutiny%20Committee%20Forward%20Programme%202025-26.pdf

So what of Gwynedd's Scrutiny Forum?
This Forum is made up of the chair and vice chair of each scrutiny committee and aided by senior officers it decides on what is of importance for investigation and/or discussion at forward meetings. 

Has Foden ever been the subject of discussion by this forum, or any of the other 'informal' scrutiny meetings, not open to the public..?

What of the monitoring officer and the legal team's advice to senior officers over the years?
Did they not raise questions re Foden with the senior officers?
Were they advising senior officers?

The Genieve Woods report has already led to two senior officers within children's SS being 'absent from work' Perhaps the child practice review will highlight how these girls were failed?

Some may say that it was the procedures that failed, but the procedures could only be robust if they were implemented in a timely and correct manner by those whose job it was to protect children...

Those will include school governors, the former head(s) of education, cabinet member(s), senior officers within social services and the safeguarding/child protection team. 

It should come as no surprise - though many will claim it to be - that some of these officers are the same ones responsible for allowing social workers to bully, undertake fake assessments on children, interfere in investigations and mislead the Obudsman for Wales. One social worker appears to have been promoted after giving evidence to an investigation that was later called out as 'disingenuous' by the PSOW. 
The Ffordd Gwynedd way...?

The director of Gwynedd SS, Huw Dylan Owen, spoke of the embarrassment to come during his presentation of his Annual Report at a meeting of the full council. His report can be found in the agenda pack - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//mgChooseDocPack.aspx?ID=5504

Owen will have had knowledge of the Genevieve Woods report since March. 
His report appears to have been written at the same time as it contains little new information since then. No statement on the head of SS, Marian Parry Hughes, still 'absent from work'.

It is presumed that the complaints manager is also 'absent from work', due to his lack of input in the complaints handling report.

Having these officers 'absent from work' may have improved some aspects of the department but their wages are considerable and that means that children's services are losing out on £4 to £5K a week. 

One would hope that Owen will have spent some time going through past cases involving these officers looking for anything of concern. It is not likely that reports written by these officers will properly inform the director. Has he read the investigative reports created by the Canolfan Brynffynnon affair and associated 'employment' investigation reports? 

A reminder that draft reports are often more informative as not all criticism of individuals/departments make the final cut...

Then there are the several PSOW investigations...

A public inquiry is needed.  

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Sick Days Cost £5.7 Million

Cyngor Gwynedd council held a Cabinet meeting on the 17/12/24. The webcast can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/941307

The council 'Staff Well-being Plan 2024 - 2028' was presented to the Plaid Cymru members. It reports staff absences cost the public purse £5.7 million -

14,404 (22.13%) work days were lost due to sickness absence related to stress, depression and mental health problems;
7,718 (11.86%) work days were lost due to sickness absence related to musculoskeletal problems;
'Other sickness' was recorded as the main reason for the sickness of 22.79%;
Long-term absences contributed to 51% of the Council's sickness absence days;
On average, every officer in the Council has lost 10.29 work days a year;
2.72% more sickness absence days were lost in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.

The report also shows -
665 staff members were referred to the Occupational Health Service
194 Council staff members were referred to the Counselling Service (Medra)
129 Council staff members were referred to the Physiotherapy Service

Are there waiting lists for these services for council employees, like there are for the services available to the general public?

The COMPLAINTS AND SERVICE IMPROVEMENT REPORT QUARTER 1-2 2024/25 was also presented. It included -

 

The complaint from a 'customer', raised earlier this year, concerning safeguarding issues within Education is not believed to have come before any scrutiny committee. So has anything been learnt from the Neil Foden case? Openness and transparency...?

One would expect that the cabinet member for Education, Dewi Jones, would have asked for an explanation at the meeting.
Jones did not attend the meeting...

There appears to be an ongoing issue with assessments too. Not one cabinet member asked for an explanation of senior officers. Perhaps they were updated behind closed doors?

Oddly, a children's SS complaint was included in the report -
 

As the Investigating Officer considered how officers dealt with the complaint serious enough to notify the council's monitoring officer, it is concerning that this complaint was not included in the SS annual complaints that was presented for scrutiny in September...

Menna Trenholme, the cabinet member for children, did not question this item and so another complaint involving the children's SS department appears to have avoided any scrutiny.

Whilst the MO, Iwan Evans, has asked the SS department(s) to consider the PSOW's guidance on responding to complaints, it is concerning that that Ian Jones, the head of democratic services recently commented in relation to the Ombudsman investigations -

It should be noted that it is not the role of the Committee to consider whether individual complaints have been dealt with appropriately, but rather to assess the effectiveness of the complaints process. As a result, there is no reference in this report to any individual complaint or departmental performance within the Council.

Annual Complaints and Service Improvement Report 2023/24 - by Ian Jones.
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/s42709/ANNUAL%20COMPLAINTS%20AND%20SERVICE%20IMPROVEMENT%20REPORT%20202324.pdf

So who does consider whether individual complaints have been dealt with appropriately..?

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...